To navigate and withstand the changes businesses are seeing over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations must be able to effectively use data to remain innovative and agile. With so much uncertainty for the future, leaders must harness the data available within their organization to make informed business decisions.

This issue of Training Industry Magazine focuses on data fluency and leveraging learning analytics to enhance business performance. It is no longer enough to be aware of our data and where to source it; we need to champion the use of that data to improve business outcomes.

As leaders, we need to consult the data available to us during times of crisis and allow those metrics to lead us through the decision-making process. Understanding data is no longer just a leadership exercise. Employees across the entire organization must learn to speak the language of data and apply it to improve productivity and performance.

This requires a shift in mindset for many of us in the workplace. We must tap into our innate curiosity to find the correct data that will lead to significant insights. There is an abundant amount of data available today, and one major challenge is finding the right data to solve the right problem. Making connections between business milestones and the data available in your organization can serve as guideposts for your evolution toward a more data-driven organization.

Speaking of data, Training Industry has been conducting an ongoing pulse survey to better understand the effects of the pandemic on the learning and development (L&D) industry. The study has revealed the top four challenges facing L&D professionals, which include transitioning to remote learning, maintaining employee motivation, increasing cybersecurity, and adhering to new compliance regulations and restrictions.

Our study revealed that more than half of training professionals and organizations are in flux right now – whether retooling current programs or developing new solutions in response to new challenges. To provide training leaders the context they need on their own journey to the new normal, we included an infographic demonstrating key findings from the survey.in this issue.

The pandemic has created a multitude of business challenges, but it has also created an opportunity to reimagine learning at our organizations. By leaning on data, we can eliminate ineffective programs and processes and replace them with more efficient and creative alternatives.

As always, we love to hear your thoughts on the insights and perspectives shared in the magazine. Please feel free to send any suggestions for future editions of Training Industry Magazine for us to consider.