May 5 / Natalie Savery

When was the last time you really learnt something?

Recently, I needed to get my head around something — and I just couldn’t.

As a team, we’re reviewing (and likely changing) our task and project management system. Someone in the team shared a new platform for us to explore, so I decided to take a look and see if it might work for us. I signed up, opened it up, and started clicking around.

Normally, I’m someone who likes to get stuck in and figure things out as I go. But this time, I hit a wall. There were so many features that I wasn’t sure where to start, or even what I was trying to achieve within it. I could feel a sense of overwhelm creeping in — the temptation to close it down and stick with what I already know.

But that wasn’t going to move things forward. So, I tried a different approach.

I asked ChatGPT to explore possibilities so I could get a sense of how others were using it. I asked my colleague to walk me through some of the key features and what it could do. They also told me about the platform’s own “academy” and watched a few short videos on how to us. I paused and reflected on what I actually needed from a system like this.

Then I went back in and had another go. This time, it felt different. More manageable. Clearer. More purposeful.

Learning has changed — but have we?

This month at Leaderful Action, we’re focusing on learning, intentionally aligning ourselves with one of our favourite events of the year - Learning at Work Week (website) This year’s theme, “Many Ways to Learn,” is close to our hearts and what we’ve been talking about for a long time. It also reinforces something that I’ve learned and something we strongly believe in:

Learning doesn’t happen in just one way.
When I first started in L&D, learning was almost always treated as a training course. That was the go-to solution if someone needed to learn something. Of course, people learnt in other ways — shadowing colleagues, learning on the job, using resources — but these weren’t always recognised as proper learning opportunities. They were valued by the learner, but not always given the value they should have held.
Most of us wouldn’t dream of going on a course, to put up a shelf. We turn to YouTube or TikTok, or we ask for expert advice. The same goes for work – we have such a lot of ways to learn at work – videos, podcasts, articles, conversations, AI tools, and hands-on experience — often all within the same learning journey.

The problem with a single approach

Of course, training and qualifications still have an important role to play. But they are just one part of the picture.

Learning doesn’t stick simply because we’ve been told something once. Without revisiting, applying, and reflecting, most of what we learn is quickly lost. What made the difference in my experience with the new system wasn’t one thing — it was the combination:

• Seeing it in action
• Exploring it myself
• Getting guidance
• Reflecting on what I needed
• Trying again

That’s what turned confusion into clarity.

A more intentional way to learn

At Leaderful Action, our goal is to support people to be at their best. That means thinking beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to learning.

It’s not about more learning — it’s about the right learning, delivered in the right way.

Our Impactful Learning model is built around this principle.

It starts with curating what already exists — making use of high-quality resources that are readily available rather than always creating from scratch.

It then focuses on cultivating an environment where learning happens naturally through conversations, coaching, and shared experiences.

From there, organisations can create their own resources, using the expertise within their teams — whether that’s workshops, guides, or short, practical content.

And finally, they can collaborate with external experts where it adds the most value, ensuring that time and budget are used intentionally.

Underpinning all of this is the idea that learning should be communicated, continuous, connected – it’s an integral part of everyday work — not something separate from it.

Creating the conditions for learning

If we want learning to be meaningful, we need to be more deliberate in how we approach it.


Reflection: Ask yourself ‘what do I actually need to learn, and what’s the best way to learn it?’


Intention: Set a clear intention for your learning — what will be different as a result, and how will you use it?

Action: Try it. Test it. Apply it. Learning only really sticks when we do something with it.


And at an organisational level, there’s a bigger factor at play: whether learning is genuinely prioritised.


When people are told to miss a workshop to get a piece of work over the line; when your 1:1 with your manager becomes a run-through of tasks rather than a conversation about your development; or when you’re given mandatory e-learning and told to just “get it ticked off the list”, the message is clear — learning isn’t important. Leaders and managers play a critical role in creating the space and expectation for learning to happen.

A final thought

We have more ways to learn than ever before. But less and less time to use them.

As we reflect on Learning at Work Week and this year’s theme of “Many Ways to Learn,” it’s worth asking:
Are we still treating learning as something people attend…

or are we creating environments where learning happens through curiosity, experimentation, and everyday work?

Because when we get that right, learning becomes impactful, meaningful and effective.