---
title: Learning Partner or Business Partner?
description: by Sherry EngelLearning Director, Performance Consultant, Training Partner…is your title similar to any of these? How does your client view you…as a
---
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# Blog
## [Learning Partner or Business Partner?](https://blog.performdev.com/blog/bid/287235/Learning-Partner-or-Business-Partner)
Posted by [Rich Mesch](https://blog.performdev.com/author/rich-mesch) on Oct 7, 2009 2:24:00 PM
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*******by Sherry Engel*
**Learning Director, Performance Consultant, Training Partner…is your title similar to any of these? How does your client view you…as a learning partner or a business partner? I don’t know about you, but while my title is Performance Consultant, I want to be viewed as a Business Partner. After all, in our profession, what really is our goal? Is it for individuals to *learn* more? Is it for them to apply their learning and *perform* differently? Or is it to truly provide a measurable impact to the *business’s* bottom-line? Ask any CEO, and I can guarantee what their response would be!
So how do we become business partners and not just the typical learning or performance partner? Here are some quick tips!
1 – Know your client inside and out
- What are their business goals and objectives?
- What changes are they facing in the industry and/or marketplace?
- What metrics are on their scorecard?
2- Establish a consultative relationship with your client
- Think like your client (Check this book out! [“What the CEO Wants You to Know” by Ram Charan](http://www.amazon.com/What-CEO-Wants-You-Know/dp/0609608398/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1254964617&sr=8-1-fkmr0://))
- Create trust (Check this book out! [“The Speed of Trust” by Stephen M.R. Covey](http://www.amazon.com/SPEED-Trust-Thing-Changes-Everything/dp/1416549005/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1254964673&sr=1-2-fkmr0))
- Plan how to grow and nurture the relationship
- Be a consultant, not an order-taker
3 – Discover the true source of performance and business gaps
- Analyze causes/sources of performance gaps
- Identify how those gaps impact business results
4 - Link learning and performance interventions to business impact
- Plan for evaluation from the beginning (Check this book out! [“Beyond Learning Objectives” by Jack and Patti Phillips](http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Learning-Objectives-Jack-Phillips/dp/1562865188/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254964800&sr=1-1))
- Evaluate beyond just Level 1 and 2
- Speak the “business speak” not the “learning speak”
So, let me ask you again…..do you want to be viewed as a learning partner or a business partner?
Topics: [Performance Improvement](https://blog.performdev.com/topic/performance-improvement)
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