Move your L&D Team From Order-Taker to Culture-Shaper

Early in my career, I thought great L&D was about delivering great courses. If people enjoyed the session, learned something new, and gave me good feedback at the end, I considered that a win.

Over time, I realised something important. You can deliver world-class learning, but if it isn’t connected to the organisation’s purpose and culture, it won’t stick. The impact fades, the energy drops, and people drift back to old habits.

That’s when L&D becomes seen as a service provider instead of a strategic partner. And that’s a trap many teams still fall into.

At TwentyOne Leadership, we help L&D teams break out of that cycle through the L&D Academy, developing professionals who can shape culture, not just deliver training.

From responding to requests to redefining them

Order-taking L&D is reactive. Someone asks for a “time management course” or a “leadership programme,” and the team rushes to deliver. Strategic L&D starts earlier in the conversation.

It asks: What problem are we really trying to solve? What outcome would show this has worked? How does this link to our culture and goals?

When L&D asks those questions, it earns influence. It stops being about events and starts being about impact.

Connecting the invisible dots

The most successful L&D professionals I know are brilliant connectors. They spot patterns others miss, the links between engagement scores, leadership behaviours, and performance results.

They join the invisible dots across HR, strategy, and operations to tell the story of how learning drives culture.

That’s what elevates L&D from delivering programmes to driving performance.

Building culture through behaviour

Culture isn’t written on posters; it’s lived in everyday behaviours. Every time someone facilitates, coaches, or designs learning, they’re shaping what “good” looks like.When L&D teams align development with organisational values, they become culture carriers.

They model the openness, curiosity, and growth mindset that every organisation wants more of.

How the L&D Academy supports the shift

In the L&D Academy, we develop this capability from the inside out. Participants learn how to consult with the business, influence stakeholders, and translate learning into measurable outcomes.We explore tools like The Capability Consultant Framework and Brain-Friendly Learning Design to build confidence, connection, and credibility.

It’s not about learning new theory. It’s about transforming how L&D teams see themselves, as enablers of culture, performance, and change.

The Result

L&D has always had the power to shape culture. The challenge is to use that power intentionally.

When L&D teams stop taking orders and start asking better questions, they stop reacting and start leading. That’s when learning stops being a department and becomes part of the organisation’s DNA.

Want to explore how the TwentyOne Leadership L&D Academy can help your team move from order-taker to culture-shaper?

Let’s talk and start building the kind of L&D function your organisation can’t do without.

Email me matt@twentyoneleadership.com