Leaving Legacy Behind: The Next Chapter for L&D with Candice Mitchell

For years, Learning and Development has been defined by legacy expectations—building courses, delivering training, and tracking completions. It’s work that once defined the profession, but as automation and AI reshape how learning happens, those skills alone are no longer enough.

In a recent episode of The Learning and Development Podcast, I spoke with consultant and founder of the Talent Development Academy Candice Mitchell about what it really takes to evolve. Candice calls it “breaking free from the hangover of legacy expectations,” and makes a compelling case that L&D professionals must be grounded in business acumen, consulting capability, and the human strengths that technology can’t replace.

Together, we explore the capabilities that will define the next chapter of our field, from strategic influence and relationship building to curiosity, resilience, and emotional intelligence. Candice also shares her Impact Toolkit and Five Spoke Model. These practical frameworks reframe L&D’s role and prove its value where it matters most: in driving business performance.

If you’re feeling stuck in reactive mode or wondering how to future-proof your L&D career, this conversation offers both inspiration and a blueprint for action.

Listen to the full episode below. Find more conversations about the future of Learning and Development here.

1. L&D is living with a “training hangover”

Candice described what she calls L&D’s “hangover of legacy expectations”. This mindset keeps the profession trapped in a bygone identity as the company’s training provider.

“My manager kept asking, ‘Where’s the training?’ And I thought, why is she asking for PowerPoint slides? I’m a director. But that’s what managers expect, and we’re good at delivering training to people.”

This expectation is still deeply ingrained; Candice sees it with her consulting clients constantly. And we need to work harder to overcome it. This mindset is comfortable, but ultimately limiting.

“It’s our security blankie. It’s so familiar. But to stay relevant, we have to do the hard thing: let go and learn something new.”

Breaking this pattern requires a shift in both how L&D teams see themselves, and how the business sees them. The goal is not to deliver learning but to enable performance.

2. L&D job descriptions need a rewrite

Candice argues that one of the reasons L&D remains stuck is because the profession keeps recycling outdated job descriptions, often just layering new buzzwords onto the same traditional responsibilities. It’s a clear signal that management’s vision for Learning and Development hasn’t shifted at all. 

“We’re taking the old and just adding to it. It’s the same lipstick on a pig. We need to throw the pig out and get something new.”

Leaders should start by asking what kind of outcomes they want from L&D. If the goal is to grow capability across the business, then the job can’t just be about designing courses.

“When senior leaders are writing that job description, they need to ask, ‘Do I need training, or do I need capable people who can grow with the business?’ Those are two fundamentally different things.”

Candice’s message is blunt but necessary: as long as we define L&D roles around content production rather than business partnership, we’ll keep getting the same limited results.

3. Strategic partnership starts with curiosity

For Candice, true influence begins with curiosity. L&D teams earn credibility when they invest time in understanding how the business actually works. What are its ultimate goals, challenges, and measures of success?

She describes a formative experience from a previous role. “We had to link everything we did to the business. Unless we could tie our work to a strategic pillar in a real way, we couldn’t proceed.”

This principle changed her approach: writing detailed briefs, meeting with stakeholders, and asking tougher questions. “It forced me to get out there, meet people, and understand what they actually needed. My entire plan changed after those conversations.

“We weren’t training professionals. We were business people who happened to build capability.”

This level of partnership isn’t given. It’s earned through insight, alignment, and the courage to challenge assumptions.

4. The Five Spoke Model to reframe L&D’s value

Candice’s Five Spoke Model provides a simple but powerful framework to articulate how L&D drives business impact. Each spoke represents a core area of value that goes far beyond learning delivery.

Her model centers on five key outcomes:

1. Attract and retain the right people: building cultures that support growth and retention.
   
   
2. Build capability at every level: ensuring people have the skills and confidence to perform.
   
   
3. Make high performance possible: streamlining systems and removing barriers to success.
   
   
4. Increase agility and spark innovation: helping teams adapt quickly and think differently.
   
   
5. Elevate the employee experience: shaping how people feel about their work and careers.

Candice uses these value propositions to introduce Learning and Development. “We don’t just build training. We streamline processes, remove blockers, and recommend improvements. We see the whole ecosystem.”

This model reframes L&D as a performance engine that fuels engagement, adaptability, and measurable business outcomes.

5. The next generation of L&D skills is deeply human

We’ve spoken (and written) a lot about the huge potential for positive change thanks to artificial intelligence. But Candice’s research into the future of work and AI reinforces that, while technology will transform L&D, it won’t replace the human capabilities that drive real impact.

“AI will be a commodity. Everyone will have it. So of course you're going to have to learn how to use it to be more efficient. But what will matter are our human skills.”

She outlined five critical capabilities for the next generation of L&D professionals:

• Connection: the ability to build relationships and align stakeholders.
• Optimization: improving processes and finding smarter, faster ways to deliver value.
• Resilience: staying effective through change and uncertainty.
• Agility: adapting quickly to new challenges and business priorities.
• Emotional intelligence: understanding people to influence outcomes.

“Learning to build courses isn’t enough. Once you’ve done that, the real challenge begins: aligning, influencing, and driving capability.”

As AI automates more of the technical work, these human skills will define who thrives in the next era of L&D.

It’s time to make legacy expectations history

Candice reminds us that L&D’s future won’t be defined by the courses we build, but by the capabilities we enable. The profession is evolving fast, and those who focus on curiosity, influence, and business impact will lead that change.

Breaking free from legacy expectations isn’t about abandoning our craft. It’s about expanding it. By combining strategic acumen with the human skills AI can’t replicate, L&D teams can claim their place as true drivers of performance and transformation.

About Candice Mitchell

With nearly 20 years in the field, Candice Mitchell has worked both as a corporate L&D leader and as a consultant to global organisations, designing capability strategies that go far beyond “training delivery.”

Candice is a consultant, educator, and founder of the Talent Development Academy, where she helps mid-to-senior L&D professionals develop the skills needed to drive real business impact. Known for her optimism, candour, and practical frameworks, Candice is passionate about helping L&D break free from legacy expectations and step confidently into a more impactful role.