Start with the Problem, Not the Program: Rethinking L&D Strategy with Caroline Freeman

In this insightful interview, Brigid sits down with Caroline Freeman of Grey Space Consulting.Caroline is a leadership and learning consultant and the founder of Grey Space Consulting. Her career began at Nordstrom in 2008 , where she learned the value of promoting from within and prioritizing people development. Today, she focuses on bridging the gap between ambition and reality , helping organisations move beyond simple "we need training" requests to instead diagnose real capability gaps and misaligned systems.In this episode, Caroline discusses how L&D professionals can adopt a commercial mindset to better align with business objectives , including:L&D as the Glue: Caroline describes L&D as the essential "glue" that connects an organisation's commercial strategy with its people strategy. Start with the Problem, Not the Program: Caroline emphasises working backward from the desired business outcome rather than simply taking orders for a new training course. She advocates for acting as a diagnostician to find the root of the problem.Transparency and Trust: Caroline advises on how to handle situations where business goals, like reducing headcount, conflict with L&D goals, like employee retention. She advocates for transparency with leadership and teams to build trust and ensure everyone understands the true mission.Thinking Outside the Box: L&D solutions do not always require a two-hour workshop with a slide deck. Caroline shares how unconventional approaches, like a simple 25-minute chat or a quarterly morning recognition meeting for support staff, can drive engagement and solve systemic issues . She also suggests pulling established tools like a nine-box grid out of the archives to quickly identify and develop high-potential employees.Flipping the Script on Delivery: Caroline discusses the power of shifting from a traditional subject matter expert model to facilitating peer-to-peer learning. She encourages bringing learners into the process and giving them a seat at the table to help design solutions.Caroline offers a highly practical perspective on elevating the L&D function. If you want to learn how to secure a seat at the table and prove the commercial value of your training initiatives, this is a must-listen-to episode.Connect with Caroline on LinkedIn: Caroline Alderman (Freeman) Looking for a content library to help your team develop their productivity, communication, leadership skills and more? Check out assembleyou.com and follow us on LinkedIn.