Get Set Go! 5 Things for You to START Doing in L&D

In Learning and Development (L&D), it’s easy to get caught up in trends or stick with long-standing practices. But the evolving landscape demands that you not only keep up with trends but actively drive change within your organization. Your leadership expects you to be agile, strategic, and aligned with broader business objectives. With the pace at which technology is evolving and the demands of modern learners, it’s essential to reassess what’s working and what isn’t. Unlike the dramatic scenarios of science fiction, where achieving warp speed in minutes is a matter of life or death (thankfully, not our L&D reality!), there are moments when accelerating the right actions becomes crucial. Here are five immediate actions for L&D professionals to enhance relevance and effectiveness:

1. Target Quick Wins and Low-Hanging Fruit - We often tend to focus on long-term, large-scale projects, but sometimes the most effective results come from quick wins and identifying low-hanging fruit can often make a bigger, more immediate impact. These smaller initiatives allow you to quickly demonstrate the value of L&D, keeping momentum high and reinforcing your role in driving business success.?

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For example, if your leadership team is pushing for improved team collaboration, instead of waiting to roll out a full leadership development program, you can create microlearning modules on key soft skills like communication or conflict resolution. These bite-sized, easily digestible pieces can be implemented rapidly, showing immediate results and positioning you as a nimble, high-impact contributor.?

Leaders love to see rapid, tangible outcomes. By capitalizing on quick wins, you establish yourself and your L&D team as responsive, proactive partners to the business.?

2. Upskill Your Team on AI - Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword—it’s transforming how you design, develop, deliver, and measure learning. To stay ahead, upskilling yourself and your team on AI is essential. Your leadership is increasingly looking to L&D to not just adopt AI, but to harness its potential to make learning more adaptive, personalized, and data-driven.?

?For instance, AI-powered chatbots can answer learner questions 24/7, improving engagement and reducing administrative workload. With AI, you can offer real-time learning solutions that adjust to each learner’s needs, something your leadership will be keen to leverage for maximum organizational impact. If your organization hasn’t invested in AI driven platforms, you can still get some quick wins by using AI-based course authoring tools to rapidly roll out engaging, impactful learning experiences .??

?One thing is clear – Business leaders want L&D to play a central role in using AI to upskill the workforce. By ensuring your team is proficient in AI, you’ll meet this growing demand and enhance the overall learner experience.?

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3. Use Temporary Skilled Resources to Meet Project Deadlines - Tight project deadlines are a universal challenge in L&D, especially when rolling out large training programs or eLearning initiatives. Instead of overwhelming your internal team and risking burnout, consider hiring temporary skilled resources, using staff augmentation services to supplement your team’s efforts.?

?This flexible approach to staffing allows you to scale up when needed, without committing to long-term hires. It also ensures that deadlines are met without compromising quality. Leadership teams often favor this approach because it’s cost-effective and allows for quicker turnaround times, especially for high-priority projects, such as change management initiatives.???

For instance, if you need to roll out compliance training urgently due to regulatory changes, bringing in temporary resources can fast-track content development without overwhelming your team. This approach demonstrates your resourcefulness and agility, key qualities that leadership appreciates.

4. Experiment with New Learning Formats - As L&D professionals, we all have our favorite modalities. Nothing wrong with that of course. But the danger is when we become inflexible even if our preference doesn’t reflect our multi-generational learners’ changing preferences. Traditional classroom training or lengthy eLearning modules may no longer satisfy modern learners who crave flexibility, engagement, and convenience. Leadership expects you to embrace new formats and modalities to cater to these diverse preferences.?

?Experiment with formats like podcasts, video-based learning, interactive simulations, or gamified experiences. These formats can make learning more engaging and accessible, while also fitting into learners’ busy schedules. For example, consider creating a 30-minute leadership podcast series where employees can engage with learning content during commutes.?

?Leadership wants you to meet learners where they are, offering experiences that resonate with today’s workforce. By trying out new formats, you can improve engagement, improve learning outcomes, and demonstrate your adaptability to changing needs.?

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5. Cultivate a Business Mindset - As L&D professionals, we need to increasingly think like business leaders and have our eye on the ball in business. Imagine if you were running your L&D department as an independent business. What are some changes you would make to ensure profitability and new customers? So one of the most important shifts you can make is developing a strong business mindset. Leaders want you to align more closely with business objectives, moving beyond just providing training to becoming a strategic partner. This means understanding your company’s goals, demonstrating how your L&D initiatives directly contribute to them, and marketing you L&D capabilities within the organization.

In my previous post, I discussed the importance of building an L&D brand within your organization.

To do this, start using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that matter to leadership, such as improvements in productivity, retention, or revenue growth. When you show measurable results, leadership sees L&D as a valuable investment rather than just a cost center. For example, instead of reporting on course completions, show how your leadership development program led to a 20% increase in team performance, which in turn resulted in a 15% improvement in project success rates.??

By adopting a business-first approach, you position yourself and your team as critical drivers of organizational success. Cultivating this mindset ensures that your L&D initiatives are not only relevant but integral to achieving the company’s broader goals. It also helps you to think along the lines of a profit-making center that has something of value to “sell” to prospects and customers.

In conclusion, as an L&D professional, you can no longer afford to work in isolation from the broader business. By targeting quick wins, upskilling your team on AI, scaling with temporary resources, experimenting with new formats, and adopting a business mindset, you can ensure that L&D remains relevant and continues to deliver value in a rapidly changing environment. Your leadership expects you to step up and become a true business partner, driving learning that directly impacts organizational success.?

So, get set and go! These five initiatives will help you stay ahead of the curve and position L&D as a critical driver of your organization’s future growth. What tops your list of things to START doing as an L&D professional???

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