A 3-Step L&D Strategy That Works

Jessie Osborne headshot
Photo courtesy of Jessie Osborne
Continuous learning is crucial for success in the workplace. But to do it right, you need a solid strategy.

As the business environment constantly evolves, ongoing employee education is crucial. Easier said than done. “Simply allocating resources without a clear plan can lead to wasted time and money,” says Jessie Osborne, vice president, global learning and development for AML RightSource, an anti-money laundering and anti-fraud compliance advisory firm based in Cleveland. “Leaders must develop a comprehensive L&D strategy aligned with business goals, identifying the necessary skills and behaviors.”

Osbourne shares how HR teams can help their organizations best overcome any L&D challenges, and the three-step strategy AML RightSource uses for success.

Why are learning and development programs crucial for business and employee success? And why is it important to engage in ongoing education?

L&D programs are essential for both business and employee success. They equip employees with the skills and knowledge needed to perform effectively, driving productivity and efficiency within the organization. Continuous learning keeps employees updated on the latest industry trends and technologies, fostering innovation and maintaining the company’s competitive edge. Investing in L&D demonstrates a company’s commitment to its employees’ growth, boosting morale, job satisfaction and retention rates.

Ongoing education is crucial in a constantly evolving business environment. New technologies and methodologies require employees to adapt and learn continuously, fostering a growth mindset and making them more adaptable and proactive. Continuous education ensures employees remain relevant and valuable in the job market, avoiding complacency. High performance isn’t achieved through a one-time training exercise or a particular degree; it’s the result of continuous investment in employee development.

What are potential L&D challenges organizations may face and how can leaders address these concerns?

One significant challenge in L&D is the absence of a coherent learning strategy. Simply allocating resources without a clear plan can lead to wasted time and money. Leaders must develop a comprehensive L&D strategy aligned with business goals, identifying the necessary skills and behaviors. Conducting a gap analysis helps pinpoint where to start, ensuring training is relevant and impactful.

Engaging employees in learning can also be challenging. I often ask new managers before their first day of manager training, “What is your biggest apprehension about spending the next week in this training with the L&D team?” Their responses are usually, “That I’ll be bored,” “I won’t get anything out of it” or “It will be a waste of my time.”

L&D leaders need to ensure that learning experiences are engaging and valuable, incorporating various methods such as coaching, application-based learning and project-based learning. Recognizing and rewarding employees who participate in their development fosters a positive learning culture.

What are some best practices for HR professionals looking to enhance their L&D capabilities?

HR professionals should build a priority map aligned with business outcomes, working backward from these desired outcomes to identify the necessary skills and behaviors. Conducting a gap analysis helps determine the starting point. Measuring the impact of training is crucial, even if it seems challenging. Finding creative ways to quantify training outcomes can guide future L&D investments. Collaborate with others in your business and think outside the box.

Leveraging technology to provide flexible and accessible learning options is essential. This includes making training materials fully accessible, offering interactive and live learning sessions and using closed captioning. Celebrating and highlighting employees who invest in their development motivates others to prioritize learning. These metrics will serve as your compass in determining which L&D capabilities—whether time, software or trainers—you should invest in.

How do you encourage and support employees to take ownership of their learning journeys? In response to time and workload constraints, how have you adapted your centralized learning offerings to be more flexible and accessible?

At AML RightSource, we employ a simple three-step strategy to encourage employees to take ownership of their learning journeys:

Easy on-ramps. We create multiple access points for learning through our intranet, quick links in emails, newsletters and invitations. Our learning resources are accessible and inclusive, featuring closed captioning and interactive options.

Brand alignment. Our learning programs are aligned with our brand values, ensuring they are quick-paced, high-performing, agile, scalable and of high quality.

Hype and celebrate. We celebrate employees who invest in their development through various channels. Recognizing their efforts motivates others to prioritize learning, even amid work and personal life demands. We understand that it’s not easy to find time to enhance your skill set, so we use every available platform to celebrate employees who develop themselves and managers who support that development.

Additionally, we’ve made our centralized learning offerings more flexible and accessible by providing materials in various formats, ensuring inclusivity and celebrating those who prioritize their development.

What are the primary barriers to learning within organizations, and how do you address the challenge of employees being too busy to prioritize learning?

One primary barrier to learning within organizations is the perception that employees are too busy to prioritize it. Our three-step strategy addresses this by providing easy access to learning and recognizing those who prioritize their development.

For those who remain reluctant, we focus on making each learning experience so valuable that employees are eager to return. The power of referral is significant in L&D, and by ensuring our programs are engaging and effective, we’ve maintained continuous waitlists for our leadership and technical training programs for over two years.

Forcing adults to develop is a futile exercise. Instead, we make learning valuable and work within the demands of our business to make it effective. If your attendees aren’t sharing their experiences on LinkedIn or with their peers, and you don’t have a growing waitlist, it’s time to revisit what you’ve built and how you delivered it. We don’t need to convince our teams that our learning is valuable—we simply make it valuable.

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