L&D Should Not Be Handed the Strategy. It Should Help Shape It.
Why Learning and Development Must Be a Strategic Partner, Not a Support Function
For too long, Learning and Development (L&D) has been treated as the function organizations call after the strategy has already been set.
A new business priority is announced. A transformation begins. Sales goals increase. A customer experience gap appears. Then someone says, “We need training.”
But by the time L&D is invited into the conversation, the organization may have already missed one of its most powerful levers for execution: capability.
Strategy does not execute itself—people do. Leaders translate it. Managers reinforce it. Teams build the behaviors, skills, confidence, and operating rhythms that determine whether the strategy becomes reality.
That is why L&D deserves a seat at the C-suite table—not as a support function, but as an enterprise performance partner.
What the Beauty Industry Gets Right
One of the clearest examples of L&D operating as a true business partner can be found in the beauty industry.
In this space, the function is often called Training or Education, but its role extends far beyond teaching product knowledge or facilitating classes. In many organizations, the head of Training reports directly to the Division President and sits on the executive leadership team.
That structure matters.
When the head of L&D has a seat at the table, they are not simply receiving a finalized strategy—they are helping assess whether the organization has the capabilities, tools, resources, budget, and field support required to execute it.
They can ask the questions that often go unasked:
Do we have the right capabilities in the field?
Do our managers know how to reinforce this?
Do we have the tools and systems to scale it?
Is the training team staffed and funded to deliver on this priority?
Are we building behavior change—or simply launching another program?
This is where L&D becomes strategic. It gives the executive team a practical view of whether the business is truly ready to execute.
Where the Model Falls Apart
This model breaks down when strategy is created in a closed executive setting and then handed to L&D as an execution request.
The business defines the priority. Targets are set. Timelines are announced. Then Training is told, “Here is what we need you to do.”
By that point, critical questions may not have been asked.
Does the team have the budget? The headcount? The systems? The field capacity? The leadership alignment? The manager reinforcement needed to make the strategy work?
Executives may know the outcome they want—but not whether the organization is resourced to build the capabilities required to achieve it.
That is not a training problem. It is a strategy execution problem.
Strategy Does Not Scale Without a Capability System
This becomes even more critical when training supports a wide network of users—distributors, independent contractors, field teams, retail partners, or channel organizations.
In these environments, L&D cannot rely on one-time training events or a small central team to carry the full weight of execution. If the business strategy depends on consistent behavior across a distributed network, the organization needs systems, people, and reinforcement structures to support it.
The first requirement is a learning platform—but not just any LMS. It must drive engagement, create visibility, support adoption, and provide insight into whether people are actually building the capabilities required to perform.
The second requirement is a scalable capability model. One of the most effective approaches is through certification programs. Distributor team members, field leaders, or partner teams can participate in structured learning, practice their skills, and earn certification only after demonstrating competence.
That distinction matters.
Completion is not the same as capability.
Attendance is not the same as readiness.
A certification model raises the standard by requiring learners to prove they can apply what they’ve learned in ways that support the business strategy.
This is where L&D becomes a performance engine. It is no longer just delivering content—it is building repeatable systems that scale knowledge, reinforce standards, and measure capability across the business.
The Questions L&D Should Be Asking
When L&D is involved early, the conversation shifts.
It is no longer, “Can you create a training program for this?”
It becomes:
What business result are we trying to achieve?
What capabilities will this strategy require?
Where are the gaps today?
Do our leaders and managers know how to reinforce the expected behaviors?
Do we have the tools, systems, budget, and headcount to scale the work?
How will we measure whether capability translates into performance?
These are not just training questions—they are business execution questions.
And they should be asked before the strategy is finalized, not after the launch date has been announced.
The Future of L&D Is Performance
If organizations want L&D to move beyond program delivery, they must bring L&D into the conversations where business priorities are shaped.
That means including L&D in strategic planning, resource planning, transformation initiatives, commercial goal-setting, leadership expectations, and performance measurement.
It also requires redefining success.
L&D should not be measured solely by the number of programs delivered, courses completed, or workshops facilitated. Those metrics matter—but they are not the full picture.
The better measure is whether the organization has built the capabilities, behaviors, and leadership routines required to deliver the strategy.
The question is no longer:
“What training do we need?”
The better question is:
“What capabilities must we build to deliver the business strategy?”
Because if people are expected to execute the strategy, then the function responsible for building capability must be in the room where the strategy is shaped.
Author: Kristina Garrity, Hawk & Helm Advisory
