“Building connections between people, not content.”
In February I asked a number of my colleagues in the learning and development field to sum up their careers using exactly six words. JD Dillon was the first to respond with the six words at the beginning of this post.
I’ve been wanting to take a step back from training tips and tricks for a while, writing a post on bigger picture L&D strategy. As I began to gather my thoughts and skim through my Twitter feed for inspiration, I realized that there are already some very good, very smart posts on the topic. Many of those articles have been written by JD.
Instead of saying similar things, just with different words, I’d like to use today’s post to spotlight three of his most recent posts on learning and development strategy.
Self-directed Learning Can Only Work If… (Learning Solutions Magazine, 8/15/2017)
The idea of self-directed learning, where each employee grabs hold of the reins of their own professional development, perhaps guided by learning paths or other organization-led structure, has been viewed as the Holy Grail of learning strategy. Why should an L&D department tell people what to learn? Allow self-motivated learners to learn what they need, when and where they need it.
It’s a great theory, but putting it into action is much, much harder that it may at first seem. In this article, JD offers six very, very important factors to consider if your L&D team is headed down this path.
The 5 Magic Words of Modern Learning (LearnGeek Blog, 8/3/2017)
Strategy is important, as are the words we use to communicate our strategy. In this article, JD observes that so many of the words we share are describing things we make (microlearning, gamification, blended learning) as opposed to what we actually do to make an impact and provide value. This article might give you a few ideas of keywords you may want to be using next time you’re looking to pitch an L&D project or strategy to business leaders.
Don’t Leave Your L&D Team Behind (Learning Solutions Magazine, 1/17/2017)
Developing an L&D strategy for your organization is one thing. It’s a big, important thing. So is making sure your L&D team is equipped for it. Here, JD offers seven insights based on his own experiences leading L&D teams, that can lead to stronger internal L&D team buy-in, which in turn will lead to more effective strategy implementation.
That’s just a taste of the wisdom JD brings to the L&D landscape. If you’d like daily access to articles and 140-character length wisdom, be sure to follow JD here.
Are there others in the L&D space that you feel offer valuable insights and thoughts, illuminating your own L&D journey? Let’s hear about them in the comment section.
