The Mindtools L&D Podcast 464 — Order taker to strategic business partner
Sep 30, 2025
Jess Almlie, an experienced L&D consultant and author of 'Order Taker No More!', discusses transforming L&D from a reactive order-taker to a proactive strategic business partner. She explores why L&D often feels like a drive-thru service and examines the root causes behind this behavior. Jess shares three key foundations for effective strategic partnering, emphasizing the importance of understanding the business and stakeholders. She also highlights scenarios where training isn't the answer and shares insights on navigating organizational change.
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Training Quality Alone Doesn't Prove Impact
- Jess Almlie realised perfect training isn't enough if it doesn't solve the real business problem.
- She wrote her book to give a practical handbook for moving L&D from order taker to strategic partner.
Why Classroom Learning Still Dominates
- Formal classroom-style learning emerged from industrial-era scaling needs and remains the default mental model.
- Stakeholders revert to the education model they know, so they automatically ask L&D for training.
Partner First, Please Later
- Stop defaulting to please and start partnering in problem solving with stakeholders.
- Push back by vetting if learning truly solves the problem before building courses.
