In a world where agility, innovation, and resilience are the currency of success, learning is no longer a support function, it’s a strategic driver. Yet many organisations still treat learning as a compliance exercise, disconnected from the outcomes that matter most to the business. The result? A growing gap between what the C-suite expects and what learning delivers.

But here’s the good news: that gap is also a powerful opportunity.

 

The Engagement Crisis Is a Learning Opportunity

Gallup’s 2024 global workplace report revealed a sobering truth: only 21% of employees are engaged at work. That’s not just a people problem — it’s a performance problem. Disengaged employees are less likely to innovate, collaborate, or stay. They’re also less likely to grow. And when people aren’t growing, neither is the business.

This is where learning and development (L&D) can step in, not with more content, but with more impact. The challenge is to move beyond traditional learning models and reimagine what learning can do when it’s aligned with purpose, embedded in the flow of work, and measured by outcomes.

 

LMS Metrics Aren’t Enough

For too long, learning success has been measured by the wrong metrics. Completion rates, satisfaction scores, and hours logged may be easy to track, but they don’t tell us whether learning is actually changing behaviour or improving performance.

Take a safety training module, for example. It might boast 100% completion, but if incident rates haven’t dropped, what was the point?

To be truly strategic, learning must be tied to business outcomes: faster onboarding, better customer satisfaction, improved retention, stronger leadership pipelines. And that means rethinking how we design, deliver, and measure learning.

 

The Data Disconnect

Despite the wealth of data generated by learning systems, only 4% of organisations say they’re excellent at using learning data to inform business decisions. That’s a missed opportunity.

Learning data can reveal powerful insights — about skills gaps, behavioural trends, engagement levels, and more. But too often, that data stays locked in dashboards or spreadsheets, never making its way to the boardroom.

To change that, L&D needs to become fluent in the language of the business. That means using data to tell compelling stories about how learning drives growth, resilience, and innovation.

 

From Learning to Human Success

At its core, this isn’t just about better training. It’s about a shift in mindset — from learning as a service to learning as a strategy. From content delivery to capability building. From tracking inputs to enabling outcomes.

We call this shift human success.

Human success is about helping people thrive — not just in their roles, but in their careers and lives. It’s about creating environments where learning is continuous, embedded, and aligned with purpose. Where people feel empowered to grow, and where that growth fuels business performance.

For L&D leaders, this means:

• Embedding learning into the flow of work, not as an interruption but as an enabler.
• Partnering with the C-suite to co-create learning strategies that support business goals.
• Using data not just to report, but to influence.
• Designing experiences that are human-centred, not system-centred.

 

The Opportunity Ahead

The C-suite may have a learning problem but L&D has the solution. By reframing learning as a driver of human success, we can elevate our role from content providers to strategic partners. And in doing so, we don’t just close the learning gap, we turn it into a competitive advantage.

 

Curious what human success looks like in action?

Get a copy of our latest industry report The Future of Evaluating Learning and Measuring Impact to discover how you can transform learning into lasting impact.

 

Nina Carøe 

Chief Human Success Officer at Zensai