What should we hope for in an L&D membership organization? This is the question we asked ourselves as long-time L&D practitioners, as members ourselves in dozens of L&D trade associations.

We knew what we hoped for in a professional organization. We wanted…

• To bring together the best, the brightest, and the emerging & thoughtful professionals to share their insights.

• To bring out the wisdom of the community.

• To encourage the smart use of science, evidence, and evaluation data, but be open to all L&D professionals, including those who are exploring options, those who are curious and skeptical, and those who are research aligned without necessarily being research-focused.

• An organization that embraces and encourages a diverse and global community.

• An organization that would look at the lives and occupations of all members and be willing to explore and help circumvent the obstacles they faced via our shared collective authority and power.

• A way to advocate for fair wages and fees—and fair treatment of L&D professionals in their work situations.

• To bring people together into a caring and sharing community that focuses on building each each other up, strengthening the profession, and building a foundation for the future of the L&D field.

We also wanted to avoid some common pitfalls. We…

• DID NOT want members to be an afterthought. We wanted our members to be at the center of our concerns and activities.

• DID NOT want to be an organization that promoted learning myths or enabled popular misconceptions to thrive without challenge.

• DID NOT want to create just static information in articles and posts, but create dynamic opportunities for learning from each other. Wisdom comes not just from our field’s thought leaders, but also from those doing the day-to-day work!

• DID NOT want to be an organization that paid celebrities $200,000 for a keynote while paying little or nothing to our own L&D experts and practitioner virtuosos. As much as possible, money spent by L&D professionals should be reinvested in the workplace learning field and its members.

• DID NOT want to be an organization that failed to promote the visibility and voices of diverse and marginalized professionals.

• DID NOT want to be an organization that wouldn’t stand up for the rights of its members and advocate for their success and professionalism.

These are extremely high aspirations and it is likely that we will fail in achieving all we hope to achieve. On the other hand, by being specific and public with these strategy statements, we hope to hold ourselves accountable and give our community of members clear metrics to help guide the direction and work of the Learning Development Accelerator.

It is work that is just beginning—work that will be stronger if you join us.