There’s a hard truth many learning professionals quietly acknowledge: the success of any training programme doesn’t depend solely on what happens in the classroom. It also depends on what happens afterwards.
After decades as a trainer, I’ve come to see that no matter how sharp the content or how skilled the facilitator, the biggest influence on whether learning takes root isn’t necessarily me or what happens in the training room — more typically it’s the learner’s manager.
When managers take an active interest in what their people are learning, and help them apply it, training becomes part of everyday working life. When they don’t, the momentum fades fast.
That insight shouldn’t surprise us. Research into employee engagement has long shown that the relationship a person has with their line manager is the single most important factor in their engagement, retention and productivity.
The same principle applies to learning. If managers show curiosity and commitment, people feel supported to grow. If they’re indifferent, learning quickly slips down the list of priorities.
Beyond the learning event
Many organisations still treat training as a standalone event. A few days before the session, an email goes out confirming who’s attending and what they’ll cover. The manager might glance at it, maybe even say “enjoy the course” on the way out the door. But rarely are they invited to play a real part in making the learning last.
That’s a missed opportunity. Because the point where learning becomes real isn’t during the training. It’s in the days and weeks that follow the event.
After decades in the training room, I’ve seen countless examples of great insights disappearing because no one helped people translate them into daily habits. If a manager checks in with genuine curiosity, asking, “What’s one thing from the session you’d like to try this week?”, they create accountability and support in the same breath.
Those short, informal follow-ups are what turn learning from an abstract idea into a lived behaviour. Time and again, it’s these small moments – a five-minute chat, a word of encouragement – that make all the difference.
From managing to coaching
To sustain learning, managers don’t need to become professional coaches. They just need to adopt a coaching mindset, focusing less on giving answers and more on helping people think for themselves.
Coaching-based management isn’t about lengthy one-to-ones or complicated models. It’s about small, consistent habits:
- Pausing before offering a solution
- Asking a question that invites reflection
- Encouraging someone to evaluate their own performance before stepping in with advice
In my experience, the most effective managers aren’t those with all the answers – they’re the ones who create the space for others to find their own. When managers lead like this, they build capability, confidence and accountability.
More importantly, they model the curiosity and self-awareness that any strong learning culture depends on.
Making managers part of the L&D process
If we want training to stick, we have to design it with managers in mind from the start.
- Engage them early: Before training begins, brief managers on what’s coming and why it matters. Give them questions to ask before and after the session to spark conversation.
- Give them simple, practical tools: A short checklist or a few open questions can help them hold coaching-style follow-ups.
- Recognise their influence: Celebrate managers who invest in their team’s growth. Make it part of how leadership is measured.
- Close the loop: After the programme, bring managers and participants together to discuss what’s been applied and what still needs support.
Over the years, I’ve found that when managers feel included rather than “talked at” by HR or L&D, their engagement changes completely. They become genuine partners in learning, rather than just gatekeepers of company time.
A culture that keeps learning alive
A coaching culture isn’t built through a single initiative. It’s built through consistency. It grows every time a manager takes a few minutes to reflect with someone after a project, or asks, “What did you learn from that?”, instead of jumping straight to what went wrong.
In organisations where this mindset takes hold, learning doesn’t feel like something that happens outside of work. It’s woven into everyday conversations, decisions and routines.
The irony is that companies often spend thousands on developing people, but very little on equipping the managers who are meant to make that investment count. After 30 years of seeing brilliant training come and go, I’m convinced the difference lies not in the classroom, but in the conversations that follow. If we truly want training to lead to lasting change, we have to start with the learner’s manager.
