Learning Leaders Digest #105

Here's what's interesting this week.

Welcome back, Learning Leaders.

Last week’s question was: “When you’ve tried to improve training and it didn’t stick, what hurt the most?”

The top answer was “Leadership said they supported it, then did nothing” at 33%. Close behind, 27% said they felt like they were the only one who cared about quality. Another 20% said the system rewarded mediocre training more than real improvement.

That is a painful little snapshot of what happens when good trainers try to move a system that is more comfortable with the old way.

The hardest part usually isn’t that people openly oppose better training. That would at least be honest. The harder part is the quiet stall. The nods. The “great idea.” The meeting where everyone agrees. Then nothing changes.

That can wear a trainer down.

This week, I want to sit with that a little. If you’ve ever tried to improve training and watched the organization drift back to familiar habits, you’re not alone. Wednesday’s long-form article will dig into this result, including some painful lessons from my own career, what I got wrong about trying to create change, and why diffusion of innovation matters more than most trainers realize.

Because if we don’t respect how people adopt new ideas, even the right ideas can get ignored, delayed, or quietly crushed by the system.

This Week’s Poll

When you’re trying to make training better, what do you wish you had more of?

1. A leader who would actively back the change

2. Other trainers willing to try a better way

3. Time to build the training the right way

4. Permission to challenge mediocre practices

5. Proof that the effort is actually making a difference

Click your answer, then tell me what’s behind it if you’re willing. I’m especially interested in the answer you almost picked but didn’t.

---

---

In Case You Missed It

---

---

---

Links

• The Top 7 Best Corporate LMS To Deliver & Manage Your Training

• From LMS To Strategy: What Actually Drives Learning Success

• The Key Benefits of AI-Driven Personalized Learning for Employee Training

• It’s a C-Suite Meeting, Not a Sales Call

• Training Needs Analysis: Develop Your Learning Strategy for 2026

• The L&D Professional Isn't Going Anywhere, But The Learning Function Is About To Change Forever

• The Leadership Bench Is Thinner Than Anyone Wants to Admit

• 10 Workplace Rights and Responsibilities Everyone Should Know

• How Instructional Design Improves Engagement in Employee Onboarding Programs