L&D needs to work with stakeholders and SMEs in order to create effective learning solutions. We need their feedback, their expertise, information only they have access to, and their partnership to make it all happen.

So, what are we to do when our work with them includes more blockers than anything?

If you truly want to move from a place where you are taking training orders to one where you work with your stakeholders as a strategic business partner, you need to know how they see you. Your stakeholders' perceptions define how they work with you. You can work to shift these perceptions, but first you need to know what they are.

Have you felt frustrated when a stakeholder comes to you asking for a specific training solution in a shortened timeline?

One day, as I was sharing these frustrations with my boss in a one-on-one, she simply responded with, "We need to train the business how to do business with us."