Believe, Partner, Grow: Core Principles For L&D Success

Heather Torres, Director of Learning and Development for Employee Benefits, Brown & Brown

Heather Torres, Director of Learning and Development for Employee Benefits, Brown & Brown

Heather Torres is the Director of Learning and Development for Employee Benefits at Brown & Brown. In this role, she focuses on strategically partnering with leaders and stakeholders across the business segment. Her primary responsibility is shaping impactful learning experiences to support individual employee growth and organizational performance.

Torres concentrates on designing and delivering initiatives to build necessary skills and foster confidence among teammates, ensuring these programs align closely with core business objectives. The central tenet of her work is empowering teammates to succeed, driven by the principle that individual growth directly fuels the company’s collective success.

Through this article, Torres shares practical insights on critical L&D topics, addressing learning engagement barriers, navigating AI’s impact on skills, fostering DEI partnerships for equity, and offering encouraging advice for aspiring L&D leaders.

Boosting Learning Engagement: Tackle Time, Direction & Delivery Fit

Some of the most frequently underestimated barriers to effective learning engagement involve three core factors: individual capacity, clarity of direction, and the method of delivery.

Many teammates express feeling “too busy” to engage with learning opportunities. However, this sentiment can often signal an underlying need for better support with time management or delegation skills. If an individual feels perpetually too busy to learn techniques that could ultimately save them time, that situation itself is a significant red flag requiring attention.

A lack of clear direction presents another hidden challenge. People generally possess a desire to grow professionally, but they don’t always know what specific skills or knowledge areas to pursue next for meaningful advancement. This is precisely where Learning and Development can provide crucial value by offering career-aligned guidance and structured learning pathways that make professional growth feel tangible and achievable.

“Ultimately, the future of work isn’t about competition with AI. It’s fundamentally about learning how to partner with it effectively.”

Lastly, the delivery method matters profoundly. A one-size-fits-all approach is rarely practical in learning. Whether it’s a collaborative sales workshop best conducted in person or a technical skills training well-suited to focused, self-paced desk learning, the format must align appropriately with the learning objective and the learner’s context. Prioritizing flexibility in delivery ensures greater inclusion and effectively supports every teammate, regardless of their specific role, physical location, or individual life circumstances.

Mid-Career Skills for the AI Era: Partner with AI, Don’t Compete

There’s considerable anxiety surrounding AI and automation— especially for mid-career professionals—but the reality is that most roles won’t simply be replaced by AI. The more significant risk lies in being displaced by someone who understands how to leverage AI tools effectively.

AI isn’t designed to perform your entire job. It doesn’t independently “think” or make strategic decisions—it operates based on patterns and the prompts it receives. This means your strategic input, critical thinking, and professional discernment are required to be truly useful. The genuine value of AI emerges in how it can support your work, primarily by freeing up valuable time from repetitive tasks, allowing you to concentrate on the higher-impact work that genuinely moves the needle.

The crucial first step is developing a clear understanding of what AI is (and isn’t). These tools aren’t magical or monolithic—different tools have different strengths. They are also fundamentally different from search engines, a common misconception. Learning how various models function—like using ChatGPT for communication tasks or Midjourney for design generation—enables you to apply the right tool effectively for the right purpose.

Chances are, you’ve already been interacting with AI without necessarily labeling it as such. Consider tools like Grammarly, Canva’s Magic features, or many customer service bots. More advanced platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, or CoPilot can significantly assist with tasks like drafting better emails, summarizing lengthy documents, preparing for challenging conversations, or even sparking creative brainstorming.

You don’t need to aim for expert-level proficiency overnight. The key is to start small: identify opportunities where AI could save you time during your day or help improve something you’re already doing. When professionals approach these tools with curiosity and a willingness to experiment, the learning curve becomes far less intimidating—and the practical benefits often speak for themselves.

Ultimately, the future of work isn’t about competing with AI. It’s fundamentally about learning how to partner effectively with it.

Safe, Equitable Learning Needs L&D+DEI: It’s About Partnership, Not Just Programs

Achieving truly equitable learning involves more than initially meets the eye. It extends far beyond simply offering everyone the same content or opportunities; fundamentally, it’s about proactively identifying and systematically removing barriers so everyone can genuinely access and benefit from learning experiences.

This is precisely where a strong, strategic partnership between Learning and development (L&D) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leaders becomes absolutely essential. Working collaboratively, we can evaluate learning programs and environments through multiple critical lenses, including accessibility, cultural relevance, psychological safety, and, crucially, the diverse lived experiences of our participants.

A common metaphor illustrates this distinction effectively: imagine three children of different heights trying to watch a baseball game over a tall fence. Equality provides everyone with the same-sized box to stand on, regardless of need. Equity gives each child a different-sized box tailored to their height, enabling all to see over. But true inclusion? That’s achieved when we dismantle the fence, removing the barrier.

In the context of learning and development, “removing the fence” might translate into actions like:

• Designing digital content that is inherently accessible for individuals with disabilities.

• Offering flexible learning formats to accommodate those who cannot travel or require asynchronous options due to various life circumstances.

• Consciously avoiding jargon, slang, or culturally specific references that might unintentionally exclude or alienate participants.

• Intentionally creating space within learning programs for reflection, respectful disagreement, and open, constructive dialogue.

Above all, achieving equitable learning means dedicated co-creation of psychologically safe learning spaces— environments where every individual feels respected, genuinely valued, and truly heard. Fostering such spaces isn’t solely an L&D objective; it is a fundamental, shared responsibility between the L&D and DEI functions.

Early-Career L&D: Path to Strategic Leadership | Don’t Wait for Ready—Lead Through Action

My biggest piece of advice is to truly believe in your capability, even—and especially— before you feel completely ready. Imposter syndrome is prevalent early in one’s career, but often, you possess far more skills and qualifications than you give yourself credit for. Strategic leadership doesn’t magically begin when you receive a specific title; it starts when you begin showing initiative, asking thoughtful, probing questions, and cultivating genuine curiosity about how your particular work connects to broader business objectives.

Raise your hand for those projects that stretch your current abilities. Volunteer enthusiastically for cross-functional initiatives. Speak up confidently when you have an idea to contribute. You don’t have to wait until you feel 100 percent ready or perfectly qualified—real growth almost always happens in the trying.

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