In L&D you need to be comfortable with saying "NO". Otherwise, your life will be hard... L&D gets lots of requests: － requests that are about L&D － requests that are not about L&D － random requests － well-thought requests － requests about onboarding － training requests － instructional design requests － conferences requests － budget requests － requests for leadership development － requests to run book clubs － career development requests － requests about IDPs － requests to support transformation － requests about content libraries － coaching requests － mentorship requests － talent development requests － requests to support employer branding － requests to babysit managers (wink!) No one human being can properly manage all of these requests. Not even a small L&D team. If you try to do so: 🔥 quality will be sacrificed 📌 impact will be lower 🧘♀️ your mental health will go down the drain So if there's one thing we can learn as L&Ds today is to say NO. Ask: － Is this related to a strategic organizational, people, or L&D goal? － Is this something I/ we should be in charge of? － Is this something we're doing just to please one person? － Is this something urgent? Remember, strategy is just as much about deciding what not to do as it is about choosing what to focus on. 💡 #learninganddevelopment
The challenge I always had is how to say 'no' when someone senior has already said 'yes'.
Great reminder Lavinia. Say no early, or you’ll be saying sorry later, right?... Bonus: fewer babysitting gigs 😉
Setting clear boundaries is definitely under-utilised in a lot roles but is absolutely essential in L&D. It also links well to any needs analysis you put in place.
If L&D had a dollar for every request that wasn’t really their job, they’d never have to fight for budget again. 😅 But the real challenge isn’t just having the confidence to say "no", I'd say it’s knowing *how* to say it in a way that shifts the conversation... That requires deep expertise in performance consulting and a strong understanding of how the business operates. Not to say that too often L&D teams struggle because they’re expected to execute without having a seat at the table where real business decisions are made. The best L&D pros I know push back, ask the right questions, and focus on work that actually moves the needle, not just keeps people busy. But this isn’t something you wake up knowing how to do. It takes years of experience, deep business acumen, and a few hard-learned lessons along the way.
This is valuable Lavinia Mehedințu 👏 I see basically two types of L&D Teams that lay the foundation how easy saying no gets. How do you see it? 1. Strong L&D Teams: Having their own Agenda. Pushing Strategic Company Goals. Typically those report directly to the Management Board. Goals are contributing to the Strategic Workforce Planning, Developing an appealing learning offer (core curriculum), providing an L&D support structure for the business with clear rules and boundaries. Central Budget is available. Danger: Being the Ivory tower of the company. 2. Weaker L&D Teams: Do not have their own Agenda. Executing on Business needs. No direct connection to the Management Board. Goals are to prioritise business need and solving them fast. No or just little central Budget. Those teams work almost like an agency within their own company. Danger: No strategic contribution at all. In both worlds saying no is important. However in the first case it is much easier as there is a lot more management backup for saying no.
This post really resonates with me. It reminds me of the triple constraint in project management—when you change one thing (scope, time, or resources), something else has to give, often quality. In L&D, we’re always juggling competing priorities and tight timelines with limited resources. Saying ‘yes’ to new work inevitably impacts what we’re already working on. Learning to say ‘no’ is so important for staying focused on what truly matters.
It's like the improv exercise "yes, and..." Instead it's "no, but..." While "no" is a complete sentence, an explanation will help prevent future similar requests. The goal is to get the stakeholders to ask themselves these questions that you list. Otherwise, they will just assume it's part of the intake process to ask you 😃
I completely agree—this is a common challenge in L&D. Many stakeholders tend to view L&D as the go-to solution for everything, While these areas do intersect with learning and development, the key is ensuring that initiatives are prioritized based on actual needs and strategic objectives rather than just quick fixes. Aligning expectations and shifting the mindset toward shared responsibility is essential for long-term impact.
I just did a live webcast about this. Finding the courage to say "No" is an essential skill for the L&D practitioner.