I’ve been reflecting on this lately. The rules of engagement for L&D have shifted in the last few years and we’re in a different place now.

As Seth Godin put it like this:

But how about artists who choose to produce paintings they love instead of those that will easily sell? This is a different sort of success, one that’s not measured in how many customers one has, but in our pride and satisfaction with the work we create.

That feels like the challenge in our profession. We spend so much time admiring the beauty of what we create that we lose sight of its extrinsic value.

Think of Van Gogh – an extraordinary painter whose content was never appreciated in his lifetime. He painted for himself and not the market. We do the same when we produce learning content bounded by ADDIE and design principles that no longer reflect how work is.

If you produce something great but nobody uses, is it really a success?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.