Blog: Why Learning Leaders Need to Sharpen the Saw

By Emma Lucas, Associate Director, CRF

As learning leaders, we are navigating a perfect storm: rapid disruption, shrinking budgets,
rising expectations, and constant change. Yet, in these conditions, our work has never mattered more.
Learning is the lever that enables organisations to adapt, close skills gaps, and build the capabilities that drive future success.

And yet, in the rush to meet business needs, we rarely pause to reflect on our own growth.
Stephen Covey’s well-known phrase, sharpen the saw, is a useful reminder. If we don’t take time to renew, stretch, and experiment ourselves, how can we expect to bring fresh energy and strategic insight to our organisations?

Why Our Role Matters
The future of learning is strategic, collaborative, continuous, and evidence-based. That means:

• Aligning learning with business goals – not just running programmes, but solving critical business problems.
• Building learning cultures – embedding curiosity, reflection, and continuous improvement in the flow of work.
• Harnessing data and technology – to forecast skills, personalise learning, and prove impact.
• Driving transformation – partnering with leaders on digital disruption, hybrid working, and future capability needs.

This makes our role far more than delivering courses. We are strategic partners, innovators, and culture shapers.

What Great Learning Leaders Do Differently
The best learning leaders I meet share five qualities:

• Strategic influence – confidently engaging at board level.
• Commercial confidence – linking learning directly to performance and growth.
• Evidence-based practice – designing with data, not gut feel.
• Future focus – anticipating tomorrow’s skills today.
• Growth mindset – role-modelling what it means to keep learning.

Investing in Ourselves
If we want to lead learning that makes a lasting difference, we must also invest in ourselves.
That might mean stretching beyond our comfort zones, experimenting with new tools, or carving out time to engage with peers and challenge our own thinking.

That’s why I’m excited to be leading the Strategic Learning for Business Impact programme. Over two days, we’ll explore how to align learning with business strategy, harness data and AI, and design solutions that drive impact – all in a collaborative, peer-driven environment.

Because when we take the time to sharpen our own saw, we don’t just renew ourselves – we strengthen our ability to deliver the impact our organisations urgently need.