Learning for Good · 2026-06-29 · 14 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
25 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Nonprofit L&D leaders often find themselves jumping straight into training delivery without understanding the actual performance problem or desired outcome. Heather frames learning strategy around 10 core diagnostic questions: What problem are we trying to solve? What behavior needs to change? Why is this happening or not happening? What barriers exist? What would motivate the change? What does success look like? How does this connect to strategy? Who needs to be involved? What support is needed? And how will we sustain the change? These questions move practitioners from reactivity to strategic problem-solving, ensuring that competency models and learning solutions actually address root causes rather than surface symptoms. The approach emphasizes behavior change over knowledge transfer, stakeholder alignment, and sustainability mechanisms - critical for mission-driven organizations where fixed problems tend to resurface. Nonprofit leaders, training directors, and learning coordinators will find immediate application for these diagnostic tools, whether designing formal training, coaching programs, or organizational change initiatives. Heather notes she used ChatGPT to synthesize her podcast content into question frameworks, demonstrating how AI can complement human expertise in creating strategic tools.
Knowledge-focused training teaches awareness but doesn't necessarily shift behavior, while behavior-focused questions force you to identify the actual performance gap and barriers preventing change, making the solution more strategic and effective.
Barriers like unsupportive managers, unclear systems, or lack of motivation exist independently of training and will prevent change even if employees learn the content; identifying them upfront lets you address them alongside the learning solution.
Ask explicitly how the learning initiative connects to strategic goals, document the connection, and use it to frame success metrics and stakeholder buy-in - this prevents random skill-building that doesn't serve the mission.
Secret stakeholders are people with approval authority or vested interest who don't reveal themselves until late in the project; identifying who needs to be involved upfront prevents costly rework and ensures essential voices shape the solution.
People return from training to the same managers, processes, and systems that created the original problem; sustainability requires built-in reminders, motivation structures, and resources that support the new behavior when nothing else changes.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode recycles standard instructional design needs-analysis questions (problem identification, behavior change, barrier analysis) that any L&D practitioner would encounter in a basic training. There is minimal novel content per minute and significant filler and repetition throughout the short runtime.
So someone approaches you and they say, we need a training. And that's the way it goes. Right? We all know this way it goes. We need a training.
What problem are we trying to solve? What's the pain point? What's the challenge? What's the sticking point?
All ten questions map directly onto classic ADDIE/needs analysis frameworks and are widely taught in any L&D certification program; there is no contrarian, first-principles, or counterintuitive argument present. The one mildly distinctive label - 'secret stakeholders' - is a rebranding of a known concept, not a new idea.
I call them secret stakeholders. They don't come out until the end.
What does success look like? Now I like this question because it helps everyone see the same picture.
This is a solo episode with no external guest; the host is a nonprofit L&D consultant who appears to have genuine practitioner experience, but there is no outside perspective, senior operator, or scaled practitioner brought in to add credibility or depth.
I help nonprofits facilitate change, and I do this by focusing on their people, their mindsets, skills, culture needed to create and sustain the change. And my deliverables look like competency models and learning solutions.
I get paid to ask question. And it's true.
The episode contains virtually no named organizations, real metrics, dollar figures, timelines, or concrete case studies; all examples are hypothetical and generic (e.g., 'managers improving communication skills'), leaving every claim unanchored to evidence.
You're telling me that you want managers to improve their communication skills. It's not a bad thing. How does this connect to strategy?
It sounds like a, uh, manager supporting their individual Contributors, their team members in a different way. It sounds, sounds like coaching, right?
As a solo monologue episode there is no interviewing craft to evaluate - no questions posed to a guest, no follow-ups, and no productive disagreement; the host's delivery is organized but relies heavily on rhetorical filler questions directed at the audience and ends with an event promotion.
All right, let's go. 10 questions for strategic learning leaders.
And, um, join us at the Learning for Good summit, your path to strategic partner.
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
In this episode of Learning for Good, I share 10 questions strategic learning leaders can ask to move beyond content creation and into real organizational impact, using learning and development strategies rooted in behavior change and performance. Most nonprofit L&D professionals know that training alone does not create change. But without the right questions, it is easy to build solutions that miss the mark, overlook the real barriers, or fail to connect to organizational strategy. The gap between a training that checks a box and one that actually shifts behavior often comes down to what you asked, and what you did not. ▶️ 10 Questions Strategic Learning Leaders Ask ▶️ Key Points: 00:00:00 Why the Best L&D Tool You Have Is a Question 00:04:07 10 Questions Strategic Learning Leaders Ask 00:12:29 Why Questions Alone Are Not Enough Resources from this episode: Join the Learning for Good Summit in July: Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective:
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: Foreign.
Speaker B: M Maker welcome to Learning for Good, the only podcast that teaches nonprofit leaders how to leverage training to drive performance, improve capacity, and fuel their mission impact. Do you ever feel like your nonprofit is growing but your people just aren't keeping up? Or like you're fixing the same problems over and over? Do you wonder how to build confident, capable staff who know how to lead, not just execute? If we haven't met yet, I'm Heather, and I know how hard it can feel to get people to do what's expected of them. Trust me, I have three kids. I've tried telling people what to do and how. I've tried the traditional training approaches, and I realized that just doesn't work work. And that's when I started researching what does work. Now I help mission driven leaders use learning to drive performance, build capacity, and make change that lasts. And I'm sharing it all on this podcast. So block your calendar, turn off your teams, or slack chat, and let's dive in. It's learning for good.
Speaker C: Several years ago, I asked my daughters what they thought I did for my career. My oldest said, I teach people how to do things, which is fairly accurate. My middle, who was probably only four or five at the time, said, you say things under the water. And that is when my alter ego officially became a mermaid. Okay, not really. But it got me thinking. What do I do? How do I talk about what I do? I know that I help nonprofits facilitate change, and I do this by focusing on their people, their mindsets, skills, culture needed to create and sustain the change. And my deliverables look like competency models and learning solutions. But when I describe what I do, I, uh, always joke that I get paid to ask question. And it's true. In some ways. I can't help you shift mindsets, build skills, or foster the culture you meet if I don't ask questions. See, I don't hold the answers. I facilitate the conversation so we can discover them together. And then I create the tools to help you get there. So today I want to share 10, um, questions strategic learning leaders can ask no matter the type of nonprofit or their specific L and D role. You don't need to be in a leadership role to be a learning leader and to use these 10 questions. Let's dive in. It's learning for good. What ten questions should learning leaders ask? If I could give you just 10 questions, what would they be? This was actually a really hard episode for me to write because it's hard to narrow down all of the amazing questions that we can Use in learning and development. So what I did, I fed my episodes in the ChatGPT and asked it to produce a list of, uh, questions based on my content only. And then I narrowed it down and edited it from there to get these top 10 questions. This episode in particular is not about using AI, it's about for questions. But I share that because we're all thinking about AI and how we can use it more effectively. And this was such an effective way to use it. It reviewed my content that I've already produced, synthesized it and produced a, uh, quote unquote product, meaning the questions that I asked it to give me. And I didn't stop there.
Speaker A: Right.
Speaker C: This is not an AI product. I reviewed it, I edited it, and I built out the context around each question. That part is all me. So it's really the perfect combination of AI and me. M and it was kind of fun to use AI in that way. All right, let's go. 10 questions for strategic learning leaders. What are the 10 questions that you can use as a strategic learning leader? So the first question, these are not in any particular order, but the first question I'm going to talk about is what problem are we trying to solve? All. So someone approaches you and they say, we need a training. And that's the way it goes.
Speaker A: Right?
Speaker C: We all know this way it goes. We need a training.
Speaker A: Great.
Speaker C: What problem are we trying to solve? What's the pain point? What's the challenge? What's the sticking point? What are we trying to do with the training? What are we trying to do as a result of the training? So that's the first question that I'm sharing with you today. Again, and they're not in any particular order. This is a great question to have handy when you are approached with a training request. Now the next question I'm going to talk about what behavior needs to change? So what behavior needs to change? A lot of times when people come to us and they're working with us, maybe it is a training solution. It's going to get created. But the focus is on knowledge. What do people need to know? Well, they need to know where to find this. They need to know our policy is this what behavior needs to change? I'm not saying there's never a reason to do awareness training because there are some few times when awareness training is needed. But many times people are coming to us because there's a problem, because there's a pain point, because something needs to shift. And so focusing in on the behavior is a really important part of Being more strategic and getting those answers up front so that what we build actually solves the problem and changes behavior. Okay, next question. We're going to talk about why is this happening or why is this not happening? So this helps reveal some of the barriers, systems, what is it conditions, right? What is it that is keeping this from happening or making this happen? It could be that they don't know to do it. It could be that they don't have the skills or not confident in their skills to do it. It could be that they don't have the systems in place. It could be that their manager doesn't really support or reinforce the behavior. Right. There's any number of reasons why someone is doing something that you don't want them to do or not doing something that you do want them to do. And so uncovering why is really important. Next question. What barriers exist? So again, this could come up in the previous question about why is this happening? But I think it's important to capture those barriers. If you rule out this training or, uh, whatever, the solution ends up being what will prevent someone from still making that change? What is in place that might need to shift to. Right. When you think about mindset, skill culture, are there systems in place? Are there managers that need to be informed or is there a buy in issue?
Speaker A: Right?
Speaker C: Like what are those barriers that already exist that you can help move or replace as you are building and designing the training or whatever? The solution ends out being Another question. What would motivate someone to do this so you have this new behavior that you want to change? Why would someone do it? What would motivate them? People are motivated in a lot of different ways. We don't have to go into motivation specifically today, but what would motivate them to do it and to continue to do it? Some people are motivated because they have the competence, they have the skill set. Some people need a little extrinsic motivation. Maybe it's, you know, I prefer the side of carrot versus discipline, but people need to be motivated if you want that change to happen, if you want that change to stick. So thinking through what exists, what doesn't exist, that would motivate someone to do, to make this change is really important. M. Okay, next question. What does success look like? Now I like this question because it helps everyone see the same picture. Sometimes I will even add, what does it look like, what does it feel like, what does it sound like? Right? Because then you're really painting that full picture of success. It sounds like a, uh, manager supporting their individual Contributors, their team members in a different way. It sounds, sounds like coaching, right? What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it sound like? We all want to be on the same page and be working towards that same vision of, uh, success. Now another question, and this one is important. I probably would ask this one earlier if they were in order, but what does this connect to strategy? You're telling me that you want managers to improve their communication skills. It's not a bad thing. How does this connect to strategy? We want to make sure that we are developing people individually as individuals, but also for the benefit of the organization as well.
Speaker A: Right.
Speaker C: We want to make sure that what we're doing is moving the organization forward and it's moving individuals forward. And so how does this connect to strategy is a great question to ask. It also just gives you context and probably helps with the success picture as well. Right? Because that strategy is clearly documented, hopefully. And so you can say, great, this is what we're doing and this is why we're doing it, and this is how it's going to make an impact, which also helps you later in measurement. Okay, who needs to be involved? Now, I had always said that we have our stakeholders, we have our subject matter experts. The people that we're working with, there are almost always more stakeholders. I call them secret stakeholders. They don't come out until the end. And then you're trying to figure out who they are, why they have input, whether their input is priority input. If you have to scramble to get their changes made. Right, who needs to be involved? So this is both from a project perspective and from the audience perspective. So who are you designing for? Who needs to be involved? It could be people who need to approve what you're working on. It could be people who need to give input on what you're working on. It could be people you're designing for. It could be the supervisors of the people that you're designing for. But who needs to be involved for this change to happen? Okay, next question. What support is needed? So again, I'm going to ask you to think about this question in multiple ways. What support is needed? Could be from a project perspective. What resources? What people? What support there? Because you want to make sure you're creating the best possible solution for your audience. It could also be within the context of the project. What support is needed for the person to make the change? Which then relates to the final question, which is, how will we sustain the change? Change is not done in a one time event. So if you're designing a training, you can design the best training that is intended to create change and cope. You do. But people are still going back to their workplace. They're still going back to the same environment, the same team, the same supervisor, the same processes usually, right? And so what can we do to help sustain that, uh, change over time when nothing changed around them? How can we keep them motivated? How can we give them the resources that they need to make it easy? How can we give them reminders or prompts to make that change and keep making that change? You know, what are those opportunities that we have we can build so that they're able to build the habit, build the behavior, and sustain that change. All right, 10 questions that strategic Learning leaders can ask Again, there are certainly more than 10 that we can ask, so I would love to hear what questions you're asking and how those are working for you as well. But really, here's the thing. Being strategic requires more than a set of questions, right? You could take these questions tomorrow and apply them in your work and not really feel any more strategic than you did the day before, right? Because it requires more than a set of questions. They know that and you know that. So, uh, operating more strategically is something you want to continue to learn about and grow. And, um, join us at the Learning for Good summit, your path to strategic partner. This is a one day virtual event with live panel discussions with real nonprofit leaders. Plus we're going to have a roundtable conversation where you can get real about what has worked and what's been challenging for you and your attempts to be more strategic. And we'll end the day with an action planning session so you know exactly what you want to implement. When you leave the summit, I'll drop the link to sign up in the show notes and I hope to see you there. But I'll see you next time on Learning for Good.
Speaker A: Hey friend. Was this episode helpful for you? Did you like what you heard? Do you to want want more content like this? Here are three things you can do. Hit subscribe. Leave a review on um, Apple Podcasts for your podcast app of choice. Share this episode with a colleague. This means so much to me personally. I read every review but it also helps me learn what content you like most so I can create more of what you want. Alright, turn that teams or Slack chat back on when you're ready and I I'll see you next time on Learning for Good.
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