Positioning Yourself for Successful Learning Leadership 2

Part Two: The First 60 Days of Becoming a Learning Leader

Read Part One of the Learning Leadership series.

So, you find yourself in the chair of the new learning leader in your company. Experience shows that the plans and actions put in place and executed in the first 60 days as a learning leader will serve as the platform for success or failure in learning leadership. Chances are virtually certain that the first 60 days of learning leadership will be overwhelming, chaotic and stressful. Thus, it becomes even more critical that you approach learning leadership with reflection, thoughtful leadership and careful planning. When asked, 122 learning leaders from around the globe responded with at least four very important things to do during the first 60 days.

The First Learning Leadership Action: Learn the Business

The approach is to be a business leader first and a learning leader second. It will be imperative to your acceptance, reputation and ability to make things happen and that you clearly understand the business, the strategy, goals, vision, mission and objectives prior to designing a learning strategy. Where learning leaders often fall short is in putting learning above the overall objectives of the business. Imperative to success is your ability to align the learning strategy with the goals and objectives of the business to enable the accomplishment of those strategic imperatives.

The Second Learning Leadership Action: Create Partnerships

When we say partnerships, we mean at all levels. You will need partnerships based on mutual respect and trust at the customer level, the senior leadership level and the peer level horizontally across the businesses and functions, as well as within your own learning organization. The currency of exchange in these partnerships should be value. The only way to create long lasting partnerships extending beyond the learning organization will be to provide value to each stakeholder based on their personal and organizational needs and objectives. If you are able to provide products and services for them that they cannot provide to themselves and that are perceived as enablers to their success, then you are creating a value proposition that can be leveraged into active partnership.

First published on Human Resources IQ.