When “Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough

There’s a big difference between putting a plaster on a sore… and actually healing it.

One covers things up temporarily. The other requires expertise, time, and a willingness to understand what’s going on beneath the surface.

In learning and development, this distinction matters more than most realise.

Recently, we were approached to create a proposal for a prospective client. The ask was familiar on the surface: first-time manager training, focused on building core leadership skills.

Now, we love this space. Supporting new managers as they step into leadership roles is one of the most impactful things a business can invest in.

But the thing is, we don’t believe in “just delivering training.”

Our approach has always been to:

• Get under the skin of the organisation
• Understand the learners
• Identify what success actually looks like
• And design and deliver something that drives real, sustainable change!

Sometimes, our off-the-shelf eLearning plays a powerful supporting role, bringing concepts to life and giving learners the ability to revisit content over a 12-month licence, helping them stay consistent and “true” to the learning.

But it’s never just about content. It’s about impact.

After presenting a thoughtful, tailored proposal, the feedback came back:
They wanted:

• A quick, off-the-shelf solution
  
• Delivered face-to-face
• In just one day
• With a budget of £1,000

With the added note: this could lead to more in the future.

And here’s where the tension kicks in. Because on one hand, this could have been the start of a fantastic relationship. A foot in the door. A chance to prove ourselves.

But on the other… We had to ask ourselves a harder question:
Would this actually solve their problem?

The honest answer?
No.
Not in a day. Not with a generic, off-the-shelf approach. Not with that level of investment.
We couldn’t, hand on heart, say that what they were asking for would genuinely support those new managers in the way they needed, nor would it deliver meaningful change for the business.

And that’s where our values come in.
Because it would have been easy to say ‘yes’. To “tick the box” and deliver something that looked like training had happened. But that would have been a patch. Not a solution and certainly not sustainable.

I hate walking away from opportunities like this.
Not because of our business growth, but because behind every brief is a business, a group of people, and a very real need.

You know there are individuals there who are stepping into leadership roles, probably feeling unsure, maybe even overwhelmed… and they deserve support that actually helps them succeed.

But this time, we had to walk away.

Because ethically, we couldn’t deliver something we didn’t believe in. And just as importantly… There was no appetite from the client to reshape the approach.

Sometimes success isn’t winning the work. Sometimes it’s holding your ground. It’s staying true to what you know works. It’s protecting the integrity of your craft. It’s choosing long-term impact over short-term gain. And yes, it still feels uncomfortable!!!

This experience is a reminder of a broader challenge in L&D:
Are we designing learning that genuinely solves problems…
Or are we simply ticking boxes?

Because real development:

• Takes time
  
• Requires reinforcement
• Needs context
• And demands intentional design
• Anything less risks being forgotten as quickly as it is delivered.