When Learning Gets Stuck at the Starting Gate
Last month, Michelle Ockers joined a virtual session with the L&D team at a government agency. Around 12 months ago they’d launched a bold learning strategy focused on everyday learning – a big shift from the past reliance on external training courses. The strategy, developed using Learning Uncut’s L&D Strategy Builder, was all about enabling learning in the flow of work. It prioritised informal learning, knowledge sharing, and practical tools to help people take ownership of their development.
But something wasn’t clicking.
Despite the clear strategy and implementation plan, the team was stuck in old patterns. One leader noted, “We’re still spending so much time managing external course bookings.” Not because the strategy demanded it – but because that’s what the organisation still expected …
… and what the L&D team was inadvertently reinforcing. The team’s own behaviours were sending signals that held everyone back from adopting everyday learning. Permission to learn in new ways hadn’t shifted.
Permission is a part of learning transformation that we don’t talk about enough.
Why People Still Wait to Learn
L&D teams everywhere are talking about self-directed learning, building learning cultures, and learning in the flow of work. Yet people still wait.
They wait to be told it’s okay to spend time learning. They seek approval to watch a TED talk or read an article during ‘work time.’ They feel guilty blocking out time for reflection – even when the organisation says learning is important.
We see this permission blockage everywhere. There’s the written policy that says “learning is valued,” but the lived experience says, “only when your ‘work’ is complete.” There’s the strategy that champions everyday learning, but the systems still incentivise and reward formal courses. There’s the leader who says they support development – but doesn’t block out time in everyone’s work calendar for learning.
In The Learning and Development Handbook Michelle Parry-Slater describes permission as one of the essential foundations for impactful L&D. Without it, the kind people feel in their bones, not just see on posters, even the best learning strategy will stall.
What Permission Actually Looks Like
It’s tempting to think of permission as something formal – a policy, an approval workflow, a line in a budget. But in reality, it shows up in a thousand tiny ways.
Permission looks like a manager asking, “What did you learn this week?” instead of “Are you on top of your deadlines?”
It looks like celebrating someone who learnt a new skill from a colleague or YouTube video with the same enthusiasm we show for completing a course.
It is in the reassurance that to make a mistake will result in learning, not worrying about being told off.
It looks like setting aside Friday afternoons for learning and actually protecting that time. It’s in our tone, our questions, what we reward and what we ignore.
Back to that Government Agency
As part of our review of how the L&D team was operating, we had a pivotal conversation with the L&D leaders. We discussed their capacity challenge. They were so busy with logistics and coordinating attendance at external courses that they didn’t have enough time to work on implementing their new strategy. We asked a key question: What it would mean to “turn off the tap?” What would happen if you pause default approvals for external training and shift the conversation?
While it might save money, that wasn’t the key point of this shift. Rather, it is a way to send a powerful new signal: we do learning differently now.
This wasn’t about taking things away. It was about changing the default. Instead of asking “What course do you need?” they have started to ask “What are you trying to get better at?” and “How might you learn that on the job?” or “Who can we connect you with that can help you to improve?”
That conversation marked a turning point. They were beginning to align the signals and move towards the vision in their strategy. Because until the signals shift, permission doesn’t feel real.
Four Practical Ways to Create Permission
From our work across sectors, here are four powerful ways to build real permission to learn:
1. Work With Managers to Set the Tone
Managers are the gatekeepers of everyday learning. If they treat learning as ‘time away from work,’ so will their team. But if they support it by encouraging experimentation, asking what people are learning and getting better at, and making time for reflection, they set a powerful example.
We need to help managers see learning as part of performance, not a break from it. That means equipping them with simple ways to promote and celebrate learning and to make it valued through their day-to-day conversations.
2. Make the Invisible Visible
People are already learning every day. They troubleshoot with colleagues, find answers online, and experiment with new approaches. But when this learning isn’t seen or celebrated, it doesn’t feel like it counts.
Start amplifying everyday learning. Share stories. Invite people to reflect and talk about how they’re developing through their work. Recognise that this is learning rather than a warm-up for the real thing.
3. Change the Conversation
The questions we ask shape what people think matters. Swap “What training do you need?” for “What are you curious about?” or “What challenge are you tackling right now?” or “What do you want to improve?”
This small change helps shift people from passive recipients to active learners.
4. Shift from Gatekeeper to Enablement Partner
As long as L&D acts as the gatekeeper of learning, we’re modelling the opposite of what we’re trying to create. Real permission means stepping back from owning learning and stepping up to enabling it.
Start by articulating a new learning philosophy for your organisation. Make it explicit that learning happens everywhere, not just in L&D programs. Then demonstrate it through your work: connect people, help managers facilitate learning conversations and team development activities, and celebrate learning that happens outside formal programmes.
Final Thought
If you’ve ever felt your strategy is strong but change isn’t happening, ask yourself this: What signals are people still receiving about learning?
If those signals say “wait for permission,” then you’ve found your next big opportunity.
Let’s not just talk about empowering learners. Let’s make sure they actually feel empowered – to explore, to practice, to connect with others, to experiment, and to grow.
Because when permission becomes real, learning takes off.
Ready to shift permissions in your organisation?
We’ve guided others through this crucial shift – from being course providers and order takers to becoming genuine enablers of everyday learning. If you’re ready to create real permission to learn, let’s talk. Book a free strategy call to explore how we can help you build the permissions, environment and culture where learning thrives naturally. Because when people truly have permission to learn, transformation happens.
Email [email protected] to book a Learning Strategy call.
