The L&D Leader

Introducing…

The L&D Leader – Principles and practice for delivering business value
by Laura Overton and Michelle Ockers

The book in brief: The future of work needs Learning leaders who step up and shape change rather than simply respond to it. Drawing on 20+ years of Learning Performance Benchmark data and 270+ practitioner interviews, we show how L&D professionals can release their agency to deliver better business results and drive meaningful business transformation. The book is about recognizing our power to navigate uncertainty and lead others through it, ensuring people are equipped for today and ready for tomorrow’s unknowns.

Why this matters now: Most L&D professionals dream of transforming beyond traditional training delivery to drive real business impact, yet few achieve this transformation. The gap isn’t just about capability—it’s navigation. Our TRI and be BOLD framework gives L&D leaders the navigation system to release their agency and shape meaningful change.

What makes it different: Rather than another rigid model to follow, we offer a navigation framework with flexible principles that aspiring and seasoned learning leaders can recognise, embed and apply—wisdom that adapts across contexts, career stages, and organisational types.

About the authors:

Laura Overton is an award-winning learning analyst with over 35 years’ experience in the industry. She established the Towards Maturity Benchmark, is an academic fellow of the CIPD and is the founder of Learning Changemakers. She is a regular keynote speaker and is recognised as a significant global influencer of workplace learning trends.

Michelle Ockers is the award-winning Founder and Chief Learning Strategist at Learning Uncut, where she guides L&D leaders and their teams to develop high-impact L&D strategy and build their capability and confidence to increase business value. She is a popular keynote speaker and the host of the podcast series Learning Uncut.

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Ebook and hardcopy bundle available, ideal for orders from oversees

“This is the fit-for-right-now, caring, scalable approach we desperately need for the AI age. A triumph.”

Kerri O’Neill, Chief People Officer, Ipsos UK

“By advocating for leadership that is comfortable with ambiguity and change, The L&D Leader provides an indispensable guide for L&D professionals seeking to remain relevant and effective in an AI-driven world. What a great book!”

Marc Ramos, Global Head, Learning strategy and Innovation, ServiceNow

“This is about remaining relevant in a world being turned upside down — nothing could be more important in this brittle age of turbulence and bewilderment.”

Nigel Paine, Learning strategist, author and broadcaster

“Nestled in deep research and storytelling, this is the ultimate playbook for the entire spectrum of L&D professionals, giving us the scaffolding to do our best work.”

Lori Niles-Hofmann, AI transformation strategist and Founder of Levers

The L&D Leader podcast series

We’ve written this book not because we have all the answers. In fact, it gave me more questions.

Questions like:

  • How do we build the courage to challenge stakeholders when we know a different approach would create more value?
  • What if continuous change isn’t the problem but actually the key to delivering value?
  • What would happen if we developed ourselves as intentionally as we develop others in our organisations?

We would like to invite you to join us and continue the coversation on the live podcast sessions via the contact page.

First principles for a progressive L&D. 

Raising business impact
Navigating uncertainty
Tailoring good practice
Experimenting and exploring
Shaping the future of L&D

Areas of focus

How we can help.

Research & writing

Research is at the heart of what we do. If you’re interested in collaborating on an exciting new project, we’re ready to discover.

Speaking & facilitating

If you’re looking to book a speaker for your organisation, our explorative keynote sessions and workshops are sure to engage your people and generate new ideas.

Strategic insights

Do you need to sense check your new plans and ambitions? We offer a professional sounding board service to help you move forwards with confidence.

Resources

Helpful resources.

The latest L&D insights, current perspectives on future challenges, and industry-leading research. In our resources section, we’ve curated some of the key developments in the landscape of workplace L&D, alongside a host of helpful tools to fuel your own thinking, and help you discover a new lens for organisational challenges.

Contact us

Let’s learn
together.

Questions, ideas, new perspectives that drive business impact are what brings Learning Changemakers together. Contact us today and continue your L&D journey informed by the latest research.

hello@learningchangemakers.com

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