With job roles ranging from instructional designer to training manager to chief learning officer and more, a career in learning and development (L&D) offers purpose-driven opportunities for growth and advancement. However, most L&D careers are far from linear, and it's inevitable that you'll face both highs and lows along the way.

In this episode of The Business of Learning, sponsored by Edstutia, we spoke with two “accidental trainers” — Jen Recla, leadership coach and trainer at Recla Coaching and Consulting, and Annie Lee, Ed.D., senior director of organization and talent development at PepsiCo Beverages North America — to hear about their L&D career journeys and their advice for others in the field.

Tune in for insights on:

• The skills that training professionals need to be successful (and how to develop them).
• How to “be your own advocate” throughout your L&D career.
• The benefits of pursuing a career in L&D.

Business acumen can help position learning leaders as strategic business partners. The challenge? Most of us aren’t born with business savvy. The good news, however, is that business acumen is a skill that can be learned.

In the 75th episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Dr. Keith Keating, author of “The Trusted Learning Advisor” and chief learning and development officer at BDO Canada, to learn more about how to build business acumen as a learning leader.

Listen now for insights on:

• Learning the lingo: Why speaking the language of your stakeholders is key in gaining their buy-in and support.
• Seeking feedback: Why feedback is ultimately a gift that can help you advance L&D in your organization.
• Listening to learn: Why taking the time to listen and learn is essential for delivering strategic training programs.

Today’s workforce consists of a diverse blend of generations whose distinct values, experiences and skills bring both challenges and opportunities to organizations. After all, research consistently shows that diverse teams outperform their counterparts.

In this episode of The Business of Learning, brought to you by Wisetail, we spoke with Ryan Jenkins, a Wall Street Journal best-selling author and thought leader on working and leading across generations, about navigating the multigenerational workplace.

Listen now to hear Ryan’s thoughts on:

• Why generations are “clues” not “absolutes.”
• How to leverage each generation’s strengths.
• Leading multigenerational teams.