Rethinking Leadership Development for Frontline Managers
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 @ 11am ET

Frontline managers are the critical link between strategy and execution, spending every shift navigating unpredictable operations with no time to focus on themselves. Traditional leadership development programs were built for people with predictable schedules, the option to step away from their task lists, and regular access to technology. It’s time to toss the corporate playbook and rebuild leadership development to fit the everyday reality of frontline managers.

Join JD for Voices in L&D: Elevating the Business Impact of Learning. JD will be one of three speakers (Keith Keating, Britt Andreatta) during this fast-paced, one-hour event focused on sharing practical ideas you can apply immediately.

Next Manager Up: Rethinking Development for Frontline Leadership
Wednesday, September 9, 2026 @ 3pm ET

“Here are the keys.”

For too many frontline managers, that’s the entire leadership development experience. The manager leaves, the top performer gets promoted, and they’re expected to figure out the rest on their own. With little time for formal development, it’s no surprise that 67% of frontline managers say they’re making it up as they go and 41% question whether accepting the promotion was the right decision. Traditional leadership development simply doesn’t fit the realities of frontline operations.

Join JD Dillon as he explores a new approach to developing frontline leaders based on research from his new book, The Frontline Enablement Playbook. You’ll learn how to empower the frontline managers your operation depends on today while building systems that help future leaders step into their roles with confidence.

It’s time to rethink frontline leadership as its own discipline, with an approach that reflects the realities of leading in the flow of work.

L&D Talks is a two day international learning and development conference that brings together L&D professionals to learn from global experts through masterclasses, keynote presentations, discussion sessions, and networking. The event focuses on practical ideas and emerging trends in workplace learning, while creating opportunities for attendees to connect directly with speakers and peers from across the international L&D community.

A Future Without L&D? 

For decades, Learning & Development has struggled to clearly define its value. Too often, we’ve measured success by courses completed instead of business outcomes achieved, leaving stakeholders to question where L&D fits within the organization.

Now, AI is accelerating a new wave of workplace transformation. As organizations look to intelligent tools to answer questions, build content, and enable performance, they’re asking an even bigger question: Do we need an L&D function at all?

Join JD Dillon to explore why this moment is both the greatest challenge and opportunity our profession has ever faced. We’ll examine how the workplace is changing, why defending traditional approaches won’t secure our future, and how L&D can evolve into the function that powers the future of work. Spoiler: it’s never been about learning.