Leading Learning
The Community for Learning Business Professionals
Many organizations say they are mission-driven. But mission drift is real and often happens because of the very structures and activities organizations have been told represent best practices. So what does it take to build an organization that stays true to what it set out to do? In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, …
Learning businesses are operating in an environment that feels more demanding, more uncertain, and harder to parse than ever. It’s natural to rely on familiar instincts—gather more data, add new offerings, work harder. But those instincts are sometimes counterproductive. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Celisa Steele and Jeff Cobb explore what …
Many associations struggle with pricing their education offerings. Should education be bundled into membership? Sold à la carte? Packaged as a subscription? And how can learning businesses set prices in a way that reflects the value they provide and supports financial sustainability? In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with …
In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Celisa Steele and Jeff Cobb wrap up their three-part look at reach, revenue, and impact by focusing on impact—often the least clearly defined and measured of the three pillars. Celisa and Jeff explore how impact looks different depending on whose perspective you consider—that of learners, employers, …
Hi, Jeff –The holidays are here and new year is right around the corner. As we wrap up 2025, please be sure to put January 27-29 on your calendar for our annual Learning Business Summit – see the Web site for a great agenda and details on how to register.On other fronts, we recently released …
Reach, revenue, and impact are familiar concepts to long-time listeners of the Leading Learning Podcast. But they’re often treated as separate challenges. In this episode, co-hosts Celisa Steele and Jeff Cobb revisit these three pillars and explore why they need to be approached as a connected system rather than isolated priorities. Drawing on recent research, …
Strategy is about making choices—where to focus, what to invest in, and what to stop doing. Data can help bring clarity to those decisions, especially in a complex and competitive environment. In this episode, Leading Learning Podcast co-hosts Celisa Steele and Jeff Cobb share insights from a survey of learning businesses to help you think …
Content is everywhere, governance is slow to change, and technology expectations keep climbing—association learning businesses are feeling squeezed. Most are still operating like catalog providers in a market that now needs architects. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Celisa Steele and Jeff Cobb share a Rumelt-style diagnosis based on conversations with 27 …
If you work in a field like medicine, law, or accounting, the basic unit of continuing education is a commodity. Credits are everywhere. Prices have been pushed down, often to zero. It is very hard to differentiate one provider from another. The usual response is predictable: more topics, more formats, more discounts. None of that …
Do you want your learning business to be more than a provider of programs, to truly operate as a learning-centric organization? This episode of the Leading Learning Podcast offers a real-world example of how to do just that. Mike Moss, president of the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), joins co-host Jeff Cobb to …
In our annual learning business landscape survey, “limited marketing resources” shows up as a top challenge, and “enhancing marketing and outreach” is a top planned investment. When we dig in with our consulting clients, the headline “marketing problem” almost always fractures into something more specific: an awareness-conversion problem. And it’s typically weighted far more to …
If you’re concerned about how your learning business can keep pace with rapid change—AI, growing risks, shifting learner expectations—this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast can help. Associations, credentialing bodies, and other learning businesses face mounting pressure to do fewer things of greater value, and success requires both courage and careful risk management. Glenn Tecker, …
