I’m connected with a large number of “learning leaders.” So many, in fact, that I sometimes wonder what the term even means. Some of these people are genuinely brilliant. I’ve been active in the eLearning space for 25 years, and yet I still find it intimidating hearing them discuss transformation strategies, future frameworks, AI roadmaps, and whatever else the latest hot topic is.
What can I possibly add if these people already exist?
But by helping everyday folk, something became clear – a lot of organisations don’t actually need most of it. I’ve worked with multi-nationals and yes, at that level, it absolutely matters. But most of us aren’t trying to redesign the future of learning – we’re trying to support staff, meet compliance requirements, improve capability, and build something practical that works for us.
There’s a lot of noise around where learning is “going”, especially with AI entering every conversation. It can be overwhelming trying to work out which ideas are genuinely useful and which are simply interesting.
I’ve found that small and medium organisations are often better off focusing on what they need over the next 1, 3, or 5 years, instead of chasing every expert panel, or conference headline. Most organisations aren’t part of the broader learning think-tank eco-system, they just have people with real needs and business objectives that matter now.
Sound familiar?
Don’t let the perfect future stop you from making the right decisions today.