Here’s How to Stay Credible and Strategic
L&D professionals are problem-solvers and not order-takers. At least, that’s the aspiration. In reality, even after a thorough diagnosis reveals a non-training issue, such as misaligned incentives, system flaws, or unclear expectations, we are often advised to proceed with training anyway.
This is a frustrating and familiar problem. However, instead of viewing these moments as setbacks, L&D teams can use them to reinforce their role as strategic partners—delivering value, maintaining credibility, and laying the groundwork for more effective performance solutions.
So what do you do when you’re told to train anyway? You stay strategic. Use these four moves to protect your credibility, reinforce your expertise, and turn a flawed assignment into a forward step.
1. Document Diagnosis
Before building the course, write down your analysis. Keep it short and professional. Explain the root cause, why training will not fully solve it, and what alternatives might better address this issue. This protects your role as a performance consultant and maintains a record of your expertise.
2. Reframe the Request
If leadership insists on training, position it clearly: awareness training, reinforcement support, or a single component of a blended solution. Avoid implying that behavior change will result if critical environmental or systemic issues remain unaddressed.
3. Design with Strategic Nudges
Use training to reinforce expectations and identify and address barriers. Include discussion prompts, job aids, or reflection activities that surface obstacles or gaps. You cannot fix the system, but you can help others see what has been broken.
4. Measure What Matters
Evaluate the training’s intended outcome and track what did not change. This opens the door for a follow-up conversation: ‘We delivered the training. Here is what we are still seeing. Let’s revisit our original diagnosis.’
Train with Eyes Wide Open
When you are told to train anyway, lean into it by using a strategy. Document your recommendations, reframe the training, embed insight, and measure the impact beyond the session. These moments won’t just test your instructional design—they’ll prove your value as a performance partner.
This step is often skipped under pressure, but it is essential. Documenting what you discovered during your performance analysis—such as unclear expectations, a lack of incentives, or workflow breakdowns—brings clarity. It also positions you as a trusted advisor rather than a passive content creator. Documentation not only sets expectations; it also gives stakeholders something to reflect on when the outcomes fall short. Keep the tone respectful and professional—your goal is to influence, not to resist.
These situations offer L&D an opportunity to lead by delivering what’s asked while surfacing what’s broken. By reframing forced training as a strategic touchpoint, we can open the door to deeper conversations, build trust, and show what it means to operate as performance partners, not just instructional order-takers.
Read the second article in this series, Diagnose First, Train Second, to explore how to diagnose first, and train second, and address root issues rather than defaulting to training. Enhance L&D effectiveness today.
