Started by our CEO Samantha Caine, the Learning Leaders Network was established in response to a regular request from our clients: How can we, as learning leaders, continue to develop our knowledge and skills in a way that fits with our busy lives?
After multiple guest speakers, interactive sessions and heated panel debates, the Network is going from strength to strength. And we’re really excited about what’s coming up in 2026. If you’re a Senior Leader, HR Manager or Learning and Development Professional, drop us a note and request to join.
EXCITING NEWS
We’re really pleased to share with you details of our ‘new look’ Learning Leaders network sessions for 2026.
The new programme builds on everything you value about the Network; practical leadership insight, honest conversation and space to think with peers about the real challenges facing leaders in Learning, Development and HR.
Across 2026, you can expect:
- Six virtual sessions, each 90 minutes
- A refreshed focus on practical, real-world leadership
- Sessions led by Samantha Caine, our CEO, alongside excellent guest speakers
- Timely topics reflecting today’s economic, organisational and leadership pressures
- Thought partnership with HR and L&D leaders from across sectors
Our Upcoming Sessions
The Likeability Question
Wednesday 21st October 2026 13:00-14:30 (BST)
Speaker: Samantha Caine, CEO Business Linked Teams
How much does being liked matter in business, and what does it cost when it matters too much?
Likeability is one of the most powerful and least examined forces in organisational life. It decides who gets hired, promoted and listened to. It also drives affinity bias, soft feedback and leaders who dodge the hard conversation. Senior HR leaders sit on both sides of that tension. This 60-minute session looks at likeability from two angles: how to be more likeable yourself without becoming less authentic, and where likeability is quietly making decisions for your organisation that it shouldn’t be.
You’ll leave with:
The evidence on what likeability buys a leader, and why the brilliant but unlikeable boss is rarer than the story suggests (1 in 2,000, in a study of nearly 52,000 leaders)
A simple framework, the four silent questions, that turns likeability from a personality trait into four behaviours anyone can work on
The Likeability Audit: a personal self-check and an organisational diagnostic covering hiring, promotion, performance, airtime and feedback, to take straight back to your team
Culture Carriers – How Leaders Shape What They Don’t See
Wednesday 25th November 2026 13:00-14:30 (BST)
Speaker: Samantha Caine, CEO Business Linked Teams
Leaders shape culture through what they prioritise, question and reward. This session explores how to help leaders align behaviour with cultural goals.
Benefits of attending:
– Understand how daily leadership actions shape culture
– Identify culture-building practices leaders can adopt
– Explore hidden cues that shape culture over time
