“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies Why L&D Fails (And How to Fix It) with Fidelma Butler
Dec 2, 2025
In this discussion, Fidelma Butler, Chief People Officer at Couchbase, shares her insights on modernizing learning and development (L&D). She emphasizes building contextual leadership frameworks and integrating learning into daily workflows. Fidelma tackles the common issue of career ladders becoming mere checkboxes, advocating for transparent, adult-like accountability. She champions peer-led teaching and highlights the importance of addressing both hard and soft skills in coaching senior leaders. Her focus is on turning theoretical learning into practical, engaging experiences.
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Context Matters For L&D
- Effective L&D must be tailored to company size, scale, and specific problems.
- Fidelma built leadership programs at Couchbase after finding almost no formal L&D in a public company of ~800 people.
Define Leadership First
- Define what great leadership looks like before you design programs.
- Use concrete examples from executives and talent reviews to build a three-part leadership model.
Meet Learners In Their Workflow
- Traditional L&D often lives in 'theoretical land' and misses employees' real needs.
- Meeting people where they are (workflow, Slack, commute) beats big offsite playbooks.