24 Learning and Development Tips to Kick Off 2024
I wanted to kick off 2024 with something kind of fun and different. I’m sharing 24 tips for L&D leaders.
From knowing your worth as an L&D leader to building relationships with other business units and teams, these tips will help you get 2024 off to a great start. Let’s jump right in.
Listen to the episode or scroll down to read the blog post ↓
Key Points:
01:08 24 Tips for L&D Leaders: Kickstart 2024
01:51 The importance of building relationships and sharing the value of L&D
02:21 Creating a Theory of Change for L&D
02:40 Identifying competencies and creating career path roadmaps
03:33 The Role of critical, creative, and collaborative thinking in L&D
03:54 Leveraging technology and learning in L&D
05:16 The importance of self-care in L&D
05:40 Connecting with others and sharing knowledge in L&D
06:20 The Final Tip: Keep Learning
Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts. While you're there, subscribe to be the first to know about new episodes!
24 Learning and Development Tips to Kick Off 2024
I wanted to kick off 2024 with something kind of fun and different. I’m sharing 24 tips for Learning and Development leaders. No introduction needed, we're going to jump right in.
1) Know your worth as Learning and Development
We have so much value that we can offer to the organization and we have to know it. So know your worth.
2) Align your work with organizational strategy
Go and find the strategic plan, the operating plan, or whatever your nonprofit has documented, and read it. Reread it until you know how L&D can support it.
3) Build relationships with other business units and teams
Relationships are essential to us being able to do our work, so go build those relationships.
4) Share the value of Learning and Development
And because it needs to be repeated sometimes, tip number 5 is. . .
5) Share the value of Learning and Development AGAIN
One time is never enough. Tell people what Learning and Development can do and tell them again, and tell them again, and then show them.
6) Create a Theory of Change explaining how Learning and Development will impact your nonprofit
This is a guiding document that explains what you do and why you do it. Imagine walking into a conversation with that kind of support behind what you do and why you do it.
7) Identify the competencies that staff need to be successful
This is foundational work. Check out these episodes if you want to learn more:
Episode 51: Using Your Competency Model to Develop a Comprehensive Training Program And Boost Workforce Development
Episode 39: Ask These Two Questions to Identify Your Nonprofit's Core Competencies
Episode 20: How to Determine Which Competencies Are Right for You
Episode 19: One Nonprofit's Honest Opinion after 6 Months with a Competency Model
8) Create career path roadmaps for high-priority roles
You could certainly do it for more roles, but create career path roadmaps for high-priority roles at a minimum.
People want role clarity. They want to know how and what they have to do to move up, or to move over. That's pretty hard to communicate without a clear career path.
9) Conduct a needs analysis to identify role-specific skills
We need this information so that we can do tip number 10. . .
10) Design learning solutions that build those leadership or role-specific skills
We want to have an impact in the organization and to do that we have to know what skills are needed.
Now the next three tips are related:
11) Be a critical thinker
12) Be a creative problem solver
13) Be a collaborative partner
These three tips are about how we work and how we work with other people. So important!
14) Don't get hung up on learning technology
Technology is meant to support you and to help facilitate better learning experiences, not drive your decisions. So don't get too hung up on what's new or what trend you need to follow. Technology should support you not drive you.
15) Leverage learning to establish cross-functional relationships and build psychological safety and inclusion
That's a mouthful, but anytime we have people coming together in person or virtually, we have the opportunity to build stronger cross-functional relationships, build trust and psychological safety, and further all of our goals around DEIB.
16) Talk about how learning contributes to a stronger organizational culture
Because of those relationships that Learning and Development is able to build.
17) Treat each Learning and Development initiative as a change management process
Because it is.
18) Measure your work in impact
Not just satisfaction.
19) Make time for your own self-care
You are doing big work. You are doing good work. It has a major impact on your organization. And I bet you're busy. Make sure you're prioritizing your own self-care.
And that leads me to tip number 20. . .
20) Help your team prioritize their self-care
We need everyone to be well in 2024.
21) If you're not sure where to start, get a coach
22) Connect with others in the field of Learning and Development
If you're not in the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective, come and join us, that's a great place to start.
23) Share your knowledge and your expertise with others
There are things that you know that no one else knows. There are situations that you've experienced, that someone else is experiencing, and they don't know how to navigate it.
By sharing what you know, by sharing your experience, and your expertise, everyone benefits.
24) Keep learning
We're Learning and Development professionals after all. Learning is part of what we do.
Keep learning. It could be this podcast, it could be attending a conference, or it could be reading a book. Just keep learning.
To hear the full conversation I had on the Learning for Good Podcast, scroll all the way up and tune into episode 62.
The Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective
Do you wish you could connect with other nonprofit learning and development leaders?
I know what it feels like to want someone to bounce ideas off of and to learn from, someone who really understands you and your work. Imagine if you could have a simple way to meet people in the field, ask questions, and share information.
That's why I created the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective – so nonprofit L&D, talent management, and DEI leaders can connect with each other quickly and easily in a virtual space.
When you join this community, you will walk away with a new, diverse, and powerful network – and a sounding board for your staff development needs.
So if you're ready to exchange ideas and collaborate with your peers, come join the Nonprofit L&D Collective.
