As my second year attending the annual Training Industry Conference & Expo (TICE), I was blown away by how much our conference has grown. With over 600 learning leaders gathered together in Raleigh, North Carolina, it was exciting to witness so much valuable collaboration and learning under the same roof. TICE is focused on providing learning and development (L&D) leaders with the skills and knowledge to champion learning while navigating organizational obstacles and ensuring strategic alignment for the business.

TICE is a great place to meet other L&D leaders and training managers in the industry, as well as get the answers to your most pressing questions. With so many insightful sessions and opportunities to mingle (e.g., roundtable discussions and happy hour events), it’s impossible to leave without having learned at least one “bright idea.”

As the only conference focused on the L&D leader’s role, attendees value having the opportunity to get the answers they need to succeed. In this article, I’ve outlined a series of questions many L&D leaders (new and seasoned) have when leading learning in their organization with some of the insights that I found from attending sessions.

1.   How can L&D leaders measure training’s success?

In the session, “Learning as a Catalyst for Business Growth,” Kylie Stair, chief people officer, and Ryan Morris, LMS Administrator, from Litmos, shared key points on aligning training with business strategy, as well as how learning leaders can measure the effectiveness of training programs to fill skills gaps.

To measure training’s success, organizations can start by:

• Conducting a gap analysis to compare the current state of the organization’s skills and capabilities with the desired state. This gives learning leaders the insight to identify any gaps in the workforce’s skills, knowledge and performance.
• Performing a needs assessment to evaluate and determine the training needed to fill skills gaps in the organization.

When measuring training success, Stair and Morris advise that learning leaders understand the difference between “vanity” metrics versus “business” metrics. Vanity metrics can include data from course completions, learner satisfaction surveys or assessment scores, while business metrics demonstrate how training has impacted business performance and results. The speakers noted that vanity metrics may be good for learners, front-line managers and L&D professionals to gauge the effectiveness of a training program, however, business metrics are needed to prove the value of training to stakeholders and senior leaders.

2.   What is the manager’s role in supporting DEI in learning?

According to a McKinsey study, companies with high gender diversity outperform their competitors by 25%, and companies with ethnically diverse teams outperform competitors by 36%. This proves that diversity is the key to tremendous business success and that it brings an innovative advantage to an organization.

Managers play a huge role in driving diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their teams. Stair and Morris share that to drive DEI, managers should:

• Define what “psychological safety” looks like to the organization specifically to encourage alignment.
• Promote psychological safety by fostering an environment that’s impactful in attracting and retaining diverse talent.
• Have every new employee on day one take a course on allyship and cultural awareness so they can champion diversity in their organization.
• Start employee resource groups to create safe spaces for people to have these important conversations.

3.   What are some ways L&D leaders can mitigate burnout in the workplace?

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated burnout levels globally, bringing a heightened awareness to employee mental health in the workplace as a critical component to business success. Justin Dile, vice president of sales at SkillCycle, shared some key insights on how L&D leaders can mitigate burnout in the workplace.

Dile shared that through “everlearning” — an approach to building a company culture that centered learning at every stage of the employee lifecycle — learning leaders can help their people feel more empowered and equipped to perform better in their roles. To support everlearning in their organizations, L&D leaders should design and develop lifelong learning solutions for their workforce.

4.   How can L&D measure burnout in the workplace?

According to a Gallup survey, 28% of full-time workers report feeling burned out at work “very often” or “always,” and 48% of workers report feeling burned out “sometimes.” To measure burnout, Dile suggests for learning leaders to use data from:

• Employee engagement surveys.
• 360-degree performance reviews.
• Learning platforms to track the usage of learning resources.

5.   How can L&D promote a human-centered workplace?

To mitigate burnout and build human connections in the workplace, employees must feel a sense of agency and autonomy over their work and learning experiences, Dile shared. To promote a human-centric workplace, learning leaders must find ways to rehumanize work, which can include:

• Personalizing the work and learning experience.
• Being clear and closing feedback loops.
• Giving employees the resources they need to achieve goals.

6.   How can L&D leaders assess the need for change in their organizations?

L&D leaders play a tremendous role in assessing and preparing their organization’s people for change. However, knowing how to identify the need for change and communicate this effectively with stakeholders can be challenging. Many people are resistant to change, so it’s up to L&D leaders to know the steps to implementing change successfully.

According to SkillCycle, learning leaders can start by:

• Diagnosing the need for change.
• Collecting input from employees about necessary changes; and identifying the right employees to involve in decisions about change.
• Defining and setting change objectives by selecting a change project team, defining the purpose of the change, and selecting change outcomes to determine success.

Once those steps have been completed, learning leaders will then need to:

• Prepare leaders and managers to support employees through the change.
• Help employees to create personal implementation plans and experiment with how to implement change.

By taking these steps, learning leaders can successfully manage change in their organization.

7.   What should I know about the LMS selection process?

When selecting the right learning management system (LMS) for your business, L&D leaders must first diagnosis the technology needs of their company. In the session, “Are You Ready for an LMS?” speakers from eMoney Advisor, Dalia Boufford, training manager, and Leah Simoglou, director of client success, shares that when selecting an LMS, learning leaders should:

• Determine your priorities: Identify and rank the reasons for selecting an LMS (e.g., learner type, user experience).
• Determine user needs: How will your learners make use of this technology?
• Identify workflow challenges: What are some current challenges that an LMS can resolve?
• Define how you measure impact: Identify the success metrics leadership will use to determine effectiveness and impact.
• Gather system requirements: Create a checklist or a chart of system requirements that the LMS must have.

By following these steps, learning leaders can start the LMS selection process on the right foot.

Looking Ahead

TICE was filled with an abundance of valuable learning and unmatched opportunities to connect with the most innovative thought leaders in the industry. Every year, learning leaders gather to solve their most pressing challenges and seek the answers they need to elevate themselves as a trusted business partner. These insights are just a small taste of what TICE has to offer.

With these key insights in your L&D toolkit, you can work to drive DEI in learning, mitigate burnout, promote a human-centered workplace and adapt your company to change.

If you weren’t able to attend this year’s conference, or if you’re looking for more opportunities to learn and grow alongside your peers, register for the upcoming virtual TICE, happening September 27-28, here.