Learning Leaders Digest #106

Here's what's interesting this week.

Welcome back, Learning Leaders.

Last week’s question was: “When you’re trying to make training better, what do you wish you had more of?”

Two answers tied for the top spot at 30% each:

Time to build the training the right way
and
Proof that the effort is actually making a difference

That pairing says a lot.

Most trainers are not asking for magic. They are asking for room to do the work well, and evidence that the work matters. They want time to design something better than a rushed deck. They want proof that better training actually changes behavior, improves performance, or helps people do their jobs with more confidence.

The other answers tell a story too. 20% wanted a leader who would actively back the change, and another 20% wanted permission to challenge mediocre practices. But no one picked other trainers willing to try a better way.

That surprised me a little.

Maybe the issue is not that trainers lack good peers. Maybe the deeper frustration is that even when you have good ideas and decent people around you, the system still makes quality feel harder than it should. Of course, the simple explanation is that you’re working solo and just want someone else in the department to help out.

So this week, I want to ask a question that gets closer to the daily reality.

This Week’s Poll

What makes it hardest for you to build training the right way?

1. I’m brought in too late, after the solution is already decided

2. Stakeholders want too much content packed into too little time

3. I don’t get enough access to the actual learners

4. There’s pressure to make it look good instead of make it work

5. I know what should be done, but I don’t have the authority to do it

Click your answer, then tell me what happened the last time this showed up in your work. I have a feeling this one will hit close to home.

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In Case You Missed It

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Links

• How AI is transforming customer training—from creation to in-the-moment support

• Storytelling Podcasts For Instructional Designers, Educators, And Learning Experience Designers: How To Create Podcast Content That Educates, Engages, And Influences

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• L&D Strategy Isn’t a Different Skill. It’s a Different Game.

• Career Adaptability: How to Give Every Employee a Reason to Stay and Grow

• The Value of Institutional Memory in Transformation

• How to Choose a Corporate Learning Platform That Supports Long-Term Growth

• The 2026 Leadership Capability Map: Skills That Define the Future-Ready Leader

• 50 More Big Ideas

• AI for Instructional Designers: How to Create Better Workplace Training