The Role of the Chief Learning Officer

Organizations today are placing a disproportionate focus on capability development, at an individual, departmental, and pan-organization level. Business and HR leaders are looking at it as the differentiator to drive competitive advantage by delivering beyond business expectations. Also, learning is being treated as a key component of the employee value proposition, offering engagement and career growth opportunities. Many organizations are taking this learning-focus a step ahead by introducing the position of a Chief Learning Officer (CLO), so as to give the avenue the unrelenting attention it requires. The CLO is expected to take center stage on the organizational achievement journey. Here are the key value-additions he or she is expected to make:

1. Align with the business vision: The CLO is no longer a support nugget—he or she is steering the learning journey, in line with business. The new-age CLO must think beyond merely driving employee performance and development; he or she must align learning and development so as to deliver on the business objectives. The CLO shares an equal hand at the strategy table: no longer just an enabler but also a driver of business strategy. Hence, the CLO must step up and understand and talk business—how training is impacting the revenues, operating margins, customer satisfaction levels, employee experiences, and overall productivity.
2. Design a learning vision: The CLO must devise an effective learning vision, based on the above-outlined business goal. It should be drilled down to every employee based on his or her learning needs, aspirations, etc. More importantly, it must be relevant to the functional and organizational level. The learning vision must be centered on the human capital, which is the most important organizational asset today.
3. Look for a growth mindset: Learning and growth go hand in hand, hence, to bring learning to life, it is important to hire or develop people with a growth mindset. These are the go-getters and the risk-takers, those who are willing to stick out a leg and try a different and fresh idea. Learning is a journey of accepting change, and these people must be comfortable navigating ambiguity and uncertainty. The organization as a whole must thrive on the values of speed, agility, and change-readiness. Only then can learning bring about the envisioned change for the better.
4. Maintain a start-up mindset: A CLO must run his or her division with a start-up mindset. Think lean, agile, and flexible, where idea generation is encouraged. Encourage people to innovate: for this, you must create a culture that allows people to make mistakes, and learn from them. Most importantly, be willing to face change head-on and encourage your people to do so as well. That’s a key differentiator between a constantly evolving learning organization and a static one that may perish soon.
5. Look out for latest trends: As much as an internal organization-focus is important, CLOs must keep pace with what is happening in the learning and development industry. Look out for the latest in training design, development, and deployment, many of which are driven by technology. CLOs must make technology their best friend and innovate on the latest trends.
6. Fuel a mindset change: Running blindly after the envisioned change without taking people along is a sure recipe for failure. While embracing path-breaking ideas is fine, it is important for the CLO to encourage the employees to adopt and accept these ideas. A CLO cannot be a sole-runner, he or she must lead a team. It is important to instill a learning culture in people, to be able to change their mindset to learn and grow. And this can be done only by leading from the front as a learning advocate.
7. Deliver and demonstrate value: As much as it is important to achieve tangible results, it is important to showcase those results. Translate the learning outcomes to business metrics, and highlight the value added to everyone in the organization. This means talking terms such as the top line, bottom line, customer feedback, employee experience, increase in productivity, etc. Only when the CEO sees a tangible business change, will he or she believe in the power of learning and be vested in an ongoing learning journey.

The modern-day CLO is as much a business player as an HR leader. CLOs must balance the people, processes, and technology angles of learning and development, to be able to create a sustained change.