Your first 30 days in L&D

You do not need a full training calendar on day one. Start by understanding the work people need to do, the support they already have, and where they get stuck.

Week 1: listen before planning

Speak to your manager, two team leaders and a few employees. Ask what good performance looks like, what makes it difficult, and what has already been tried. Record examples rather than broad requests such as “better communication.”

Week 2: map what already exists

Find existing training records, onboarding materials, policies, budgets and provider agreements. Check who approves spending and who owns each business priority. Make a simple list of what is useful, out of date or missing.

Week 3: choose one problem

Select a small, specific problem with a manager who is willing to help. Ask whether the cause is a skill gap, unclear expectations, missing tools or a process problem. Training is useful for some of these causes; others need a different response.

Week 4: agree a small next step

Describe the behaviour you want to change, the support needed and how you will check progress. A short practice session with manager follow-up may be more useful than a large programme.

Your first useful document

• The business problem, described in one sentence.
• The people affected and the behaviour that needs to change.
• What is making the behaviour difficult.
• One action, an owner and a review date.
• One sign that the action is helping.

Take an anonymised version into your next peer conversation. You do not need to arrive with the answer.