3 Steps to Tailor Your L&D Efforts to Support Managers

As the global workplace continues to undergo massive shifts, organizations are looking to shift their approach to learning and development to ensure employees have the skills they need to thrive amidst uncertainty. Business is more competitive now than ever — and with more moving parts. While informal workplace training and mentoring could once take place in the breakroom, during a meeting or over lunch, with an increasing amount of remote and hybrid work these crucial touchpoints are less common. But the intangible soft skills are more important than ever — which is why support for learning and development strategies that go beyond handbooks and guidelines is growing.

Here’s how to take a fresh look at your learning and development strategy to tailor an approach that supports managers to build their technical and behavioral skills in a way that benefits their personal ambitions and your organization as a whole.

How to build a learning and development strategy to support managers

L&D is one of the primary ways organizations can support people development. Aligning your L&D strategy more closely with the needs of today’s workforce can help you adapt to the current marketplace and support managers to unlock their potential. Here’s how to get started.

Step 1: Align your L&D strategy with business goals

An L&D strategy out of alignment with overall business goals is unlikely to receive the amount of internal buy-in necessary to succeed long term. The good news: L&D and business objectives don’t have to be at odds. L&D strategies can be focused on helping your employees upskill to take advantage of marketplace shifts. We’re not saying this step is easy, but it is important. Consider that 87% of companies in Brandon Hall Group’s 2020 Learning Strategy Study indicated this alignment essential to their business goals but only 13% were acting on this need. That presents a huge opportunity for any company willing to commit to this priority.

Get started:

• Identify key stakeholders: Consider that the best L&D strategies are a joint effort between HR leaders and other business units. This helps ensure you are training your workforce to develop capabilities that are genuinely in need across your organization. 

• Find capability gaps: You might already have some employees within your organization who are capable of meeting new tasks as priorities adjust. Identify where the true gaps are — where you have no coverage, or a low mix of skills — and prioritize these areas as a starting point for your new L&D strategy. This is one of the areas where learning and development consulting services can help expedite the process, since finding capability gaps can require numerous interviews and data collection.

Step 2: Create flexible learning experiences

The concept of immersing oneself in a learning environment is unrealistic for many managers who are stretched to their maximum capacity. One-off trainings and workshops are the traditional way to approach L&D, but data from the Harvard Business Review shows there’s a lot of wasted time and resources inherent to this approach, and this strategy doesn’t necessarily build learning and development manager competencies. Consider that 75% of 1,500 managers surveyed from across 50 organizations were unhappy with how L&D was approaching in their workplaces. And, just 12% of employees apply new skills from L&D initiatives.

Get started:

• Prioritize personalization: Flexibility is the name of the game. L&D programs should be delivered in a one-on-one setting that fits best into each individual’s unique schedule and maximizes their own learning styles and preferences.
• Think continuously: Instead of viewing L&D as a siloed experience or event, learn to think of it as a process or journey. Find ways to support employee growth along this journey throughout their entire career at your organization.

Step 3: Build a scalable strategy

Earlier we mentioned the importance of a personalized approach, but the next step to formulating a truly enduring strategy is to create L&D initiatives that are scalable. You must do this without sacrificing personalization, which isn’t easy. But, get it right and you could reap rewards such as a more engaged workforce and better employee retention. In fact, 94% of employees indicated they would stay at a company that invests in their growth.

Get started:

• Create a pilot program: Perfecting your L&D strategy with a core group of employees can help you set the foundation for a smoother roll out to the entire team.
• Review KPIs: Your L&D KPIs should map to your current business needs. These need to be reviewed consistently as you scale to retain alignment and prove return on investment.

Support for learning and development

One of the most impactful ways to support personalized, scalable L&D initiatives is to add digital coaching to your toolbox. The benefits — flexible, one-on-one support tailored to your organization’s goals — can empower your team to rapidly innovate on your L&D strategy and adjust to the needs of today’s workforce.