12 May 2025

Why Your Best Trainers Might Be Holding You Back

This one might sound controversial at first.

But stay with me.

Your top trainers—the ones everyone loves, the ones with amazing delivery, deep expertise, and stellar ratings—could be holding your learning culture back.

Yes. You heard that right.

Let me explain why.

The Problem: Dependency Masquerading as Excellence

We often think a great trainer is someone who “knows everything” and “delivers content flawlessly.”

And yes, those are valuable traits.

But here’s the hidden cost: When learning depends too heavily on a trainer, learners stop owning their growth.

They get used to being taught.

They wait for the next session.

They consume, but rarely explore on their own.

And the scary part? They become dependent.

What Great Trainers Should Really Do

The goal of a great trainer is not just to teach. It is to build learning independence.

Think about it like this:

A good teacher answers questions.

A great one teaches learners how to ask better questions.

A good trainer delivers insights.

A great one helps learners discover insights on their own.

So if your best trainers are doing all the talking, presenting, and solving—no matter how well—they might be unintentionally holding your people back from deeper growth.

Shift the Role: From Sage to Guide

What would it look like if we flipped the script?

Instead of “the expert on stage,” your trainers become “the guide on the side.”

This does not mean we remove structure or content.

It means we hand the microphone to the learners.

Here is how you can do that:

3 Simple Ways to Empower Learners (and Liberate Trainers)

1️⃣ Introduce Reverse Learning Sessions

Have learners come prepared to teach a concept, lead a discussion, or facilitate a small segment of the session.

Let the trainer support, observe, and ask thoughtful questions to deepen the discussion.

Why it works:

Learners retain more when they teach.

And they build confidence in articulating their understanding.

2️⃣ Train Your Trainers to Be Coaches

Great coaches ask more than they tell.

They create space for reflection, dialogue, and discovery.

Start training your trainers in coaching skills:

Asking open-ended questions
Practicing active listening
Facilitating peer conversations

Why it works:

Coaching helps learners connect training to their real-life challenges—on their terms.

3️⃣ Measure Learning Autonomy, Not Just Trainer Scores

Most organizations rate trainers based on how “engaging” or “knowledgeable” they are.

But what if we also asked:

“Did this session help you take ownership of your learning?”
“What actions did you take independently after this session?”
“Did you feel equipped to continue learning on your own?”

Why it works:

It shifts the goalpost from performance to empowerment.

What Happens When You Make This Shift?

Let me tell you what I have seen:

Engagement goes up—not just during training, but after.
Learners start taking initiative.
Managers notice more confidence, curiosity, and collaboration on the job.

And most importantly…

You create a learning culture that does not rely on a single person, but grows from within.

Final Thought

So here is the question I want to leave you with:

Are your best trainers building independence—or just delivering brilliance?

Great delivery is good. But learner autonomy is the long game.

Let us stop rewarding information transfer and start rewarding transformation.

That is the real job of a trainer. Not to shine—but to spark.

Learning and Development Academy is a leading platform for Learning and Development, offering comprehensive resources, certifications, and personalized coaching for professionals seeking to enhance their skills and expertise in the field.

Contact

zr@lndacademy.com