Our Roadmap for Becoming a Strategic Chief Learning Officer

All of this is only possible with buy-in from the leadership team. A strategic Chief Learning Officer can coordinate with leadership to make sure that L&D gets the resources and support it needs to enact real change. To earn that seat in the C-suite, L&D leaders need to develop a long-term plan to coordinate their department with larger company goals and initiatives.

Whether you’re already a CLO or you aspire to be one, we’ve put together a solid plan to help you evolve your L&D department from a supporting player to an essential partner in the growth of your organization.

A strategic Chief Learning Officer can coordinate with leadership to make sure that L&D gets the resources and support it needs to enact real change.

As the role of L&D becomes more critical to growing businesses, the job description of CLOs evolves from simple training managers to key players in shaping a more effective workforce.

To transform L&D into a key strategic partner, it’s not enough to simply oversee learning operations; you need to integrate them with the organization’s goals.

The Transformer CLO’s goal isn’t just to help employees learn specific skills; it’s to challenge their capabilities and create a growth mindset.

Similarly, the Strategic CLO is interested in more than just skill development. They want to ingrain learning and development into every aspect of the company. The Strategic CLO’s goal is to irrevocably tie L&D functions to a larger company strategy.

A Chief Learning Officer, CLO for short, is a senior-level executive who oversees all learning and employee development programs within an organization. They create learning strategies, oversee their execution, and ensure that all educational programs align with larger company goals.

CLOs are also sometimes called Chief Knowledge Officers or Directors of Learning and Development. They typically report either to the head of HR or directly to the CEO.

Studies show that most employee turnover is preventable and that one of the biggest reasons employees leave is a lack of suitable opportunities for growth and development. 

The Strategic CLO knows that L&D must be at the core of attracting, developing, and retaining the top talent needed to propel the company forward.

To facilitate that progress, Strategic CLOs must tackle the dual opportunity and challenge of digital transformation.

The Strategic CLO is interested in more than just skill development. They want to ingrain learning and development into every aspect of the company. The Strategic CLO’s goal is to irrevocably tie L&D functions to a larger company strategy.

1. Misalignment between business and learning strategy

L&D teams that don’t tie their departmental goals to large company initiatives and strategies will find it almost impossible to obtain the C-suite buy-in they need to grow.

Most L&D teams operate reactively. They respond to training needs as they arise, but they don’t proactively plan strategic learning initiatives. 

To prove their relevance and encourage growth, leaders need to shift to a long-term mindset by setting departmental goals that align with and support larger business goals.

2. L&D teams are overwhelmed and underequipped

A scarcity of resources is a major limiting factor on most L&D teams’ ability to think proactively. It’s challenging to make the space to set strategic objectives when your days are eaten up putting out fires.

Top-down L&D teams are responsible for running training needs analysis, creating or purchasing courses, outlining learning paths, and regulating employee compliance.

The solution is to leverage L&D more effectively by restructuring the way the company as a whole approaches learning. 

3. The reluctance of the business team to invest time in learning activities

A lack of buy-in from leadership severely handicaps what L&D can accomplish.

This isn’t just about training budgets. Apathy towards corporate learning has a trickle-down effect throughout the company.

Getting that investment in new learning initiatives means speaking to executives on their own terms. To get the C-suite on board, you must shift the perception of L&D from a support team to an important player in executing more extensive strategic plans.