74: Sophisticated Order Taker or Strategic Partner? | Loren Sanders

Learning strategy isn't about checking boxes. It's about driving real impact.

In this episode of The Learnit Lounge, host Dr. Mickey Fitch-Collins sits down with Loren Sanders, VP of Learning Strategy and Consulting at WeLearn Learning Services and co-founder of Roxlo Coaching and Consulting, to redefine what it means to build credibility as a learning strategist. Loren doesn't pull punches. She shares hard truths about why most organizations aren't ready for a true strategic learning partnership and what learning leaders must do to move beyond order-taking. If you're ready for a refreshingly candid look at the skills, mindset, and business acumen required to become a real thought partner in L&D, this conversation is for you.

You'll walk away with actionable tools for linking learning to business priorities, building trust, and having the uncomfortable conversations that truly move the needle.

What You’ll Learn:

• The four essentials for assessing whether your organization is ready for strategic learning, and why skipping this step keeps L&D teams stuck in "order-taker" mode
• How to shift from delivering training to becoming a true strategic thought partner, including the specific questions and behaviors that set you apart
• Which business acumen skills matter most for L&D pros (and easy ways to build them, even outside your current organization)
• How leading with curiosity, not just expertise, unlocks credibility, influence, and better outcomes
• The uncomfortable truths about leadership development investments, and what bold changes would make them genuinely impactful
• Simple, career-changing tips for gaining a seat at the table and actually using it to drive value

In This Episode:

• 00:00 – Welcome to The Learnit Lounge
• 03:27 – The missed step: Assessing organizational readiness for learning strategy
• 05:10 – Signs your org sees L&D as a cost vs. a business driver
• 08:18 – The clear difference between training delivery and strategic partnership
• 10:26 – How to have difficult conversations with leaders and challenge assumptions
• 13:33 – Why most L&D teams lack essential business skills, and how to fix it
• 17:03 – The business acumen every learning strategist needs
• 19:54 – How to earn trust and prep for high-impact L&D conversations
• 20:41 – The "seat at the table" myth and what to do with your influence
• 24:43 – If you could redesign L&D from scratch... Loren’s boldest wish
• 26:55 – The #1 leadership lesson: You can't lead what you’re not willing to be changed by
• 28:23 – The hard truth: Most leadership development programs don't work
• 30:00 – How to connect with Loren and keep learning together

About Loren Sanders:

Loren Sanders coaches leaders to move from toxic to transformative, and helps organizations stop funding development that sounds good but doesn't change behavior. She works with executives as a fractional learning and talent leader, pinpointing where performance breaks down and designing learning systems that change how leaders think, decide, and act. She brings more than 19 years of learning and talent experience at CVS Health, is an ICF-certified coach (PCC), and teaches graduate courses at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

Loren is a keynote speaker and the author of Empathy Is Not a Weakness and Other Stories from the Edge, which reframes empathy as a leadership capability tied to judgment, trust, and performance. She is currently writing her second book, on impostor syndrome.

Resources Referenced:

• Loren Sanders on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorensanders0919/
• Loren’s website: https://www.loren365.com/
• Roxlo Coaching and Consulting: https://www.roxlocoaching.com/
• Empathy Is Not a Weakness and Other Stories from the Edge by Loren Sanders

Want to Learn More:

Website: www.learnit.com

Email: podcast@learnit.com

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