Being proactive?

On recent edition of the Learning Development Accelerator‘s Think Like A… series, I interviewed Kevin Wheeler. He represented, in our discussion, the role of talent in the organization. Now, I’ve been talking the organizational perspective for a while. Despite that, amongst the pearls of wisdom he dropped was one that really resonated. It had to do with the forces that are gathering, and his suggestion was that L&D should start being proactive.

He was actually talking about talent and L&D in conjunction. One of his points is that we’re two sides of the same coin. There’s a decision about ‘build vs buy’ when meeting the needs of the organization. In this case, L&D is the build while talent is the ‘buy’. His metaphor about a ‘supply chain’ for thinking about talent is apt; his point is to be looking to the sources of talent.

However, what struck me was his perspective that both haven’t been proactive enough. He sees talent & learning being too reactive to needs, instead of looking ahead and making plans. For instance, what skills are necessary to cope with the emergence of generative AI? What do you need? Do you have the foundations in the org or will you need new capabilities that are available? He envisions an executive role that encompasses both L&D and talent to be responsible for ensuring that the org is forward looking in skills and meeting them.

This aligns nicely with the current focus on ‘upskilling’, as everyone’s going nuts trying to figure out what skills, and how to develop or acquire them, at scale. Thinking ahead might not anticipate every revolution, but it’s clear that the foundational technology base has mutated, and that these new capabilities are likely to stick around. The revolution may be over (guesses on that?), but there’s certain to be evolution, likely rapid! How do you cope?

I think there’s strong evidence that L&D has been too reactive – order-taking – and that there are several ways we can be more strategic. That includes being proactive, as well as having a richer suite of solutions instead of courses über alles. It’s also about taking ownership of innovation by practicing it internally, as well. Listening to Kevin was a great opportunity to think about the bigger picture of what we do.

BTW, with the clear caveat that I’m a co-director, we really are trying to make what appears in the LDA be of value. There’re no vendors, it’s all evidence-based principles and practices for L&D. We invite you to check us out.