Book excerpt: HIGHLY COMMENDED: Business Book Awards 2020 - HR & Management Category Deliver learning in the flow of work to optimize your L&D activities, improving performance of individuals and the overall business. Learning and Development (L&D) professionals are uniquely placed in an organization to improve both individual employee performance as well as the overall performance of the business. To maximise the impact of learning, activities must be aligned with the goals of the organization and delivered in the flow of work so that performance improvement is continuous. The course can no longer be the default learning option and creative workplace solutions are now vital. Driving Performance through Learning shows L&D professionals how to identify business needs and leverage learning that drives performance improvement to enable an organization to achieve its objectives. Beginning with an exploration of the fast-changing organizational learning landscape Driving Performance through Learning covers everything from how to diagnose needs through performance consulting conversations, using data and metrics and tracking impact to designing agile solutions by leveraging technology, facilitating social collaboration and vibrant learning communities. There is also expert guidance on curating content, embedding coaching, valuing mistakes and adopting a more self-directed learning approach. This book also defines the key characteristics of the new learning organization and the emerging roles of the future-focussed L&D team and whether these new responsibilities should be developed in-house or outsourced. This is an essential handbook for all L&D professionals seeking to transform workplace learning and drive organizational performance.