#22 🎮💡💎 Podcast notes: Having clarity on what you bring to the table (13/14)
Recently, I've had a nice conversation with Liz Ștefan, the host of the L&D Spotlight podcast. Here's the part where we discussed about having clarity on what you bring to the table (min. 50:52 in the podcast episode).
Liz: I guess the best thing for an L&D professional or for the L&D function to do is to start looking into these notions, start speaking to the various teams, understanding the purpose of their existence and figuring out ways in which L&D can amplify the purpose of their existence.
Ok, so looking at the value, understanding the behaviors that generate that value, being good listeners, active listeners, being able to their own purpose of existence as the L&D function, which also helps the other departments maybe even help them help themselves in a way.
So, as soon as the L&D function can explain how it amplifies the value of all the other business functions, it might even make it easier for the other business functions to reach out to L&D to create these sort of value amplifying activities. Is that a fair summary?
Bülent: Yes, in the sense that when you have clarity of what you're bringing to the table. This is another way of phrasing what's the value that you're offering. And when you have clarity on what the others bring to the table and what the others need in terms of added value, it's way easier to connect and to have this very interlinked approach, where you are more relevant.
And to increase the relevance as a professional and also as a team, you create more value. So I hope it makes sense and I just want to end with this message that it doesn't have to be something very complicated, very difficult.
As I was making that analogy, it's about understanding at the foundational level. You don't need to be an expert. You don't have to be a Senior, or a PhD or Masters level in all the other areas, because there are lots of other areas and we're not talking only about functions. We're also talking about domains, about business units.
So various ways of clarifying, of structuring work and value. You don't need to understand everything in depth. You need to understand the foundations, so that you can connect better through your perspective, through your lenses as L&D professionals, to be able to co-create value, to amplify value, leverage, facilitate value and all these other types of contributing to the whole organization.
Bülent Duagi is a Sr. Strategic adviser for Tech companies and a lifelong learner. He works at the intersection of Strategy, Foresight, Leadership, Org Design, Product and Capability Development. Connect on LinkedIn and learn more by exploring his professional one pager.