The 5 Superpowers of the L&D Professional

In many organizations, there are a few functions which, by their nature, must have a perspective that spans all functions. In the executive suite, for instance, roles have a responsibility for the entire enterprise and how all functions interact and support each other.

Learning professionals often have this view, too. All functions of the organization operate better with strategic learning support, and effective organizations look to their learning leaders to ensure all staff are equipped to innovate and perform.

The most effective L&D professionals share five qualities—the “superpowers of L&D”—which allow them to develop skills, support healthy and effective cultures, enable iteration and transformation, and foster organizational success and performance.

Superpower #1: Be a Visionary

A forward thinking perspective is one of the traits shared by L&D “superheroes.” Anticipating future skills needs, the L&D visionary understands the trends affecting their organization and their industry, and don’t just react to immediate learning needs, they foster collaboration with key stakeholders to identify future changes and respond proactively. They see beyond the present.

This superpower depends on being clear both on industry and business trends, and the organization’s strategic goals and plan. In 2020, it was estimated that half of all employees would need significant reskilling, driven by technology innovation and workplace transformation by 2025; if anything, the need for reskilling has outpaced this estimate. L&D professionals who can anticipate future needs, and gain internal alignment around these needs, can play an important role keeping their business and their people prepared for the future.

Many organizations have an internal team or resources focuses on planning and strategy; these roles should be the natural ally of the learning leader. And even in organizations where this role is not formalized, the learning leader can regularly develop their own environmental scan—gathering reports from reputable sources like Deloitte or PwC, following industry reports from ATD or Training Industry, or attending industry and business conferences—all of which can provide early indicators of the skills likely to be needed.

Superpower #2: Personalize the Learning Experience

No two learning experiences are identical. Beyond the many differences in the presentation and delivery of learning—ranging from a simple job aid to an immersive interactive learning journey—each individual engages with learning differently. The ability to present learning that responds to these many variables is an L&D superpower.

Why is this so important? We understand that, in order to affect learning, knowledge transfer and behavior change, the learner must be engaged in the process and the material. Personalized learning can increase employee/learner engagement significantly (though metrics of the improvement vary; some studies attribute as much as an 80% increase in engagement, while others show more modest improvement over a longer timeframe).

Understanding technology is an important building block of this superpower. Many learning management systems (LMSs) offer or support adaptive learning experiences. The use of the LMS, however, still needs to be driven by a learning professional who is developing and optimizing individualized and tailored learning experiences, bringing together what the learner needs to know with the learner’s motivation to learn. The LMS’s learner analytics are an important source of data for the learning leader, to tailor learning experiences and pathways.

Superpower #3: Tell the Story

Storytelling isn’t just for entertainment—it’s an important tool for learner engagement and a key weapon in the L&D superhero’s arsenal. By framing the content in a compelling and entertaining narrative, complex subjects can be made easier to understand, remember and operationalize.

Stories deeply resonate with humans. After all, stories have helped the evolution of our species over more than a million years. Neuroscientist Paul Zak’s research has found storytelling increases levels of oxytocin, a hormone that promotes empathy, strengthens trust, and supports emotional connections. This has a direct application to learning: when learners emotionally connect to the material, the instructor, and the learning experience, they are more likely to retain information and to apply what they’ve learned in their work.

Storytelling can take many forms. Simulations, anecdotes, scenarios, and case studies all can be effective. Through storytelling, the L&D superhero can help learners see how what they are learning is relevant to them.

Superpower #4. Be Nimble and Agile

As we explored in the first superpower, change is the only constant. The L&D superhero doesn’t just accept change or respond to it, they thrive in change. Having an agile mindset makes them comfortable experimenting, iterating, and pivoting. This is particularly important during times of disruption or uncertainty.

Agility also means welcoming feedback in the spirit of continuous improvement. Feedback from stakeholders isn’t a criticism of the L&D superhero, it is a gift of knowledge. It’s an opportunity to build new collaborative alliances and develop new solutions. When your stakeholder gives you feedback, it is not an obstacle. It is a gift for you to use.

And because we’ve established that an agile learning professional—an L&D superhero—is proactive, this means actively gathering data on learning effectiveness, and making changes to improve. Agility also means being open to feedback and continuous improvement. An agile L&D professional doesn’t just design a course and walk away. They actively gather data on its effectiveness and are prepared to adjust and improve it over time. Agile methodologies, such as those employed in project management, can be applied to learning development to ensure that the content remains relevant and impactful.

Agility is an important element of building a strong learning culture, which ATD research has indicated is linked with a higher likelihood of business innovation (such companies are 46% more likely to be first to market, and 92% more likely to innovate).

Superpower #5. Use Data to Make Decisions

It seems, more and more, that we are experiencing a business environment where we are flooded with access to data, but where information and knowledge can be difficult to attain. In other words, In a world where we are overwhelmed with raw data, it can be even more challenging to interpret, refine, curate, and take action. At the same time, the L&D superhero knows they must act on what’s real, embracing analytics to measure and demonstrate the impact of learning, rather than relying on superficial measures or anecdotal feedback.