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L&D Order Taker No More!

Become a Strategic Business Partner

Jess Almlie

ATD (Association for Talent Development), 2025

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Organizations often view learning and development in reactive terms: leaders determine the training needed, and the L&D team delivers. It’s time for a shift in mindset. Consultant Jess Almlie offers step-by-step guidance in repositioning L&D as a strategic business partner (SBP) by examining stakeholders’ challenges and providing solutions to meet business goals. Many chapters end with tools for assessing your — and your organization’s — current approach to L&D, so you can identify and overcome barriers that keep you stuck in order-taking mode and, instead, build collaborative partnerships.

Summary

Collaborate with stakeholders to proactively support their business goals.

L&D leaders should become “strategic business partners” (SBP) who strive to meet learning objectives and help stakeholders achieve their business goals. Instead of asking how you can “help” or “support” others, ask how you can “partner” with them to solve problems. When people come to you with specific training requests, learn about the challenges they face. Consider the big picture — why a problem is occurring — before working out a learning plan.

For example, when one group struggled with workers not taking on complex tasks, they assumed those workers required training. However, the L&D team discovered the workers already knew how to do the complex tasks. They chose to skip them because their bonuses depended on the number of tasks they completed.

Take a proactive approach to identifying learning and development needs. Invite yourself to meetings to learn the organization’s core initiatives and challenges. Offer to listen and take notes if that gets you in the door. Discern what’s happening in the company through intranet articles, quarterly meetings...

About the Author

With more than 30 years’ experience as a learning and development professional, consultant and speaker Jess Almlie helps L&D teams become strategic business partners.

L&D Order Taker No More!

Become a Strategic Business Partner

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Summary

Collaborate with stakeholders to proactively support their business goals.

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