L+D Pros – Here’s How to Ensure You’re Seen as a Strategic Partner

This article was written about my new course Organizational Learning & Development on LinkedIn Learning.

A common problem learning and development professionals face is that the organization occasionally treats them more as a service provider than a strategic partner.

For example, a head of engineering will come to the L+D team and say they have a certain need, with a solution in mind. They’ll say their engineering team needs to communicate better and for the L+D team to create a communication class in response.

And you know what’s likely to happen without further exploration? It probably won’t solve the real problem, and later the training will be deemed a waste of time, or worse, the L+D program will be seen as ineffective, according to learning and development consultant Britt Andreatta, in her LinkedIn Learning course Organizational Learning and Development.

Instead, L+D pros need to overcome this dynamic and ensure they are seen by the organization as consultants who partner with department heads. This allows the L+D team to address the root causes of problems, and drive long-term health and success of the organization, Andreatta said.

And there’s a simple process to make sure that happens.

How an L+D pro can ensure they are seen as a strategic partner.

When a department head comes to their L+D lead with a specific need, it’s time for the L+D lead to establish himself or herself as a consulting partner. The reason is problems are often complex, and require a strategic training solution to fix them, Andreatta said.

Say the head of engineering comes to an L+D pro with a solution on how to fix a problem, a common situation – “We need a class on communication”. Rather than accepting that solution, the L+D lead should dive deeper by asking some key questions.

These questions identify not only what the current state is, but they focus in on what the ideal state looks like. And this includes getting clear on measurable metrics, as well as specific words and actions employees need to be doing.

What questions should the L+D lead ask that director of engineering? The main topics to cover are:

Read the rest of this post at the LinkedIn Learning blog.