Melinda Varley, Learning and Development Manager for JAS-ANZ, joins Blake Proberts to talk through the importance of team in delivering strategic L&D, linking L&D strategy to your company strategy, and the key stages of building an LMS business case (and why data matters). Listen to the full episode above or watch below.
Key takeaways
“One of the key lessons I’ve got out of it is L&D—while it is a part of a business—still needs to be run like a business.”
1. Business acumen gets you everywhere.
You need to be able to deliver a strategy first and foremost, which means having business acumen. Budgeting, resourcing, stakeholder management—it all comes with the territory.
“I get out and talk to the leadership team. I’d like them to understand where I’m coming from and what I think are the activities that we’re doing that are going to support… broader strategy and the organisation.”
2. Make L&D more collaborative.
…with executives. L&D activities are then aligned with what your organisation needs in future, since by design, they’re made to support business processes.
“Survey data… was absolutely essential. Without that data, I couldn’t have built a solid business case.”
3. Go straight to the source for feedback.
Use stakeholder sentiment to develop a business case. Approval can often hinge on data-driven decisions, so make sure you’ve got the data to show impact.
“It’s about the experience of the user. That is the really important bit for us when we’re looking at all of… the tech outcomes that we need.”
4. Validate, validate, validate.
Data’s the driver, technology is key, but nothing fuels the engine like ongoing feedback. Train your trainers, too, so they’re equipped to lead a user-friendly learning experience.
See more from our host: Blake Proberts
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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