Learning means change - and 'change' is leadership work

Learning means change - for individuals, for leaders, for teams and for organisations. Change work is by definition leadership work; shifting the culture, bringing new perspectives, connecting people and their ideas.

"L&D" started from a different place of course. "L&D" was a tool for Management, a small cog in the bureaucracy. Maintaining and ensuring the system and reinforcing the status quo. The role and objective of workplace learning was to scale the levels of compliance required to ensure efficiency. Helping the operating model to run, keeping the corporate boat on its predetermined course fuelled by fixed skills and processes.

Business leaders and L&D are understandably wrestling with the depth and rate of disruption of these traditional hierarchy led structures. Business models can no longer rely on production and supply chain efficiency as value no longer means only costs and price. The new platforms for business growth and sustainability (replacing top down strategy, compliance, adherence and individual competitiveness) are speed, ideas, connections, problem solving, open social structures, adaptability, enrolment and empathy.

All of which is leadership work for L&D teams.

In this transition I think an "insurgency style" approach can help L&D leaders and teams to start to move forward:

Never fight a fixed battle against a superior force
(There are often few 'early adopters' in corporate leadership teams. The game has been built on status and control. Go where there is energy, curiosity and appetite)

Concentrate your energy on carefully chosen weak spots
(Where are there specific problems to be solved? Where does the traditional training / order taking model clearly come up short? Where are the teams or leaders who have most to lose or gain?)

Capture the hearts and minds of the population
(Find opportunities to talk about taking responsibility for continuous learning. Identify, amplify and promote the stories that give inspiration and permission)

Do not attempt to hold ground

Own the story and stay relentlessly positive

Have no respect for pre-existing borders

Weaken the infrastructure that maintains the status quo...


Paul works with L&D teams who want to step up and create the new conditions and expectations of continuous learning.