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What CEOs Wish L&D Leaders Understood

And How We Bridge the Gap at The TwentyOne Leadership L&D Academy


After decades of working with senior leadership teams, both as an internal L&D manager and now as a consultant, I’ve learned something important: CEOs do care about developing their people.


But they care just as much, if not more, about delivering results.

It’s not that learning isn’t valued. It’s that learning in isolation means very little. What matters to the executive team is how development translates into performance, retention, growth, and innovation.


As L&D leaders, our challenge is to connect our work to that reality, to speak in outcomes, not just activity. So, what do CEOs really wish we understood?

 

1️. Development is Only Part of the Picture


Your CEO wants people to grow, absolutely. But they also want to know:


  • Is this helping the organisation achieve its goals?

  • Is it solving business problems or just filling learning hours?

  • How does this prepare us for what’s next?


To lead effectively in L&D, we must balance passion for learning with commercial thinking. When we show how development drives performance, engagement, and future readiness, we earn our seat at the table.

 

2️. Capability is the Goal, Not Content


Leaders aren’t looking for more content. They’re looking for solutions to real challenges. They want:


  • Confident managers

  • Skilled communicators

  • Resilient teams

  • Future leaders


It’s not about how much training we roll out, it’s about what changes because of it. Our focus must shift from delivering learning to building organisational capability.

 

3️. Influence Matters More Than Ideas


You can have the most innovative learning solution in the world, but if you can’t influence the right people, it’ll never land.


Influence is the missing skill in many L&D leaders’ toolkits. We need to be able to:


  • Communicate clearly with non-L&D stakeholders

  • Translate learning into business outcomes

  • Build trust and credibility at the top


This isn’t just about being persuasive; it’s about speaking your CEO’s language.

 

This Is Why I Created The TwentyOne Leadership L&D Academy


Too often, great L&D professionals get stuck, not because they lack knowledge, but because they lack support, strategy, and confidence in navigating the business landscape.


At The L&D Academy, we help L&D leaders:


  • Develop strategic influence and leadership presence

  • Link learning to performance and growth

  • Build scalable L&D strategies and teams

  • Communicate with impact to senior stakeholders

  • And ultimately become the kind of leader their CEO sees as essential


This isn’t just learning. It’s a mindset shift, a strategy accelerator, and a career changer.

 

Ready to bridge the gap between development and performance?


Email me now matt@twentyoneleadership.com or book a call me to learn more about how The TwentyOne Leadership L&D Academy can help you lead with impact, influence with purpose, and grow a learning function that matters at every level.



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