New Sheriff (L&D) in Town: Training Reloaded

Transitioning into a New Organization as an L&D Manager… congratulations!

So you’ve arrived in the city (or rather, the organization) proudly wearing the badge of the new Learning & Development Manager. But instead of villains, the landscape you encounter is filled with outdated training methods, endless PowerPoints, and managers who think training is simply “something that has to be done.”

But not anymore! There’s a new sheriff in town, and training is about to enter a new era.

1 “The Curse of Checkbox Training”

Your predecessors had one mission: deliver training just to say training was delivered. If they had a trademark, it would be a giant ✔️ next to the phrase “Seminar completed.” Whether employees actually learned something or applied it to their work… that was of little importance.

But you didn’t come here to become “Mr./Ms. Check-the-Box.” You came to make real change!

2 “When Training Was PowerPoint and Coffee”

If previous trainings were a movie, the title would be “The Attack of the Slides”. Sixty PowerPoint pages, a monotone trainer, and employees wondering if they could just alt+tab their minds to make the time pass faster.

The truth is, learning doesn’t happen by simply “watching.” People learn by interacting, trying, and applying knowledge in practice. So instead of monologues, it’s time to introduce interactive experiences, microlearning, case studies, Nano Learning, and learning-by-doing!

3 “The New Era: From Tick-the-Box to Click-the-Mind”

To get rid of the mindset “training for the sake of training,” you need to change the narrative. Instead of “we must do this,” say “this will make you better professionals.”

1. Shift training from endless lectures to dynamic workshops and simulations.
2. Replace boring compliance training with gamified learning modules.
3. Introduce coaching and mentoring, so that knowledge turns into action instead of “in one ear and out the other.”

4 “The Plot Twist of Tradition (Without Starting a War)”

But remember: old habits die hard. The “traditionalists” might see you as the rebel who came to tear down their structure. So instead of saying “everything was wrong,” choose “this is something we can improve!”

Use these tricks:

1. Show small wins: Start with a pilot training that works and then say “look what this achieved.”
2. Turn managers into your allies: When they see that training helps them reach their goals, they’ll support your changes.
3. Create a sense of evolution, not disruption: “We’re not throwing away the old — we’re simply making it better!”

5 “Training Reloaded: The Mission Begins”

Your mission isn’t to tear down the old system just to build a new one. It’s to create a learning culture, where training is not a burden but an opportunity.

And if someone tells you “this is how we’ve always done it,” respond with the classic:

“And how has that worked out so far? Do you really believe there’s no room for improvement?”