What you'll learn
- Why centralized enablement systems create more consistent business outcomes
- How to connect learning initiatives directly to business KPIs and leadership priorities
- What modern adoption journeys actually require beyond one-time training events
Meet our guest
Eileen MacDonald Cooke is a Global Chief Learning Officer and strategic Talent Management and Learning & Development executive known for building enterprise-wide talent systems that strengthen workforce readiness, leadership capability, and business performance. She specializes in turning complex business strategies into practical, data-informed learning ecosystems that scale across highly regulated and frontline-intensive organizations.
Over her career, Eileen has led large-scale learning and talent transformation initiatives across global enterprises. She previously served as Chief Learning Officer at Amtrak and as Vice President of Enterprise Learning, Development & Performance at CVS Health, where she drove digital-first learning and workforce development strategies at scale. Her experience also includes leadership roles at PTC, Shorelight Education, and Gartner, where she focused on leadership development, reskilling, and integrated talent strategy.
Make Enablement Matter: How to Drive Real Change at Scale
Organizations often invest heavily in training, technology, and transformation initiatives—yet still struggle to create lasting behavior change. Teams attend workshops, complete courses, and participate in kickoff events, but adoption stalls once employees return to the realities of day-to-day work.
In this episode, Eileen Macdonald Cooke breaks down why traditional learning models fail to sustain change and what modern enablement leaders must do differently. From centralized talent systems to AI-enabled simulations and KPI-driven learning strategies, she explains how enablement functions can become true business accelerators instead of reactive support teams.
The conversation also explores one of the biggest mindset shifts happening in learning and development today: moving beyond “training delivery” and toward continuous performance enablement embedded directly into the flow of work.
Key Insight #1: Training Events Don’t Create Transformation — Systems Do
Many organizations still treat learning as a one-time event: a workshop, onboarding session, or kickoff meeting. But Eileen argues that sustainable adoption only happens when enablement becomes systematic and continuous.
“People love to learn new things. They don't like to do new things. That's the difference.”
She explains that employees naturally revert to familiar behaviors unless organizations intentionally reinforce new habits through reminders, practice opportunities, coaching, and embedded support systems.
This changes how enablement teams should design programs. Instead of optimizing for completion rates or event participation, organizations should focus on creating continuous adoption journeys that support people before, during, and after implementation.
Example application:
A software rollout shouldn’t end after launch training. Teams need reinforcement content, manager coaching, embedded workflow support, and measurable checkpoints tied to real behavior change over time.
Key Insight #2: L&D Leaders Must Speak the Language of the Business
One of the biggest shifts Eileen has seen in modern enablement is the move from learning metrics to business metrics. Participation numbers alone no longer justify investment.
“Your data is the business data.”
Instead of asking, “How many people completed training?” enablement leaders should ask:
- Where is operational friction occurring?
- What KPIs are underperforming?
- What behaviors are preventing results?
- What business outcomes are at risk?
Eileen emphasizes that enablement teams become significantly more strategic when they begin conversations with business goals first—not training requests.
Example application:
If a sales organization is missing pipeline targets, enablement should investigate onboarding speed, objection handling performance, rep confidence, and workflow friction—not simply schedule another generic training session.
Key Insight #3: Technology Finally Allows Enablement Teams to Deliver on the Promise
For years, enablement teams understood that learning required repetition, reinforcement, and practice—but lacked the infrastructure to support it at scale. Modern digital tools are finally changing that.
Eileen shared an example of AI-enabled simulations transforming sales onboarding by allowing employees to repeatedly practice conversations, receive feedback instantly, and improve confidence before engaging customers.
“You design for the forgetting, not just the knowing.”
This mindset fundamentally changes instructional design. Success is no longer measured by what learners know immediately after training—it’s measured by what they can still do consistently weeks later in real-world environments.
Example application:
Organizations implementing AI tools, ERP systems, or operational process changes can use simulations, microlearning, and workflow reinforcement to dramatically reduce time-to-competency and improve adoption rates.
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