As processes, demands and technology shifts, L&D is meant to keep up. We examine how your role is evolving and what you can do to sustain momentum.
L&D is undergoing a seismic shift. Some may say it has been undergoing a constant shift for years.
And when you delve into the detail of what the role looks like, the tools you use and the processes you have, you can hardly be surprised.
You’re no longer confined to the classroom for one.
And now more than ever, companies are striving to create learning cultures, not just tick box exercises.
So how do you wear these multiple hats? And where does your role shift between coach, curator and consultant?
Let’s break it down.
From trainer to coach: enabling growth
The traditional “sage on the stage” model is giving way to a more facilitative approach.
Rather than providing all the resources and information, you’re giving your learners access to search, find and engage with this content.
You’re supporting learners on their journey, shifting from delivering content to unlocking potential. Coaching is about:
- Personalised learning journeys: Helping individuals identify their own growth areas and supporting their development.
- Soft skills and behavioural change: Coaching is particularly powerful in areas where self-awareness and reflection drive improvement.
- Empowerment over instruction: Encouraging autonomy and confidence in learners.
Organisations that embed coaching as part of their learning culture see stronger engagement and more sustainable development outcomes.
1. Focus on individual growth, not just knowledge transfer
- Trainers deliver content; coaches unlock potential. Move from delivering sessions to helping individuals apply learning in context, overcome barriers, and grow.
- Shift from knowing to being. Coaching emphasises behaviour change, self-awareness, and mindset, not just skill acquisition.
2. Ask more questions, give fewer answers
- Adopt a coaching mindset. Instead of telling learners what to do, ask powerful questions that prompt reflection and ownership.
- Facilitate insight. Use techniques like active listening, open-ended questions, and silence to help learners arrive at their own solutions.
3. Tailor development to the individual
- One-size-fits-all doesn’t apply. Coaching recognises that each person’s goals, challenges, and motivators are unique.
- Use strengths-based approaches. Help individuals identify and leverage their existing capabilities to meet goals.
From content creator to curator: navigating information overload
In a world awash with information, the value has shifted from creating more content to curating the right content.
As a curator, you become a trusted guide, helping learners find credible, relevant, and timely resources amidst the digital noise. And equally, let them curate too.
This includes:
- Leveraging existing platforms: From TED Talks to LinkedIn Learning, the content is often already out there.
- Aligning with business needs: Curating material that ties directly to company goals and skill gaps.
- Promoting self-directed learning: Encouraging learners to explore, reflect, and share knowledge in community-driven ways.
Curation is about context aka helping learners connect the dots in meaningful ways.
1. Shift focus from building to enabling
- Stop trying to create everything in-house. It’s no longer feasible or necessary. Great content already exists—your job is to find, vet, and organise it.
- Act as a learning architect. Design ecosystems where learners can access the right content at the right time, from a variety of credible sources.
2. Understand learner needs deeply
- Start with performance gaps. Before curating anything, understand what skills or knowledge gaps exist and why.
- Use learner personas. Build profiles based on roles, needs, preferences, and experience levels to guide what types of content to include.
3. Curate with purpose and context
- Don’t just link-drop. Curation is not just aggregation. Add context, structure, and relevance to explain why the content matters and how to apply it.
- Use learning pathways. Organize curated content into journeys or playlists that support specific outcomes like onboarding, role transitions, or leadership readiness.
6. Foster a culture of self-directed learning
- Encourage learners to explore and share. Equip employees to find and recommend content themselves, creating a bottom-up culture of learning.
- Highlight peer recommendations. Social proof boosts engagement—show what others in similar roles are learning and using.
7. Measure usefulness, not just usage
- Go beyond clicks and views. Gather feedback on whether curated content is driving capability or solving real problems.
- Continuously refine collections. Use data and feedback loops to remove outdated resources and update learning paths regularly.
From support function to strategic consultant: driving business impact
Today’s L&D professionals are also stepping into the role of consultants—strategic partners who align learning with organizational outcomes.
Related: From order-taker to strategic partner
This means going beyond course delivery to understand the root causes of performance gaps and working collaboratively to solve them.
As consultants, L&D professionals:
- Diagnose learning needs: Using data, interviews, and performance metrics to uncover real challenges.
- Design for impact: Creating solutions that are scalable, relevant, and measurable.
- Influence stakeholders: Communicating the ROI of learning to gain executive buy-in and sustain momentum.
This shift positions L&D not as a cost centre, but as a driver of innovation, agility, and growth.
Related: Turning training into organisational value: L&D’s seat at the table
1. Align L&D goals with business objectives
- Move from training delivery to business impact. L&D must understand the company’s strategic goals (e.g., growth, innovation, digital transformation) and tailor learning initiatives that directly support these aims.
- Example: If the business is focusing on entering new markets, L&D can develop cultural competency and market-specific sales training programs.
2. Speak the language of the business
- Adopt business metrics. Instead of reporting completion rates or hours trained, L&D should focus on KPIs like employee productivity, retention, time to proficiency, and customer satisfaction.
- Partner with Finance and HR. Show ROI by correlating learning programs with measurable business results (e.g., revenue growth, reduced errors, or improved leadership pipeline).
3. Drive a culture of continuous learning
- Lead culture change. Champion agile learning, knowledge sharing, and innovation.
- Leverage modern learning methods. Use personalised, digital, and on-demand platforms that reflect how employees actually learn, not how L&D prefers to deliver.
4. Position L&D as an innovation enabler
- Facilitate change management. When the business undergoes transformation (e.g., M&A, digital shifts), L&D should be at the forefront enabling people to adapt and thrive.
- Experiment and iterate. Use pilot programs, feedback loops, and A/B testing to continuously improve and demonstrate agility.
Blending the roles to a new skillset
The reality is, modern L&D professionals are not just one of these roles, they are all three.
A coach’s emotional intelligence, a curator’s eye for quality, and a consultant’s strategic acumen are essential ingredients in the L&D toolkit.
To thrive, professionals in this space must:
- Embrace continuous learning themselves.
- Build cross-functional relationships.
- Stay agile and tech-savvy.
- Maintain a laser focus on business goals.
Wrapping up
The evolution of the L&D professional reflects the broader transformation of work itself. It’s more personalised, decentralised, and outcomes-driven.
Whether coaching individuals, curating content, or consulting leaders, today’s L&D practitioner plays a pivotal role in shaping culture, capability, and performance.
As expectations grow, so too does the opportunity to make a lasting impact.
The question isn’t whether you’re a coach, curator, or consultant, it’s how effectively you can move between these roles to meet the needs of your learners and your organisation.