CareerDevelopment
Does this sound familiar: “Sometimes, I feel like I’m just fulfilling orders for training sessions, without being invited to the conversations where real business decisions are made.”
Do you ever feel like your role in learning & development (L&D) is limited to executing training requests, while real strategic discussions happen elsewhere? Many L&D professionals find themselves stuck in this cycle, delivering valuable programs, but not always seen as essential players in driving business priorities or influencing outcomes.
If you want to change this perception and elevate your role from training provider to trusted advisor, it starts with a mindset shift and a new set of actions. This article will share three actionable strategies to help you reposition yourself and your team as strategic business partners, not just support functions. These steps will help you move beyond the classroom and into the conversations that shape the future of your organization.
If there’s one essential shift to move from being seen as a support function or an order-taker to being recognized as a true strategic partner, it’s this: Start asking better questions. Not all questions are the same, so you should refine your skills to ask insightful questions. Unlike typical problem-solving questions (“What do you need?”), insightful questions elevate the conversation. They sound like, “What would success look like to you if we implement this successfully?” or “How would this initiative transform your broader goals?” These types of questions position you as a thought partner, someone interested not only in solving a task but in advancing your internal stakeholder’s strategic vision.
This type of question helps you move beyond surface-level understanding and unlock deeper insights, opportunities and connections. When you ask an insightful question, you move beyond the transaction and gathering information. With these questions, you spark reflection, reveal your counterpart’s priorities, challenge assumptions and uncover hidden drivers behind decisions that are being made.
For strategic partners, the goal is not simply to provide answers but to guide the thinking process. Insightful questions allow you to help your internal clients see possibilities they hadn’t considered, risks they hadn’t acknowledged or connections they hadn’t yet made. Asking the right questions signals depth, curiosity and a genuine commitment to fulfilling the need and creating more value.
It’s a shift to becoming a strategic partner, someone who helps define and create the future, not just react to the present.
Resist the urge to immediately offer solutions. First, ask yourself: What is not being said here that I need to understand?
Frame questions around outcomes, not tasks: Instead of asking what they need, ask why it matters and what success looks like.
Be curious about the “bigger picture.” Challenge yourself to stay curious about the broader goals, strategic priorities or future possibilities of what is being asked from you.
The term “strategic partner” has the word strategic in it for a reason. It means that for you to become this type of partner, you need to think strategically. Strategic partners in an organization are the ones that help teams think about the longer term and the bigger picture. Strategic thinking allows you to move from daily, routine tasks to thinking about the broader implications of your work to the organization.
To align your individual and team’s L&D goals to the broader organizational strategies, you need to spot trends and think about the long term. The problem is that, sometimes, we are so caught up with urgent daily tasks that we have little time and energy for long-term goals or the bigger picture. In this constant effort to catch up, we risk missing opportunities, failing to foresee challenges and remaining stuck on a hamster’s wheel. We’re always responding to what is being asked without taking the time to reflect how that helps stakeholders and the overall company outcomes.
When you have the bigger picture in mind, you choose wisely what to do and what to set aside. By doing this, you make better decisions and feel more comfortable with trade-offs, knowing that you are prioritizing what is going to move the needle for your business.
Strategic thinking moves you from simply performing tasks to helping actively shape your organization’s future.
Spend time understanding how your organization operates within the larger life sciences and/or healthcare industry. Read market reports, company newsletters and industry analyses to grasp current trends and competitive dynamics. Talk to different stakeholders within the company to understand their work and how it fits in the company’s general vision and goals.
If possible, attend an industry conference or become part of an industry association committee. Now that you have this knowledge, how does it apply to your organization or an area you support? Who should you have a conversation with about your ideas?
Make sure you and your team understand the long-term goals of your organization. Then, seek opportunities to align your projects with the broader vision. Always ask yourself, how does this project or initiative contribute to the long-term goals?
Identify leaders or colleagues known for their strategic insight. Regular conversations with them can offer new perspectives and refine your understanding of long-term planning.
Being a strategic partner isn’t just about what you say or do; it’s also about when, how and with whom. Many clever professionals struggle to be seen as strategic because they overlook the importance of timing, context and engaging the right stakeholders.
To be seen as a true strategic partner you need to become excellent at reading the internal landscape. What are the power dynamics, emotional undercurrents and cultural nuances in your organization? Then, tailor your communication accordingly. Pay attention to timing and relationships, ensuring your messages land with the right people at the right moment.
To strengthen your influence, expand your reach by actively engaging with other areas and understanding their priorities. Shift from asking yourself “what can I get from them?” to “how can I support them so we all achieve our goals?” Building these connections not only amplifies your voice but also positions you as someone who understands and advances shared goals.
Ultimately, it’s not just about having the best ideas, it’s about creating an ecosystem of trust, collaboration and mutual value that drives things forward.
Start with your team. Take the initiative to know every individual, recognizing their unique roles as well as their personal aspirations. Invite them for a coffee and get to know their goals, responsibilities and how you can collaborate with them.
Identify three people with whom you want to strengthen a relationship — within your organization or outside of your team — and ask them for a 30-minute call. Have a few insightful questions you want to ask them about their work, expectations and goals. Aim to identify complementary skills and goals that you have with them. Finally, ask them where you can help them.
Volunteer for projects that involve multiple departments. This helps you see how different parts of the organization interconnect and how strategic decisions are implemented across functions.
Shifting from being seen as a training provider to becoming a strategic business partner doesn’t happen overnight, but it does start with small, intentional actions. By asking better questions, aligning your initiatives with business priorities and building collaboration, you’ll begin to change not just how others see you, but how you see your own role.
Remember, no one will invite you to the strategic table if you continue to act like an order-taker. You have to claim that seat by building the knowledge, relationships and thinking that enable you to bring insights, curiosity and a relentless focus on business impact.
Start today with your next conversation or meeting. Every interaction is an opportunity to position yourself as a trusted advisor.
Maria Fernanda Escobar is a global partner with P31 Consulting. Email her at maria@p31-consulting.com or connect through linkedin.com/in/maria-fernanda-mafe-escobar-b7328312
