Aligning Training with Business Goals

Louder for the people at the back 🎤 Many organisations today seem to have shifted from being institutions that develop great talent to those that primarily seek ready-made talent. This trend overlooks the immense value of individuals who, despite lacking experience, possess a great attitude, commitment, and a team-oriented mindset. These qualities often outweigh the drawbacks of hiring experienced individuals with a fixed and toxic mindset. The best organisations attract talent with their best years ahead of them, focusing on potential rather than past achievements. Let’s be clear this is more about mindset and willingness to learn and unlearn as apposed to age. To realise the incredible potential return, organisations must commit to creating an environment where continuous development is possible. This requires a multi-faceted approach: 1. Robust Training Programmes: Employers should invest in comprehensive training programmes that equip employees with the necessary skills for their roles. This includes on-the-job training, mentorship programmes, online courses, and workshops. 2. Redefining Hiring Criteria: Organisations should revise their hiring criteria to focus more on candidates’ potential and willingness to learn rather than solely on prior experience or formal qualifications. Behavioural interviews, aptitude tests, and probationary periods can help assess a candidate's ability to learn and adapt. 3. Partnerships with Educational Institutions: Companies can collaborate with educational institutions to design curricula that align with industry needs. Apprenticeship programmes, internships, and cooperative education can bridge the gap between academic learning and practical job skills. 4. Lifelong Learning Culture: Encouraging a culture of lifelong learning within organisations is crucial. Employers should provide ongoing education opportunities and support for professional development. This includes continuous skills assessment and access to resources for upskilling and reskilling. 5. Inclusive Recruitment Practices: Employers should implement inclusive recruitment practices that remove biases and barriers. Blind recruitment, diversity quotas, and targeted outreach programmes can help ensure that diverse candidates are given a fair chance. By implementing these measures, organisations can develop a workforce that is adaptable, innovative, and resilient, ensuring sustainable success and growth.

Training without culture change is why your new processes never stick. I've spent a decade training product teams, and I can tell you exactly which ones succeed: the ones where leadership built the infrastructure and culture to support what we taught. Here's what I've learned. Most organizations approach training backwards. They bring everyone together, deliver great content, get enthusiastic feedback.... and then send people back into systems that punish exactly what they just learned. A team learns to run small experiments? Their planning process still demands detailed 12-month roadmaps. They're taught to validate with customers? There's no time allocated, no research budget, no clear way to feed insights back into decisions. They embrace evidence-based prioritization? Leadership still overrides everything based on gut feel. The pattern is clear: Training + Culture = Capability. The teams that actually change their habits have three things in place: 1. Decision rights: People can actually act on what they learned without eighteen approval layers. 2. Time and resources: Customer conversations and experiments aren't "nice to haves" squeezed between meetings. They're built into how work happens. 3. Leadership alignment: Managers reinforce new behaviors in roadmap reviews, retrospectives, and how they talk about success. This is why it's great to START with the managers and senior leadership when making an organizational change. Before you invest in another training program, look hard at your organization. Are you set up to support what you're about to teach? Do your processes, metrics, and incentives actually reward the behaviors you want? If not, you're not building capability. You're just running expensive theater. What have you seen work, or not work, when rolling out new ways of working?

We have a retention problem in corporate learning. Despite 98% of companies implementing eLearning and billions invested in training platforms, employees forget 90% of what they learn within a week. The issue isn't lack of content—it's that we're still designing learning like academic courses instead of performance support. After analyzing what separates effective L&D content from the training that gets completed but never applied, I've identified 7 key principles that actually drive behavior change in the workplace. The shift required: Stop teaching skills in isolation. Start solving real performance problems. Your employees don't need another module about "communication best practices." They need to know exactly what to say when a client meeting derails or how to handle 47 "urgent" requests when they're already at capacity. The companies getting this right aren't just seeing higher completion rates—they're seeing measurable performance improvements and 30-50% better retention rates. Full breakdown in the article below, including a practical implementation framework for transforming your L&D approach from information delivery to performance improvement. What's been your experience with learning content that actually sticks versus training that gets forgotten immediately?

Most careers stall for 1 reason: People stop learning. They wait for the company to invest in them. Or for their manager to set up training. High performers, on the other hand, don't wait. They treat learning as part of the job - Even when the workday ends. Not endless study, Just small, repeatable habits - that compound. Here are 11 that make lifelong learning automatic: 1. Keep a "Questions" Note on Your Phone ↳Anytime you wonder about something, jot it down. Research one nightly 2. Replace the Doomscroll ↳Replace 30 minutes of dead scroll time with a course or podcast 3. Teach What You Learn ↳Write a short post, Loom, or explain it to a peer 4. Reverse Engineer Great Work ↳Take an article, pitch, or deck you admire and break down why it works 5. Shadow Someone 2 Steps Ahead ↳Don't ask for mentorship - just observe 6. Then, DO Ask for Mentorship ↳Say: "I admire how well you do X - would you mind coaching me on that?" 7. Run Tiny Experiments ↳Pick one skill and test it live this week 8. Force Repetitions by Tracking ↳For writing, word count. For sales, calls made. Progress is fuel 9. Do "Learning Sprints" ↳One focused topic for 30 days, then switch 10. Revisit Old Material ↳The second read often hits deeper than the first 11. End Your Day with Reflection ↳One line: "What did I learn today?" The compounding effect is real. Small reps + every day = Mastery. Agree? --- ♻️ Share this to inspire other life-long learners. And follow me George Stern for more personal growth content.

I was just speaking with the L&D Leader of a multi-billion dollar business who shared their journey to securing the business data needed to prove L&D's impact, a common struggle for many of us. They’d been on both ends of the spectrum: the Fortune 500 company where a high-ranking person refused to share business data and their current role where stakeholders are willing to hand over the data. For L&D professionals, getting access to those business metrics is half the battle. Here is the strategic approach they used to build an indispensable L&D function: 1. Focus on the business's biggest pain points (quantified with data) They targeted major, quantifiable business risks. Their first focus was fixing a massive problem: Ridiculously high turnover in one of the business units. They were also intensely interested in attrition, seeing the correlation between how they were preparing people and the number of people leaving. 2. Deliver wins before asking for the keys They built trust by showing immediate, quantifiable value first, offering to help with no questions asked. This resulted in: - Increasing the production output of new starters by focusing more on the actual work during training - Then shaving weeks off of a multi-month training program for new starters due to greater focus on performance and impact and then asking whether there was a more efficient way of achieving the same results - Which all resulted in business partners sharing more data with them because they saw such a huge impact on their day-to-day work. 3. Mirror the metrics that matter Their team now formally aligns L&D goals with business-driven outcomes. They write goals based on the same business metrics their stakeholders use when meeting with their own teams. Their future goals include things like: - Reduce x amount of time in the classroom - See x amount of proficiency on calls - Achieve x amount of billing 4. Provide proactive visibility (report out constantly) They don't wait for stakeholders to ask for updates. They report out L&D's impact quarterly, transparently and proactively, putting it in the hands of stakeholders. This strategic visibility ensures L&D is never overlooked. This transformation has shifted L&D from a service line that could be cut to a strategic partner that the business says, "We can't live without you". There’s so much to learn from and admire about this L&D leader’s approach, but in a nutshell: You must be married to the business's challenges, not just delivering learning in the hope of affecting them. We're rarely going to be invited to the conversations we want to be in and so we need to take our opportunities, deliver impact, use successes as leverage and reinforce - via our actions - that we are a crucial factor when it comes to driving performance and results.

Adapting to Change: The #Evolving Landscape of Learning & Development The world of Learning and Development (L&D) is constantly evolving, just like the dynamic nature of the workplace itself. Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all approach; today, organizations need a diverse mix of methods to cater to the unique needs and learning styles of their employees. Reflecting on my own journey in L&D, I’ve seen firsthand how flexible and varied learning strategies can significantly impact employee growth and organizational success. Here’s a glimpse into some of the most effective and evolving L&D methods: • Formal Learning: Structured and instructor-led, this traditional approach provides goal-oriented learning in both in-person and online settings. Think lectures, seminars, or webinars. • Informal Learning: This is where learning gets organic and self-directed—through daily tasks, peer interactions, or independent study. It happens naturally and often unexpectedly. • Experiential Learning: Learning by doing! This hands-on method allows employees to learn from their experiences—like OJT, internships, or simulations. • Coaching and Mentoring: Establishing a #culture of coaching and mentoring helps build trust and empowers employees to grow. Whether it’s performance coaching or reverse mentoring, these #relationships guide employees toward achieving their goals. • Skill Building and Cross-Training: Today’s #competitive landscape demands constant upskilling. From targeted training sessions to cross-training for operational flexibility, skill development remains at the core. • Remote Training: The digital age has #revolutionized how we learn, making remote training more relevant. Online courses, webinars, and pre-recorded lessons make learning accessible anytime, anywhere. In my experience, #organizations that embrace these diverse methods are better positioned to engage, develop, and retain their talent. The key is to blend these approaches to suit your team’s #needs and keep evolving with the times. How is your organization adapting to these new L&D trends? Share your thoughts below!

How Do Soft Skills Impact Business Growth ? As shifts in technology and globalisation continue to shape how businesses compete, the importance of soft skills in enabling business growth continues. Technical expertise is only the half part of the equation. The other half? Soft skills. Soft skills are the interpersonal abilities—communication, leadership, emotional intelligence—that shape how teams collaborate and innovate. Yet, many organizations overlook the impact of soft skills on growth. Deloitte Access Economics forecasts that soft skill intensive occupations will account for two-thirds of all jobs by 2030. Let’s understand the impact of soft skills trainings: 1️⃣ Enhanced Collaboration: Teams with strong communication skills work more cohesively, reducing errors and improving productivity. 2️⃣ Stronger Leadership: Leaders with emotional intelligence inspire trust and motivate their teams to achieve higher performance. 3️⃣ Improved Client Relations: Active listening and empathy build stronger customer relationships, leading to higher retention rates. 💡 Let me share a real-life example: One client, a mid-sized tech company, struggled with siloed teams and declining client satisfaction. After implementing a comprehensive soft skills training program, the results were transformational: Team communication improved, leading to a 15% boost in project completion speed. Leadership workshops empowered managers to inspire their teams, cutting turnover by 20%. Customer interactions became more empathetic, increasing satisfaction scores by 25%. Within a year, the company reported a 30% growth in revenue, directly tied to improved team dynamics and client retention. 🌟 Training Matters Soft skills aren’t innate; they can be learned and honed. Through structured training, employees gain the tools they need to adapt, collaborate, and lead. This not only boosts individual performance but creates a ripple effect that drives organizational success. 🦋Imagine what your teams could achieve with the right skills. Whether it’s navigating tough negotiations, leading with empathy, or fostering innovation, soft skills are the foundation of sustainable growth. 🌈Ready to transform your teams and unlock your organization’s true potential? Let’s connect! I specialize in developing customized soft skills training programs that drive measurable results for businesses like yours. 💬 Comment below or send me a message, and let’s start building stronger, more resilient teams together! 💪https://lnkd.in/dGGM5vCK #sonniasingh #sonniasinghleadershipcoach #softskills #employabilityskills #SoftSkillsTraining #BusinessGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamPerformance #EmotionalIntelligence #OrganizationalSuccess #EmployeeDevelopment #CommunicationSkills #BusinessSuccess

"More training" was the default for one client Then they discovered a better way - Asking more of the right questions. Cathy Moore's flowchart systematically determines whether training is the most effective solution for your organisational needs. It's a powerful tool that guides you through a series of critical questions to identify the root causes of performance gaps and determine the most appropriate interventions. Begin the process by: 1️⃣ Clearly defining your desired outcome 2️⃣ Identifying a specific, high-priority behaviour change that will drive results 3️⃣ Analysing the underlying reasons for the current lack of this behaviour: ➟ Environmental factors (e.g., management, culture, processes, systems) ➟ Knowledge gaps ➟ Skill deficiencies ➟ Motivational issues By following the branching paths of questions, you'll gain a nuanced understanding of your situation and arrive at a well-informed conclusion: Is training truly the best answer, or are other interventions more suitable? Let me know if you've used this in your L&D efforts or if you use something else. Was this helpful? Repost it! ♻ ______________________ Are you in L&D and seeking to evolve your role into that of a strategic partner? I’ve supported ~150 learning partners and I’m ready to support you too. Send me a DM! Or follow me, Lucy Philip, for more content like this

Some of my hardest lessons as a sales leader came when figuring out how to setup and run training (learn from my mistakes!) Me as a new leader: "Great we have 10 topics we want to cover... let's do 1 a week. 2.5 months later we will have covered SO much ground!" 🙃 Training was more of a "box checking" exercise. Someone shared feedback on what they wanted to learn, and it got added to the list Having one 30 or 60 minute training on any topic is never sufficient, and I did the team a disservice So what was missing? And what did I seek to add later? 👉 Focus Instead of 10 topics, we might go into a quarter with 1-2 priority focus areas. The deeper engagement on a narrower topic is not unlike narrowing your focus on a smaller set of ICP accounts This creates room for practice, follow up sessions, different voices delivering the material, and ultimately makes the content stickier 👉 Engagement from other departments Where applicable, involvement from other departments can add incredible value to your training program. For instance, when you are training on a new product category, it is valuable to: - Hear firsthand from Product how it's built - Align your training timeline with Product Marketing so that materials are ready to go as the training commences - Work with Marketing so that messaging aligns to how you can sell it and everyone has the same talking points from day 1 - Work with Rev Ops to identify a market opportunity to apply your learnings - Have Sales Enablement help prepare uses cases in your sales tech stack 👉 A system to encourage accountability Once the trainings are delivered, how do you know that the sales team was paying attention? That can take many forms: - Group activity like pitch practice - Measuring adoption through tools like Gong - Contest/SPIF to encourage initial matching sales activity - Knowledge tests in your LMS (my least favorite) 👉 Repetition There's a reason Sesame Street used to repeat episodes during the week - once wasn't enough to get the message home! While your sales team isn't full of 3 year olds, similar principles apply Bottom line: instead of thinking about any topic as a single "training", think about creating "training programs" for your team 🎓 Tying it all together for a training on "New Product A" Week 1: Product & Product Marketing introduce the new offering Week 2: Outside expert/marketing/leadership deliver the industry POV Week 3: Team gets together to identify prospects and practice the pitch Week 4: Team provides feedback on material and prospecting plans are built incorporating the training Weeks 5-8: Measuring adoption through Gong. Shouting out strong adoption and privately helping laggards identify gaps in understanding Week 6: Short contest to encourage cross/up-sell opportunity creation Week 12: Revisit/Feedback #SalesEnablement #SalesTraining #LeadershipLessons #CorrCompetencies

Training and coaching programmes in many workplaces are often seen as one-size-fits-all solutions. Its time for that to change, especially when it comes to leadership development. Too often, learning and development initiatives are decided without involving the people who are not actually taking part in them. Organizations make huge investment into programmes, without effective research into people's needs. They don't ask people what they want or need. They presume everyone's needs are the same. There are times where this might be ok....specific technical skills for example or simple standard work practices. But leadership development requires a different approach. To be honest, I used to deliver one-day trainings on leadership skills here and there. But I never felt good about it. I felt like I wasn't adding real value to anyone. I knew most people were likely to forget everything they learned. It seems like such a waste of time and money. Now, I largely provide a blend of training and coaching programmes. They include an assessment of participant needs. They have a measure of individual development over time. Each person's coaching programme is tailored to what they need. I communicate with my programme participant's managers, to support the continuation of coaching long after their initial coaching programme ends. I always think I can do better so I gather feedback from every participant and improve my programmes all the time. These are the best practices guidelines I follow and teach: 1️⃣ Assess participant needs and customize programmes 2️⃣ Clarify the measures of effectiveness that will be used. 3️⃣ Personalize learning paths- this is possible through blending training with 1:1 coaching programmes 4️⃣ Foster a culture of continuous learning where coaching and training is part of what people regularly give and receive. Ensure all managers have effective coaching skills 5️⃣ Evaluate and adjust all training and coaching programmes. Make improvements based on feedback and measures. ❓What else would you add to ensure training and coaching programmes are highly effective? #learninganddevelopment #employeedevelopment #leadershipdevelopment #traininganddevelopment #training #learning #coaching