Cease and Desist: 5 Things for You to STOP Doing in L&D

As a Learning and Development (L&D) professional, you’re always looking for ways to improve your processes and deliver the best results. However, sometimes improvement doesn’t come from adding more but rather from stopping certain behaviors or mindsets that may be holding you back. In a world that’s moving faster than ever, agility is key, and holding on to outdated practices can slow you down. Here are five things you should stop doing immediately to stay effective, relevant, and aligned with your organization’s goals.?

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1. Overthinking and Overanalyzing - It’s easy to fall into the trap of overanalyzing data, learner feedback, or course structures. You might find yourself sifting through multiple iterations of feedback, tweaking designs, and reworking course content based on minor insights. While data and feedback are crucial, overanalyzing can lead to analysis paralysis—a state where decision-making is delayed because you’re drowning in information. This paralysis can stall projects and leave your team feeling overwhelmed or stuck.?

Consider this scenario: You’ve collected learner feedback on a new soft skills program. Some feedback mentions that a few users found the content slightly too basic, while others praised its simplicity. Instead of continuously reworking the program to cater to both sides, it’s better to trust the insights you’ve gathered, make informed adjustments, and roll out updates in a timely fashion. After all, no course will satisfy every single learner, and perfection shouldn’t be your goal.?

Your leadership wants to see results—both in terms of project completion and learning outcomes. By overthinking every detail, you risk missing deadlines and losing the trust of your stakeholders. So, stop overanalyzing and trust in the research, data, and insights you already have.?

2. Chasing Perfection -? Let’s face it—perfection is the enemy of progress. In L&D, this mindset can be particularly damaging. Constantly refining content, reworking designs, and seeking a "perfect" version of a course will only delay rollouts and frustrate your team. Learning is an iterative process, and courses should evolve based on feedback and changing needs. So, stop striving for perfection and focus on getting things done.?

For example, let’s say you’ve developed an eLearning module on compliance. You might feel the need to tweak the graphics one more time or refine the wording in a few slides, but is this really adding value? Or is it just delaying the course’s launch? A more effective approach is to launch a "good enough" version of the course, gather feedback from real learners, and then use that input to make improvements later.?

Your leadership is likely more interested in seeing timely, relevant learning initiatives than waiting for a perfect product that may never arrive. Perfectionism can also demotivate your team, as they’ll feel the pressure of constantly reworking projects. Embrace the iterative nature of learning, and focus on delivering good quality, on time.?

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3. Waiting for Every Piece of the Puzzle to Fall in Place?

In an ideal world, every L&D project would have all its elements neatly lined up before launching. But in reality, waiting for complete certainty can lead to missed opportunities and unnecessary delays. The truth is, things will rarely fall perfectly into place—and that’s okay.?

Agility is critical in today’s fast-paced work environment. Rather than holding off on a project until you have every piece of content, every stakeholder approval, or every perfect piece of feedback, start moving forward with what you have. For instance, if you’re waiting for all SMEs to sign off on a new training module, but the deadline is looming, deliver what’s ready. You can always make improvements later based on real-time feedback.?

Being agile and adaptable in your approach allows you to deliver faster, learn from your learners’ responses, and make adjustments as needed. Leadership values action and timely delivery, so stop waiting for every piece of the puzzle to align perfectly and trust in the flexibility of your process.?

4. Investing in Effort-Intensive Projects with Dubious Wins?

Not every project in L&D will have a big payoff, and it’s important to recognize when a project is simply demanding too much time and resources with little return. Stop pouring energy into effort-intensive projects that don’t clearly demonstrate value. Your focus should be on initiatives that offer high-impact results with efficient use of resources.?

For instance, consider a time-consuming virtual reality (VR) training program that’s been in development for months. While VR can be a powerful tool, the return on investment (ROI) might be low if only a small segment of learners benefits from it. Instead of sinking more time into this effort, it may be better to shift resources to a blended learning program that has a wider reach and can be rolled out much faster.?

As a leader in L&D, you’re tasked with making strategic decisions about where to invest your time and resources. Always ask yourself: Does this project align with our organizational goals? Does it provide measurable value? If the answer is unclear, it’s time to cut your losses and move on to initiatives that offer a clearer, more impactful return.

5. Underestimating or Overestimating Capabilities?

One of the most common pitfalls in L&D is failing to accurately assess the capabilities of your team and the tools at your disposal. Underestimating your team can result in missed opportunities, while overestimating their capabilities can lead to unrealistic expectations and, ultimately, burnout.?

Take the time to realistically evaluate both your human and technological resources. For example, if your team is experienced in creating eLearning content but has limited experience with gamification, don’t commit to a complex, gamified course without the necessary support or training. On the flip side, don’t underestimate your team’s ability to step up and handle more advanced projects when given the right resources and time to learn.?

Misjudging capabilities can lead to missed deadlines, subpar project outcomes, and unnecessary stress on your team. Leadership will appreciate a realistic and balanced approach that acknowledges your team’s strengths and weaknesses, while ensuring that projects are well-planned and achievable.?

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In summary, there’s no denying that stopping certain behaviors and mindsets is just as important as adopting new ones. By ceasing overthinking, abandoning perfectionism, acting without waiting for all pieces to fall into place, focusing on high-value projects, and accurately assessing capabilities, you can significantly boost your efficiency, impact, and alignment with organizational goals. These are the habits your leadership wants to see change, and by addressing them head-on, you can deliver better results and move L&D forward.?

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