How Frontline L&D Leaders Can Evolve from Essentialist to Strategist

What does it take to design impactful learning for the people doing the most essential work?
In this episode, David welcomes Dani Johnson, Co-Founder and Principal Analyst at RedThread Research, to unpack the findings of her latest report: Developing Frontline Workers: Focus Where It Counts. Together, they explore why so many companies are misaligned when it comes to supporting deskless workers—and how L&D leaders can shift from check-the-box compliance to strategic enablement. Dani breaks down a three-part framework for frontline development (license to operate, current performance, future readiness) and shares how the most effective teams are getting laser-focused on outcomes that matter to the business.
Join us as we discuss:
– Why frontline workers still aren’t getting the development they need
– How “being a detective” helps L&D teams identify skill gaps and solve real business problems
– The case for reducing compliance bloat and running leaner, smarter learning ops
– What it really means to measure what the business measures