How to Avoid L&D Value Debt by Investing in Strategically Impactful Initiatives
Industry-leading performance consultant Ant Pugh chats with Blake Proberts about why and how you have the strategic conversation upfront.
They dig into the best way to solve the business problem (i.e., not just repurposing a large training deck) and prioritising solutions.
Key takeaways
“It’s almost arrogant for us to think that training is the solution to a business problem.”
1. People often look for training solutions without understanding the underlying business problems.
We’re accumulating value debt with terrible training design based on poorly-scoped training requests. Even more so if we don’t distinguish symptoms (pain currently being felt) from problems (the root cause).
Maybe (and we don’t want to alarm you) the problem is with the process.
“What change do you want to see in your business?”
2. Shift your mindset, and the solutions will shift, too.
Expectations are like first impressions: they’re hard to change once they’re set. Align L&D goals with business goals, and everyone’s positioned to stare down the same outcomes.
“Rather than what do people need to know to do something, let’s start with what they need to do, and we’ll work backward from there.”
3. Learning is about performance, not content consumption.
Don’t assume learners simply don’t have the right information. More content, regardless of it being the “right” content, won’t encourage people to learn. Think about what you want people to be able to do at the end of training, and work backward.
“We need to design experiences that pull [people] into a scenario where they can see the value.”
4. Motivation isn’t intrinsic.
Some people want a better job. Some want to improve performance in their current one. Some just don’t care for the compliance-like training offered. And learning without purpose isn’t ever going to inspire people.
See more from our host: Blake Proberts
Learn about our guest: Ant Pugh
Hear more of the Strategic L&D Podcast on Spotify and Apple. You’ll also find us in video form on YouTube.
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