L&D and the Art of Unintentional Self-Sabotage
We think we are helping, but in reality these behaviors unintentionally keep us stuck working as order takers.
Have you heard about the concept of "Accidental Diminishers?" Liz Wiseman introduced the term in her book, "Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter." A diminisher is the opposite of a multiplier. They don't make anyone smarter and in fact, those who work with them aren't as motivated. Turns out they feel, well... diminished. Accidental diminishers are those whose intentions are good. They think their words and actions are helpful. But, in reality they are doing the opposite. They are accidentally or unintentionally diminishing others.
In L&D we can draw a parallel in our work to that of the accidental diminisher. We think that the way we are working is helpful, but these behaviors are exactly what keep us stuck working as transactional order takers.
In other words, we unintentionally sabotage our own success.
L&D's unintentional self-sabotage
Below, I've listed nine of the most common ways I see L&D teams unintentionally sabotage their own ability to work as Strategic Business Partners. The ways we accidentally diminish our own work. As you read, I encourage you to look at them from the vantage points of both L&D and that of our business colleagues. What do you notice?
#1: We take and deliver orders as requested.
It's great to fulfill neatly outlined requests from stakeholders for training, but it's also our downfall. Every time we say yes to a request without diving deeper or ensuring it ties to a strategic initiative, we reinforce our message to stakeholders about how they best work with L&D. They have no reason to believe we could do our work differently because we've never shown them. Strategic Business Partners listen to requests, but they ask different questions, they dive in to learn more, and they don't assume training is the answer. They say no or provide alternative options if needed.
#2: We strive to be helpful and easy to work with.
We go into this profession because we genuinely want to help. Pushing back on requests doesn’t feel helpful. It seems like it will cause conflict and discomfort and make others not want to work with us. Our desire to help keeps us from asking the tough questions, proposing alternatives, or simply saying "no." Strategic Business Partners don't avoid conflict, but they do add value by providing the best solutions, even if those aren't what's originally outlined or don't involve the L&D team.
#3: We assume someone else vetted training as the needed solution.
When a stakeholder comes to us requesting a learning or training solution for their pain point, we assume that they have already vetted other options. This stakeholder can be quite convincing, even using our language, telling us that people don’t know how to do “x” so that means training must be needed. We believe them. Why wouldn’t we? Don’t they know their team better than we do? The truth is this same stakeholder is likely to be overwhelmed, buried in other problems, and therefore, hasn't done the legwork to determine training is the best answer. Strategic Business Partners start by assuming we don't know the problem or the solution... yet. Let the vetting begin!
#4. We align to legacy expectations.
In many organizations, the L&D team taking and delivering on orders is the way the work has “always been done.” We buy into this narrative and don’t question whether this is the most effective process, accepting this is how the business works. We don't give ourselves permission to think differently or we don’t have any interest in doing so. Strategic Business Partners aren't satisfied with the status quo and continuously ask themselves if there's a better way.
#5. We create great content based on the latest request.
We push out content continuously, based on the latest request. What we create is great! But each offering is somewhat one and done. There isn’t a strategy for continued development of that skill or, if there is, it is continuously changing. For those outside of L&D, this reinforces the order-taking narrative. Because they can’t see an obvious connection or development continuum for employees and there isn’t one communicated, it feels haphazard. Strategic Business Partners create content based on a longer-term strategy, not a series of one and done requests.
#6. We reinforce perceptions of learning.
Whenever we abandon our gut reactions and best practices for the sake of fulfilling a requirement, we reinforce poor perceptions of the purpose of L&D. This often happens when we don't have the time or the brainpower needed for more creative solutions. But whenever we require someone to simply read and sign a document and call it "training," abandon learning activities just to get through the content, or agree to provide training as a punitive measure for those who aren't performing, we reinforce the message that this is what learning is and this is what the L&D team does. Strategic Business Partners are in the habit of responding to these requests with effective practice and creative solutions in check.
#7. We love our own solutions.
When our L&D programs are great, well-designed, and enjoyed by employees, it's easy to get wrapped up in the glow of our own solutions. In truth the rest of the organization probably doesn't care as much as we do. They're worried about responding to the demanding customers, how to meet their metrics, how to respond to daily challenges, and how to succeed in their role. The pretty L&D program isn't their first priority. Whenever we think this work is about us, we sabotage our success. Strategic Business Partners set their ego aside and focus on the business first. They create solutions with, not for, the business.
#8. We focus on learning first and business second.
We are learning experts and we tend to show up with this in mind. But to be a Strategic Business Partner, we need to arrive with an understanding of the business first. Then, we apply our learning expertise to the current goals and challenges. Our business colleagues don't see us as credible partners when we don't start from a place of understanding their work. We are also more likely to propose ineffective solutions that miss the mark and we aren't seen as credible by our business colleagues.
#9. We capture and share lots of activity metrics.
We can easily report on how many people attended training, completed eLearning modules, or clicked on videos so, when asked for metrics this is what we tend to report. But this only shows that we are busy. This can be part of our measurement strategy, but it can't end there. We need to show results, just like every other part of the business. Strategic Business Partners focus on a measurement plan that goes beyond activity to show impact.
Two different perspectives.
From our L&D lens, we might see all five of these actions as positive. After all, we aren't trying to sabotage our success. But we are blinded by our own beliefs.
From the standpoint of the business leader working with L&D, each of these approaches reinforces the narrative that L&D is great at taking and delivering on orders. They don't show any inkling of L&D's ability to work as a strategic partner to the business.
If we want to work as a strategic business partner, we need to become self-critical, questioning all of our tried-and-true methods, even those we think are good. This self-analysis can help us to see what isn't working. Then, we can start approaching our work differently, slowly turning the tide so we can move from a "nice to have" transactional colleague to a valuable partner in improving the organization.