Safe Space #18 — How can I stop firefighting in L&D and make sure training really supports our mission?

Home » Safe Space #18 — How can I stop firefighting in L&D and make sure training really supports our mission?

Welcome to Safe Space — a problem page for managers and L&D professionals in charities, arts organisations, public and non-profits. Here, readers share their challenges, and our experts at =mc respond with practical advice.

The Problem

Dear Safe Space, I’m a Learning & Development manager in a medium-sized UK charity that supports vulnerable adults. We have a lot of mandatory training. My role is standalone – I don’t have any admin support, and I feel like I’m constantly firefighting. I can sometimes ask the HR team to help me, but I’m very aware they are busy too. Most weeks are spent chasing last-minute requests for compliance training, scrambling to find providers who are available, or fixing admin problems. It leaves me very little time to think strategically about what learning should achieve for us as an organisation. When I look at our strategic ambitions, I know the organisation needs real investment in development: we need to think about early careers, management development, leadership succession and skills for the future.

I of course know that training and development should be about more than simply delivering courses — it should connect to our values and enable us to deliver our mission. But right now, it feels like I’m just the “training booker,” rather than someone who helps shape how we grow as an organisation.

How can I stop chasing my tail and make sure learning is more purposeful, planned and proactive? That training is in fact development.

Signed,
A frazzled L&D manager

The Advice

Yvette Gyles, Director, =mc

Hi “frazzled,” hope we can share some ideas to help get you back to “fabulous.”

I have been in busy roles before, and I know how hard it is to step back. The concept of Q2 time from Stephen Covey’s time management matrix (see our time management blog) has really helped me. Q2 tasks are important but not urgent — things like planning, prevention, relationship building. That’s exactly where you need to focus to get ahead of the curve.

If you’re spending most of your time in Q1 (urgent and important), it’s exhausting – so making bookings, handling invoicing, chasing attendee feedback etc is all Q1 work. Even shifting just 1% of your time into Q2 can make a huge difference.

I’d recommend finding a quieter time of the week – perhaps the very start or very end — and block it out as “thinking time”. Be disciplined with this – switch off your emails, all notifications (e.g. Microsoft Teams / Slack) and your phone. Ignore the ongoing calls for your attention – you can get back to that after. Then set yourself tasks specifically for this time: planning your training calendar, creating reusable learning resources, or identifying development needs.

You could also use some dedicated time to have forward-looking conversations with managers – finding out what their future needs are and sharing your solutions for those. It may feel like a luxury at first, but it will pay back by delivering on more than those panicked requests.

Charlie Scott, Director, =mc

Thanks for getting in touch about your situation.

First, you are absolutely not alone in this experience. Many sole L&D practitioners feel this — particularly in medium-sized organisations where learning is valued, but there isn’t always the structure around it.

The great thing is that your organisation knows that L&D is important – they have invested in a full-time person to make it happen.

My advice is to go back to basics: start with “why”. Why does learning matter in your charity? Use some of that blocked off time that Yvette recommended to think this through and get some insight. Ask your senior leaders and HR team to explore this with you. Is it about delivering services more effectively, building leaders for the future, or ensuring safeguarding?

As you’ve said, you can see strategic learning needs – you need to get your HR people and the leaders in the charity to see that too. Help them see the why, and crucially, why it matters to them. Frame this as something they can’t afford to miss out on. Once you’ve defined that, you’ll have a North Star to guide all decisions – which will help you to manage demands too. When requests come in, you can weigh them against that purpose. You move from “booker” to “partner.” And importantly, you’ll feel more confident saying “this isn’t aligned right now, but here’s an alternative.”

Laura Slater, Director, =mc

Hi Manager, that sounds tough – we’re here for you!

I often see L&D managers taking on too much of the development responsibility alone. Remember: you don’t own all of learning — managers do too.

Line managers should be forecasting what their teams need, not just passing things to you at the last minute.

One practical way to shift this is to introduce a simple request form or process that requires managers to explain why they want a piece of training, how it links to your agreed learning priorities, and how urgent it really is.

This creates a bit of healthy discipline and reminds them on the agreements you’ve reached on priorities. It also positions you as someone who facilitates and guides, not just someone who fulfils requests.

As Charlie says, this is about being a trusted partner, an advisor and someone who shares accountability for the strategic impact of learning (not just the tick box of training).

Leonard Ho, L&D Consultant, =mc

Hi there L&D’er, I empathise with your situation – we hear similar stories from many of our customers.

To add to what my colleagues have shared above, remember that structure is your friend. Create a quarterly training calendar that you share with staff in advance. You don’t need every detail fixed, but even mapping out the “big rocks” — safeguarding refreshers, core skills, digital tools — will make your life easier.

I also recommend building a small library of repeatable sessions — modules you  run regularly , like an “Introduction to Management” or “Effective Project Planning.” Once they’re designed, you can schedule them proactively instead of reinventing the wheel each time.

Finally, protect your well-being. Batch your admin (chase attendance, send comms) into set slots each week, and lean on HR wherever possible for logistics. They have a shared goal too – learning and development is all about people after all. You’re more valuable focusing on strategic L&D work than on date bookings.

The Takeaway

You don’t have to keep firefighting. By:

• Creating Q2 time for planning and foresight
• Defining the purpose of learning jointly with HR and leaders
• Sharing ownership of L&D with managers
• Using repeatable structures and proactive calendars

…you will add value as a strategic partner in development for your people, ultimately enabling them to deliver your vital mission.

What’s next?

If you’d like to explore ways of handling this and other work situations then contact us online or call 074 3690 3103 on how we might be able to help. Alternatively if you’re facing a unique challenge you’d like advice on in the next issue of the Safe Space, email safespace@managementcentre.co.uk. While we can’t promise to publish all the requests we receive, we will offer advice by email as a minimum.