Fighting for Your Life: Making an impact and doing it quickly.

*Bonus content – my brush with impostor syndrome, brought on by reflections on past and present.

Actual episode content: Just because the decision to establish L&D has been made, doesn’t mean it’ll stay made. We have to make the right impact quickly and effectively, so that they couldn’t dream of being without us. I had three months to prove the value of what I was doing, with my entire plan fitting on a single sticky note.

When you’re fighting for your life, it comes down to priorities, people and proof. Start with the most important problem, talk to everyone, focus on your MVP and communicate what you’ve achieved, using language that aligns with business strategy. And try not to get hung up on doing this perfectly – we’re all learning how this works.

00:00 Introduction to Setting Up L&D

02:47 The Importance of Making an Impact Quickly

05:57 My Story

08:37 1. Make the Right Impact

14:45 2. Make the Right Impact - Fast

18:40 Creativity is Problem Solving without Resources

22:26 Grab That Low Hanging Fruit

24:01 3. Help the Right People Understand the Impact (and help them understand it was you)

27:23 Storytelling Helps Demonstrating Impact

29:15 4. Plan Ahead to Get Evidence (Activating ‘Science Mode’)

32:13 5. Keep Fighting!

36:14 Conclusion: The Five Step Plan to Fight for Your L&D Function