As someone who’s worked in L&D for +25 years, I’m tired of hearing: “L&D needs to align with business.” Of course it does.
As someone who’s worked in L&D for +25 years, I’m tired of hearing: “L&D needs to align with business.” Of course it does. But here's why we haven't.
Most HR leaders still treat L&D like a perk. But in this economy, it has to be a performance lever.
This is what I took from reading a recent article published in HR Executive that makes a strong case for HR embracing a new era of L&D. But here’s the problem: the old era never really ended for many organisations.
Despite years of talk about aligning learning with the business, most HR and L&D teams still prioritise:
- Courses over capabilities
- Content libraries over clear outcomes
- Engagement metrics over business impact
And now, with AI, skills shortages and constant disruption, we’re finally being told: It’s time to take L&D seriously.
So what are we waiting for?
If L&D is going to earn its place at the strategy table, we (and our HR leaders) need to stop thinking and acting like we’re a support function and start behaving as a mechanism for business performance.
That means:
- Defining learning by the problems it solves
- Working backwards from performance gaps rather than starting with content or programs
- Using data to diagnose and influence, not just report on attendance and completions
The opportunity here isn’t just to “embrace a new era”, it’s to lead it.
So here’s my challenge to HR and L&D leaders alike:
- Are you going to double down on what’s comfortable?
- Or are you ready to lead learning like performance depends on it (because it now does)?
Thank you Dani Johnson from RedThread Research for your insights in this article.
(The link to this HR Executive article is in the comments) | 73 comments on LinkedIn