One of the most common frustrations we hear from L&D professionals everywhere is getting stuck in “order-taker” mode. The work is overwhelmingly reactive, pushing out courses by request, with little focus on their impact or growing overall skills in the organization.
This cycle drains energy and limits influence. And it’s exactly what Jess Almlie has been working hard to change.
In a recent episode of the L&D podcast, we spoke about Jess’s book L&D Order Taker No More, built from more than 30 years’ field experience. Our conversation dug into why L&D often gets boxed in by legacy expectations, how to build credibility step by step, and why understanding the business is non-negotiable.
Jess also shared insights on creating a vision for L&D, navigating organizational politics, and earning a seat at the table through intentional, strategic action. For any L&D professional who’s tired of simply responding to demands, Jess offers both reassurance and a roadmap for change. Here are five key takeaways from our conversation.
Listen to the full episode here:
Why elegant experiences aren’t enough
Most L&D professionals start with a passion for instructional design and building great learning experiences. Early in her career, Jess dedicated herself to making “the most engaging, interactive learning experiences possible. All the adult learning best practices.”
And yet, stakeholders were telling her that, despite receiving the exact training they had asked for, their problems still weren’t solved. “That's when I realized it wasn't enough for us in the talent development profession to spend our time perfecting our products.”
The first step was to learn much more about marketing, sales, performance consulting, and overall business strategy. With that foundation, L&D teams can become real business partners.
“I knew something had changed when our stakeholders started coming to us. Not asking for pre-baked training solutions, but asking to have collaborative strategic conversations about driving performance improvement and helping them reach their goals in a different way.”
Change starts from wherever you are
The transformation from order-taker to business partner is essential, but can be daunting. And Jess was quick to point out that it’s not a matter of flipping a switch. Progress comes from being realistic about your current position and taking incremental steps forward.
“Wherever you are right now, that’s exactly the place you must begin,” says Jess. “You can’t jump halfway up a really long staircase on your first leap. You have to take one step at a time.”
Moving from transactional to strategic isn’t just a process change. This cultural shift involves the whole organization. Small, intentional moves compound over time and start to shift expectations about how L&D works.
This perspective helps take the pressure off. It’s not about arriving overnight—it’s about consistent progress in the right direction.
“They're gonna say, 'you're the training person. That's what we need.' So we have to start by knowing where we are right now, defining our current reality, and then do small things that slowly crack the door open a little bit at a time, to bring those stakeholders along with us.”
Develop a deep business understanding
The goal is to become business partners. But you can’t credibly call yourself a partner if you don’t acutely understand the business you serve. Building strong stakeholder relationships, Jess explains, is about showing curiosity, comprehension, and respect for other teams’ work.
“If I can get a robust understanding of a stakeholder’s business and make this respected relationship where they know me and I know them, that opens more doors than just trying to have a nice chit chat.”
Jess describes practical strategies, from listening closely in company meetings, to picking up on unwritten rules, to finding business mentors outside HR. These small actions build a deeper picture of how the organization works and where L&D can add value.
When stakeholders see that we “get it,” our credibility grows—and with it, our ability to influence.
"L&D is not about us. It's about this bigger picture of the organization. Where do they sit? What do they need in order to be successful and how do I work together with them to help them achieve that or to partner with them to achieve that?"
Defining your role as a strategic business partner
If you’re going to step into a more strategic role, you need to be clear about what that role looks like. Jess shared her version of L&D teams as a strategic business partner:
“Strategic means that we’re working in a way that helps to drive the bigger goals in the organization. We make sure that we're working on the highest priority items that will have the biggest impact. So we think about that bigger picture and we're very intentional. Business is literally our middle name.”
This requires you to understand those business goals deeply, and the market or industrial context you’re working in. And then you need to collaborate on learning solutions to drive towards those goals.
The word partner is just as important. As Jess puts it, “I am your partner in problem solving. I am not your helper. If I show up as a helper, I'm eager to do whatever I can to make you happy. If I show up as a partner, I'm sitting at the same side of the same table, working on the same problems with you.”
This shift in mindset takes you from an eager service provider to a peer invested in solving core business problems. It’s then easier to decide what to prioritize, what to decline, and how to measure real impact.
“I am your partner in problem solving. I am not your helper.”
Navigating organizational politics
Office politics are a touchy subject, with Learning and Development teams often caught between competing interests. But for Jess, that’s just part of the job. “Organizational politics are really part of the fabric of how work gets done… In and of themselves they aren’t meant to be negative. They’re neutral.”
The challenge is not to fight politics, but to understand and navigate them. That means noticing where influence lies, who makes decisions, and how unwritten rules shape outcomes. When you can work within those dynamics without judgement (where possible), you’re far more effective.
“It can help to find a political mentor. Somebody who already understands the system and can help you navigate it. But most importantly, you’re working within that system, without trying to combat it at every turn.
“Eventually we might be able to make some inroads into changing some of those political norms. But if we just try to combat and become frustrated with it, we're not going to get anywhere.”
“I can navigate within [office politics] for the greater good, not for personal gain. That means setting aside my ego for the good of the company, taking the bigger picture view, not getting emotional about any one particular area.”
If we want to escape the order-taker trap, we need to work differently. That means taking small, intentional steps, aligning with business goals, and having the courage to shift how we show up with stakeholders.
By crafting and communicating a vision for our role, and by learning to navigate the realities of business and politics, we can gradually build the credibility and influence we’ve been missing.
About Jess Almlie
Jess Almlie is a seasoned Learning and Development leader, consultant, speaker, and author of L&D Order Taker No More. With over two decades of experience across sectors including healthcare, education, and financial services, Jess has led enterprise learning strategies that focus on business alignment, stakeholder engagement, and measurable impact. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Learning Experience at WEX.
Drawing on her own journey from instructional designer to senior L&D executive, Jess helps practitioners diagnose the factors keeping them stuck and take deliberate steps toward becoming strategic business partners. Her work blends deep organisational insight with practical tools - like assessments, playbooks, and stakeholder mapping - to help L&D teams earn influence and deliver real value.
Through her writing and speaking, Jess is helping to reshape what it means to be effective in L&D today - moving beyond reactivity to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
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