L&D Doesn't Drive Learning. Leaders Do | Alice Meredith

Why do learning programs stall even after the licenses are bought, the announcement is made, and people start completing courses? In this episode, Josh sits down with Alice Meredith, culture strategist, Pluralsight author, and certified change management instructor, to answer a question every L&D leader eventually faces: we have the platform, so why isn't it working? Alice's answer is direct. The platform is infrastructure. What's missing is the humanness behind it, and the single biggest factor is the direct leader. In her words: a leader drives learning, period. L&D does not drive those KPIs.

The conversation is packed with usable ideas. Why every learning rollout is really a change management project, and what change exhaustion demands of leaders when pulling back isn't an option. LQ, the learning quotient, and why Alice argues it now matters more than IQ or EQ. Her GAS framework for low engagement numbers: give grace, assume positive intent, seek to understand. And a reality-sorting exercise that separates facts from emotional statements like "no one values training." A must-listen for any L&D leader staring at flat utilization numbers and wondering what to change first.

Chapters:

01:02 Why Learning Programs Stall

03:30 "We Need to Better Utilize What We Have"

04:58 Where Change Management Fits In

08:04 Change Exhaustion Is Real (No Excuses)

15:22 LQ: The Learning Quotient

20:21 How to Assess Your Team's LQ

29:08 Culture of Learning: The Spa Metaphor

31:35 Why Mandated Learning Hours Backfire

33:15 Inclusivity, KPIs & the GAS Framework

37:21 Three Factors of a Successful Learning Initiative

40:31 Advice for L&D Teams: Grace & Reality Sorting

48:30 Two Practical Changes to Make This Quarter

Connect with Alice Meredith: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicemeredith/

Pluralsight courses: https://www.pluralsight.com/authors/alice-meredith

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Music licensed through Soundstripe.

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