Skills to lead the training function

Managing learning projects 

The second area where managers need expertise is project management. They don’t need to become project managers but need project management skills to lead their teams and liaise with their client groups. Essential project management skills include the ability to scope project resources, timelines and quality; contract with their client group; negotiate and clarify roles and expectations; create a project plan, including dependencies. Once the project is underway, they need skills to manage scope creep and provide ongoing communication in their role as a liaison.  

Business acumen 

The third area managers need to effectively lead the training function is business acumen. This is especially important if the manager started their career as an instructional designer, facilitator or trainer. To effectively serve your organization, it’s critical to understand the language your clients speak. 

In one of my coffee conversations, a woman said that she tells her team,  

“Don’t be learning snobs.” 

I love that phrase! So often, we can get caught up in our learning and development expertise that we talk jargon to our clients. And while we’re talking “learning speak” they’re talking “business speak.” We’re talking about learning objectives and delivery channels. We are focused on the ratio of design time to finished learning time. They’re talking about budgets, time to market, minimum viable products and return on investment. 

We need to speak the same language to understand the performance need and recommend the best solution – training or otherwise. We need to speak the business language so we can instill trust in the clients we support.  

When we measure the effectiveness of training programs, we use language and metrics the business understands and cares about. 

I call this an ice cream model because the level of business acumen varies at different levels in the organization. A manager’s need will be narrower because their scope of control is smaller.

As you move into a director role and a VP role, your depth of understanding deepens as your scope of control broadens.  

People leadership 

I haven’t included people leadership in this model. It is an essential skill and universal for all managers. There are many books and models for learning how to communicate, delegate and inspire team members. This model is specific for managers in a learning function. I’ve stripped out people leadership not because its unimportant but because its so important, and managers can learn all these skills through other channels.  

When one skill set is missing 

I’m curious to hear what it looks like when these skills are missing. What’s the manager’s experience – what’s the impact on the team and the organization? 

• What does it look like when the manager doesn’t have a background in adult education?  
• If the manager struggles to manage learning projects effectively, what does that look like?  
• And finally, what does it look like if the manager lacks business acumen skills?  

When managers understand how adults learn, can manage projects, and speak the same language as their clients, their team designs programs that meet the business’ and participants’ needs. Implementation is smoother, and managers are viewed as a valued partner in their organization.