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For 22 years, senior leaders from Fortune 1000 companies have brought their hardest problems here — and left sharper than they arrived.

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Bring a real bottleneck. Name what's stuck, what's at stake, and why it matters now.

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Find the peer conversation that moves your work forward.The right exchange builds better leaders, closes capability gaps, and cuts through what internal meetings can't.

Figure out if ELE is for you. Straight answers on what ELE is, who it’s built for, and how contributing members actually work together. Still have a question? Contact us.

Get answers about how Executive Learning Exchange (ELE) works — peer-powered leadership development that fixes real work issues, reverses burnout, and accelerates business value. No programs. No vendors. In the flow of work.

Real challenges. Real peers. Clear next moves.

This is where people-leaders get sharper.

Want ELE to come to you? Propose a local gathering — the community decides what gets scheduled.

Alter Domus

HumanSide

This AI practical lab provided a crucial blueprint for Talent and L&amp;D leaders looking to move past simple AI experimentation and toward disciplined, enterprise-grade workflows. The core theme was this: Generative AI is not a strategy replacement, but a force multiplier that radically redefines team capacity. The lab demonstrated a focused, three-step AI workflow model presented by<a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/julia-meyer"> Julia Meyer</a> and <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/rebecca-benson">Becca Benson</a> at our October 2025 conference—Clarify, Create, Customize—which ensures human expertise remains in the critical stages of problem definition and cultural refinement. The implication is profound: AI promises to unlock unprecedented productivity, allowing HR to finally operate at the speed of the business, provided leaders enforce a "human-in-the-loop" quality standard.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-44448" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Three-Step-Model-for-AI-Workflows-ELE.jpg" alt="Three-Steap Model for AI Workflows (ELE)" width="690" height="356" />

👂ELE’s POV: Ed gets into the core tension: Is the accelerated adoption of GenAI in L&amp;D a necessary breakthrough for speed—or a reckless path that risks bypassing trust?

<audio controls="controls" data-mce-fragment="1"></audio>
<h3 data-path-to-node="2">Key Takeaways for Senior HR Leaders</h3>
<ul data-path-to-node="3">
 	<li>
The 10x Capacity Shift is Real: The most striking finding was the demonstrable power of an AI-augmented team. As <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/edward-desrosiers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ed DesRosiers</a> revealed during the lab’s case study:

<blockquote data-path-to-node="3,0,1">
"With AI, our team of two created 10 times the deliverables of an 8-person team working the traditional way." This forces a re-evaluation of current capacity plans and resource allocation.
</blockquote>
</li>
 	<li>
AI Demands Higher-Level Thinking: AI elevates your team from producers to strategic partners. As <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/marty-murrillo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marty Murrillo</a> stated:

<blockquote data-path-to-node="3,1,1">
"AI amplifies you, it doesn't replace you. You are the thought leader; AI is simply your thought partner." The focus shifts entirely to defining strategy and ensuring quality.
</blockquote>
</li>
 	<li>
Strategy Must Precede Speed: The "Clarify" step of the 3C model is non-negotiable. You must define the audience, challenge, and success metrics before generating content to avoid creating high-volume noise.
</li>
</ul>
<h3 data-path-to-node="4">Practical Actions to Take Immediately</h3>
<ul data-path-to-node="5">
 	<li>
Mandate the "Customize" Quality Gate: Stop content from going to the client or employee without a human refining the tone, ensuring cultural fit, and applying nuance.
</li>
 	<li>
Challenge "Solutioneering": Before a team asks an AI tool to "Create" a solution, demand proof that they completed the strategic diagnosis. If they can’t articulate the business need, halt production.

<blockquote data-path-to-node="5,1,1">
"AI gives us amazing options, but I need to see the big picture. How is this actually moving the needle for the business?" -- <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/keri-kersten" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Keri Kersten</a>
</blockquote>
</li>
 	<li>
Invest in an AI Stack, Not Just a Single Tool: Audit your tool ecosystem (e.g., NotebookLM for research, Copilot for drafting, Canva for design) to ensure it supports the entire Clarify-Create-Customize workflow seamlessly.
</li>
</ul>
The era of the AI-powered workflow demands a new kind of leadership—one that is disciplined, strategic, and focused on impact. By implementing the "Clarify, Create, Customize" structure, you can harness the staggering productivity gains of generative AI while ensuring your Talent and L&amp;D functions remain grounded in human-centered design and strategic business alignment. This isn't about working harder; it’s about leading smarter.
The urgency of this evolution is echoed by other experts; as <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/michael-vaughan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Vaughan</a> recently argued on LinkedIn, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michaelsvaughan_ai-wont-help-ld-unless-we-let-go-of-what-share-7404581161945214976-b3-P?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_android&amp;rcm=ACoAAAAyK2cBgiwsMpK9fDqZM0mahKsHVCHm_Y8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AI Won't Help L&amp;D Unless We Let Go of What Got Us Here.</a>
Let's continue this conversation on the ELE <a href="https://www.ele.llc/idea-exchange" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Idea Exchange</a> and share the non-negotiable quality controls you're putting in place for AI-generated content!

✨ AI Practical Lab: AI-Powered Workflows

future of work

leadership

Digital &amp; AI

digital transformation

upskilling

performance improvement

edward.desrosiers

talent development

anton.maletich

colin.hahn

keri.kersten

Adding Value

marty.murrillo

wendi.barlow

employee experience

Performance Improvement

guillermo.gutierrez

organizational development

learning trends

ChatGPT

AI tools

HR future

AI in HR

GenAI

Workforce Strategy

generative AI

talent-talk

agile HR

Human Resources

ai practical lab

HR Tech

susan.c.guest

owen.burns

nicole.defalco

4Q2025

CHRO

L&amp;D strategy

roberto.seif

AI in L&amp;D

mike.hoyt

dustin.brewer

AI workflows

capacity building

human in the loop

LAK Group

Executive Learning Exchange (ELE)

BARYONS

<div class="[content-visibility:auto] [contain-intrinsic-size:auto_400px] px-2 -mx-2 pb-8 -mb-8 print:[content-visibility:visible]">
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Burnout isn't a wellness problem. It's a change-readiness execution problem.
When your people are running on empty, decisions slow, handoffs break, and momentum stalls. As the demand for AI adoption and change grows, so does burnout. Cognitive overload is the hidden constraint on 2026 execution — and it's in every leadership conversation right now.
Mike Grubich, CEO of LAK Group and ELE Strategic Partner, put it plainly:
<blockquote>"Burnout, chronic stress and cognitive overload hit exactly what the business depends on -- safety, focus, productivity, and retention."</blockquote>
LAK Group is hearing this from people leaders across their client companies. ELE is hearing it across the network. On June 19, we stop diagnosing it and start moving.

Bring your version of this important work issue. We'll ideate together:
<ul class="[li_&amp;]:mb-0 [li_&amp;]:mt-1 [li_&amp;]:gap-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3">
 	<li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Where is overload creating execution drag on your team right now?</li>
 	<li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">What's the one capacity constraint slowing decisions and momentum?</li>
 	<li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">What's the practical move that restores focus -- without adding more process?</li>
</ul>
You'll hear how other leaders are navigating this right now. We dig into root cause, not HR programs. You leave with something worth trying.
We'll use ELE's Action Planning Worksheet to pressure-test what you bring.
<blockquote>Your challenge could be next on the calendar.
👉 <a class="underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current" href="https://www.ele.llc/calendar/vote">Vote to Shape the Calendar</a></blockquote>
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This ELE Design Charrette produces this Learning Circle: Leading through Disruption.
Collaborate pre-chat with your peers online: <a href="https://community.ele.llc/t/burnout-chronic-stress-and-cognitive-overload-hit-exactly-what-the-business-depends-on-safety-focus-productivity-and-retention/6057">Burnout, chronic stress and cognitive overload hit exactly what the business depends on — safety, focus, productivity, and retention - Shape the Calendar - Idea Exchange - ELE Group</a>

Design Charrette | Burnout Is a Change-Readiness Execution Problem

single-event

Your Teams

Learning Circles

dirk.tussing

marge.feely

innovation

leadership development

flow of work

Complimentary

online event

complimentary event

collaboration

Future of Work

Leadership

Engagement &amp; Culture

continuous learning

reskilling

darcy.pierson

peer-learning

burnout

L&amp;D

matt.sernaker

HR leaders

workplace adaptation

knowledge sharing

actionable insights

practical strategies

ali.glaser

human flourishing

AI and learning

2Q2026

AI reskilling

Design Charrette

CRIT Model

ai leaders

execution drag

People Leaders

organizational intelligence

stuck work

community powered

peop…cognitive overload

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<h4 style="text-align: center;" data-path-to-node="3,0">Simplifying Reskilling to Scale</h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;" data-path-to-node="3,0">Helping Managers and Teams Talk About the Skills That Matter Now</h4>
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The challenge is that many organizations have made skills work too complex to explain, too expensive to sustain, and too disconnected from where the work actually happens.
In this Design Charrette, the ELE community will explore how to simplify reskilling enough to move it forward — by creating shared language across HR, TA, L&amp;D, business leaders, frontline managers, and employees.
The goal is not to build the perfect skills architecture.
The goal is to help managers and direct reports have clearer, more useful conversations about what work is changing, what skills matter now, and what support helps people grow into what comes next.
Working roles:
Internal Client: Frontline manager What would make reskilling practical in the flow of daily work?
Strategist: HR Business Partner / Head of Leadership Development What structure, support, and shared language would help managers act without waiting for a massive enterprise rollout?
Skeptic: Direct report What would make this feel useful, clear, and worth trusting — not like another HR initiative being pushed down?
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-44459" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Four-Paths-for-Reskilling.jpg" alt="Four Paths for Reskilling" width="1049" height="590" />
<ul>
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</ul>
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</div>
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</div>
What we’ll work through:

<ul data-start="1350" data-end="1699">
 	<li data-start="1350" data-end="1390">Where skills work gets too complicated</li>
 	<li data-start="1391" data-end="1459">Why managers and employees often lack a shared language for growth</li>
 	<li data-start="1460" data-end="1542">How skills conversations can become more frequent, useful, and tied to real work</li>
 	<li data-start="1543" data-end="1619">What support managers need to help people grow without adding more process</li>
 	<li data-start="1620" data-end="1699">Which 30/60/90-day commitments could move this forward inside an organization</li>
</ul>
The practical question:
Can we simplify reskilling enough that managers, employees, and business leaders know what to talk about, what to act on, and what to try next?
&nbsp;

Design Charrette | Simplifying Reskilling to Scale

adrienne.guerrero

Operations

AI and skills

future skills

david.scherer

michael.hruska

vilson.simon

baryons.aimentor

Coaching must evolve as fast as the work itself. &gt; Most AI coaching conversations focus on the tools. This Design Charrette focuses on the Human in the Loop—using AI to strengthen reflection, judgment, and feedback without losing the human essence that drives performance.
This Charrette is fueled by real-world friction. We’re here to help you:

<ul data-path-to-node="7,1">
 	<li>
Scale without diluting: Design coaching approaches that are both scalable and deeply effective.
</li>
 	<li>
Audit the Loop: Identify where AI strengthens the coaching process and where human judgment remains the critical constraint.
</li>
 	<li>
Apply Peer-Ready Experiments: Share and pressure-test specific "AI Coaching" prompts and workflows.
</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
Open to all attendees: Help shape the agenda by sharing your toughest roadblock.
<a href="https://forms.office.com/r/D5BfchV4Hn" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45002" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Submit-a-Challenge-7.png" alt="Submit a Challenge" width="236" height="97" /></a>
</blockquote>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-44985" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/insight-to-action-infograph-e1774286264637.png" alt="Three-step ELE model showing Real Business Problems leading to Peer-Powered Decisions and Implementation." width="1637" height="323" />
We'll use this practical, peer-ready framework to move from "coaching theory" to "coaching capacity."
In this Design Charrette, we’re moving beyond the "AI as a chatbot" narrative. Together, we will examine:

<ul data-path-to-node="3,2">
 	<li>
The Judgment Gap: Where AI-generated feedback needs a human "sanity check."
</li>
 	<li>
Reflection at Scale: How to use AI to help managers prepare for high-stakes 1:1s in half the time.
</li>
 	<li>
The Performance Loop: Identifying the specific behaviors and support structures needed to turn AI insights into team action.
</li>
</ul>
Participants will leave with:

<ul data-path-to-node="3,4">
 	<li>
Better questions to ask their AI coaching "partners."
</li>
 	<li>
A draft experiment to restore 20% of their coaching capacity.
</li>
 	<li>
Practical insights from peers who are already keeping "Humans in the Loop."
</li>
</ul>
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-41208" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/event-pic-ai-driven-strategies.jpg" alt="" width="875" height="482" />
Stop launching more training. Start building coaching capacity.
Set inside the complexity of 2026, this Design Charrette is designed for leaders who want to move past "Program Overload" and toward Sustainable Performance. We’re bringing together senior Talent, HR, and Business leaders to pressure-test AI workflows that actually work for humans.
We'll use this practical, peer-ready framework to turn your submitted challenges into momentum.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45164" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260522_Action-Planning-Worksheet.jpg" alt="Design Charrette | AI in the Loop Coaching" width="1008" height="612" />
ELE Charrette: reframing disruption into a career opportunity using the Strategy &amp; Change worksheet

<hr />

This ELE Design Charrette produces this Learning Circle: Leading through Disruption.
ELE's Idea Exchange: <a class="ng-star-inserted" style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.ele.llc/idea-exchange" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwiIm7znrLeTAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ8Ao">Collaborate online with your peers.</a>

Design Charrette |  AI in the Loop Coaching

kyle.swanson

Coaching

Reframe today’s challenging job market disruption and design open-minded strategies to uncover and land career opportunities that didn’t exist last year.
This Charrette is fueled by real-world friction. Submit your top-of-mind AI or Leadership challenge below, and we will live-map a solution during the session.
<blockquote>
Open to all attendees: Help shape the agenda by sharing your toughest roadblock.
<a href="https://forms.office.com/r/D5BfchV4Hn" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45002" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Submit-a-Challenge-7.png" alt="Submit a Challenge" width="236" height="97" /></a>
</blockquote>
AI disruption is reshaping roles, expectations, and pathways for growth. This Design Charrette will explore how leaders can turn that disruption into career opportunity rather than confusion, fear, or stalled momentum. Through practical peer exchange, participants will examine where new value is being created, how work is changing, and what people need to stay relevant, credible, and ready for what comes next.
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-45180" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/About-ELE-Real-Business-Challenges.png" alt="Three-step ELE model showing Real Business Problems leading to Peer-Powered Decisions and Implementation." width="875" height="171" />
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[caption id="attachment_45009" align="aligncenter" width="819"]<img class="size-full wp-image-45009" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AI-in-the-Loop-Coaching.jpg" alt="A senior L&amp;D leader acting as an AI Workforce Transformation Strategist using a digital coaching mirror to analyze performance prompts and reflection data during an ELE Design Charrette." width="819" height="457" /> AI in the Loop: Shifting from "Chatbot" to "Performance Partner.[/caption]
Move from "AI Confusion" to "Career Clarity."
This Design Charrette is where we stop talking about disruption and start designing opportunity. We will examine how to use AI as a personal strategy partner to:

<ul data-path-to-node="7,2">
 	<li>
Identify New Value: Map where your unique judgment creates the most impact.
</li>
 	<li>
Redesign Your Role: Use AI to offload administrative friction and focus on high-stakes strategy.
</li>
 	<li>
Land Your Next Move: Create a bespoke career roadmap built for the 2026 talent landscape.
</li>
</ul>
We'll use this practical, peer-ready framework to turn your submitted challenges into momentum.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45163" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260508_Action-Planning-Worksheet.jpg" alt="Design Charrette | AI Disruption = Career Opportunity" width="1008" height="612" />
ELE Charrette: reframing disruption into a career opportunity using the Strategy &amp; Change worksheet

<hr />

This ELE Design Charrette produces this Learning Circle: Leading through Disruption.
ELE's Idea Exchange: <a class="ng-star-inserted" style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.ele.llc/idea-exchange" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwiIm7znrLeTAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ8Ao">Collaborate online with your peers.</a>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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Design Charrette | AI Disruption = Career Opportunity

deborah.lenchard

patricia.ouzounian

audra.pinter

Better listening is not a soft skill—it is a strategic leadership discipline.  Fresh off our in-person exploration at the Art Institute of Chicago, this Design Charrette brings those high-level observations into a virtual working session to solve your real-world business challenges.
This session is fueled by real-world friction. We’re moving beyond theory to help you:

<ul data-path-to-node="8,1">
 	<li>
Spot weak signals: Identify what your team is struggling to say in disruptive times.
</li>
 	<li>
Apply the "Sense-Decide-Evolve" Framework: Use our core methodology to reduce execution drag caused by flawed assumptions.
</li>
 	<li>
Design for Clarity: Turn multi-generational "noise" into stronger alignment and trust.
</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
Open to all attendees: Help shape the agenda by sharing your toughest roadblock.
<a href="https://forms.office.com/r/D5BfchV4Hn" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45002" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Submit-a-Challenge-7.png" alt="Submit a Challenge" width="236" height="97" /></a>
</blockquote>
Using art, observation, and live interactive discussion, this in-person exchange will help leaders:

<ul>
 	<li data-start="655" data-end="682">improve employee engagement</li>
 	<li data-start="685" data-end="722">spot weak signals in disruptive times</li>
 	<li data-start="725" data-end="785">hear multi-gen teams more effectively to improve performance</li>
 	<li data-start="788" data-end="847">listen across matrix organizations during periods of growth</li>
</ul>
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-45180" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/About-ELE-Real-Business-Challenges.png" alt="Three-step ELE model showing Real Business Problems leading to Peer-Powered Decisions and Implementation." width="758" height="148" />
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45278" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20250429_144430.jpg" alt="A selfie of a person captured in the reflective surface of an artwork at the Art Institute of Chicago, blending the observer with the museum's creative environment." width="1920" height="1081" />
Together, the room will examine:

<ul>
 	<li data-start="884" data-end="911">where listening breaks down</li>
 	<li data-start="914" data-end="938">what signals matter most</li>
 	<li data-start="941" data-end="985">how flawed assumptions create execution drag</li>
 	<li data-start="988" data-end="1057">how stronger listening improves trust, alignment, and decision-making</li>
</ul>
Participants will leave with:

<ul>
 	<li data-start="1091" data-end="1114">better questions to ask</li>
 	<li data-start="1117" data-end="1163">sharper ways to notice what is said and unsaid</li>
 	<li data-start="1166" data-end="1211">practical insights they can apply immediately</li>
 	<li data-start="1214" data-end="1280">stronger approaches for identifying real business problems earlier</li>
</ul>
We'll use this practical, peer-ready framework to turn your submitted challenges into momentum.
<a href="https://www.ele.llc/events/ai-leaders-2"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45162" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260424_Action-Planning-Worksheet.jpg" alt="Design Charrette | The Art of Strategic Listening" width="1008" height="612" /></a>
ELE Charrette: reframing disruption into a career opportunity using the Strategy &amp; Change worksheet

<hr />

This ELE Design Charrette produces this Learning Circle: Leading through Disruption.
ELE's Idea Exchange: <a class="ng-star-inserted" style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.ele.llc/idea-exchange" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwiIm7znrLeTAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ8Ao">Collaborate online with your peers.</a>

Design Charrette |  The Art of Strategic Listening

lorna.malloy

megan.bickle

employee listening

disruption

listening

Too many conversations about AI leadership stay stuck at awareness, principles, or high-level aspiration. This Design Charrette is built to move faster. Together, leaders will work through what it actually takes to build AI-driven leaders inside real teams, real decisions, and real operating constraints. Through peer exchange, practical examples, and focused working discussion, participants will surface the leadership behaviors, support structures, and capability shifts needed to turn interest into action.
This Charrette is fueled by real-world friction.

Most AI conversations stay stuck in "high-level aspiration." We’re here to move faster by:
<ul data-path-to-node="2,2">
 	<li>
Mapping your roadblocks: Submit your top-of-mind leadership or capability challenge.
</li>
 	<li>
Designing the shift: We will use the Strategy &amp; Change Action Planning Worksheet to live-map your path forward during the session.
</li>
 	<li>
Peer-Powered Decisions: Turn your friction into a practical, peer-ready example.
</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
Don't just watch—participate. Submit your toughest roadblock below, and we'll use the Strategy &amp; Change Action Planning Worksheet to live-map a path forward for you during the session.
<a href="https://forms.office.com/r/D5BfchV4Hn" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45002" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Submit-a-Challenge-7.png" alt="Submit a Challenge" width="236" height="97" /></a>
</blockquote>
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-45180" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/About-ELE-Real-Business-Challenges.png" alt="Three-step ELE model showing Real Business Problems leading to Peer-Powered Decisions and Implementation." width="1254" height="245" />

<h3 data-path-to-node="2"></h3>
Participants will leave with:

<ul data-path-to-node="3">
 	<li>
The AI-Ready Roadmap: A peer-vetted draft of your Strategy &amp; Change Action Planning Worksheet to move from aspiration to execution.
</li>
 	<li>
Friction-to-Fuel Framework: A methodology for turning real-world roadblocks into scalable leadership capability.
</li>
 	<li>
Peer Insights: Direct takeaways from fellow senior leaders navigating the same 2026 operating constraints.
</li>
</ul>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-44953" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AI-Driven-Leaders-are-Becoming-a-Composer-and-a-Conductor-A.jpg" alt="As an AI-driven leader you are becoming a composer of strategy and a conductor of teams and technology." width="1600" height="370" />
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45010" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/AI-Driven-Leaders.jpg" alt="ELE Design Charrette: diverse leadership team intensely focused on peer-exchange and live-mapping organizational 'AI-Ready Execution' strategy using the 'Strategy &amp; Change' worksheet framework to 'Stop Talking. Start Building AI-Driven Leaders.'" width="1024" height="572" />
We'll use this practical, peer-ready framework to turn your submitted challenges into momentum.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-45161" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260410_Action-Planning-Worksheet.jpg" alt="Design Charrette | Stop Talking. Start Building AI Leaders" width="1008" height="612" />
ELE Charrette: reframing disruption into a career opportunity using the Strategy &amp; Change worksheet

<hr />
This ELE Design Charrette produces this Learning Circle: Leading through Disruption.
ELE's Idea Exchange: <a class="ng-star-inserted" style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.ele.llc/idea-exchange" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwiIm7znrLeTAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ8Ao">Collaborate online with your peers.</a>
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Design Charrette | Stop Talking. Start Building AI Leaders

michael.grubich

career mobility

Confidence Building

Career Growth

career momentum

confidence capability clarity

AI-enabled leadership

AI Disruption

AI Driven Leadership

AI-Driven Leader

iliana.alvarado

DX Learning Solutions

Session Overview:
In the Midwest, “nice” is a leadership default, but not always a performance driver.

While being nice can create short-term harmony, it often results in long-term dysfunction: avoided conversations, a lack of clarity, and underperformance cloaked in politeness.
In this interactive, no-fluff session, <a style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.ele.llc/members/alex-draper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Draper</a> (Founder of DX Learning and author of CARE to Win®) and <a style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.ele.llc/members/richard-rykhus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Richard Rykhus</a> (Head of Global L&amp;D at Shure) challenge the norm of “Midwest Nice” and introduce a new, practical standard: Kind Leadership, where leaders lead with a system that build an environment where candor and care can flourish.

Why? Because culture is a mirror of leadership. And if leaders model avoidance or ambiguity under the guise of being "nice," those habits cascade through teams.
This session invites HR, Talent, and Learning professionals to explore what it takes to evolve their culture from comfortable avoidance to courageous alignment.
.
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-8919" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DraperAlex-crop.jpg" alt="Experiential Learning:" width="946" height="512" />

What You’ll Experience
Through candid storytelling and peer-driven discussion, you’ll explore:

<ul>
 	<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
 	<li>Why “nice” is often rooted in conflict avoidance, not care—and how it undermines trust and performance</li>
 	<li>How “kind” leaders use clarity to reduce ambiguity, accountability to inspire ownership, and care to build trust</li>
 	<li>Real-world examples of nice in action and example from those shifting norms without sacrificing empathy</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
You’ll also reflect on your organization’s spot on the DX Nice–Kind Spectrum, and leave with actionable tools to:
<ul>
 	<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
 	<li>Hold people accountable without being harsh</li>
 	<li>Offer feedback without micromanaging</li>
 	<li>Build psychological safety without enabling underperformance</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Who Should Join
This session is designed for HR, Talent, and L&amp;D leaders across the Midwest who want culture to show up in day-to-day behaviors, not just posters and slogans.
If you're responsible for:
<ul>
 	<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
 	<li>Building trust across levels</li>
 	<li>Helping managers lead through ambiguity</li>
 	<li>Making performance expectations more human and more clear</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
…this session is for you.
You'll connect with peers facing similar cultural friction points—especially in organizations where kindness and courage need to coexist.

How It Works
We’ll start with a short insight from Alex Draper (drawing from CARE to Win®) and then move into real-time reflection and peer dialogue.
Together, we’ll unpack:
<ul>
 	<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
 	<li>How to build clarity without control</li>
 	<li>How to set high standards without shame</li>
 	<li>How to use empathy without enabling</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
This isn’t theory. You’ll walk away with:
<ul>
 	<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
 	<li>Practical tools to embed CARE (Clarity, Autonomy, Relationships, Equity) into your culture</li>
 	<li>A lens to assess where leadership behaviors might be blocking performance</li>
 	<li>A renewed sense of possibility for your role in reshaping norms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Why This Matters Now
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, only 23% of employees are engaged globally, and trust in leadership is at a historic low.
Midwestern cultures, often defined by humility and harmony, risk stagnation if discomfort is avoided. As Alex Draper writes:

<blockquote data-start="1038" data-end="1155">
“Empathy without clarity is enabling. Clarity without empathy is cruelty. But together, they unlock accountability with care.”
</blockquote>
Want to go deeper?
This discussion draws on Care to Win: The 4 Leadership Habits to Build High-Performing Teams (Revised Edition) (Oct 28, 2025).
Explore the book on <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/bookshelf?member=alex-draper">Alex's ELE Bookshelf</a>
Join the ELE Conversation
These every-other-Friday discussions are part of ELE’s ongoing peer exchange for leaders shaping talent and work in the AI era. Come ready to listen, contribute, and learn alongside peers testing ideas in real organizations and sharing what they’re learning.
Recordings are posted to <a href="https://www.ele.llc/insights">ELE Insights</a> within 2–4 business days.
&nbsp;

Beyond Midwest Nice: Building high performing environments of Clarity, Candor, and Courage

alex.draper

richard.rykhus

Talent Strategy

Culture Change

psychological safety

accountability

trust

performance

organizational culture

manager effectiveness

change leadership

High Performing Teams

cindy.pinkstaffmiller

people-first leadership

1Q2026

leadership habits

care to win

Alex Draper

DX Learning

learning leaders

values in action

leadership in practice

Zurich North America

Session Focus:  A peer design charrette focused on moving AI adoption beyond training programs toward shared practice and sustained learning.
Many organizations can launch AI upskilling. Far fewer build the change conditions that make it stick—communication, manager support, and reinforcement in real work.
This design charrette builds on insights from Kate Haney’s October  <a href="https://www.ele.llc/insights/ai-practical-lab-from-whiteboard-to-workflow">✨ AI Practical Lab: From Whiteboard to Workflow</a> and recent community discussions around enterprise AI deployment.

<blockquote>
Borrowed from architecture, a design charrette brings experienced practitioners together to solve complex problems quickly. ELE Design Charrettes—introduced by <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/alaska-fu">Alaska Fu</a>, ELE’s Experience Designer—are focused, peer-powered working conversations that help leaders co-create and refine practical approaches in 50–90 minutes.
</blockquote>
Together, we’ll examine what it takes to move AI adoption from training to shared practice—where communication, support, and reinforcement drive real use. The focus is not on vendor selection, but on how leaders create conditions for experimentation, feedback, and real use.
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-44503" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ELE-POV-AIQ-EQ-IQ.png" alt="Diagram showing AIQ overlapping with IQ and EQ, illustrating how AI-enabled human judgment drives performance." width="699" height="393" />
Expect thoughtful peer input, design questions, and early patterns leaders can adapt inside their own organizations.
In our October AI Practical Lab, Kate Haney—leading enterprise AI reskilling at Zurich North America for more than a year—shared what’s working (and what’s stalling) in real organizations. One insight resonated deeply across the group:

<blockquote>
Successful AI upskilling isn’t just about training programs—it’s about communication, support, and real success stories that make it stick.
</blockquote>
That insight frames the AI Transformation model below—and why human-centered transformation requires far more than content or tools.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-44471" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AI-Transformation-Upskilling-in-AI-Maturity-e1766111773634.png" alt="Upskilling in AI Maturity" width="501" height="481" />

Who Should Join

Leaders who are past experimenting with AI and now wrestling with a harder question: Why isn’t it sticking?
If you’re responsible for scaling AI use across managers, teams, or functions—and you’re seeing uneven adoption, stalled momentum, or “great tools, little behavior change”—you’ll be in the right room. This is especially relevant for HR, talent, learning, and transformation leaders who know AI adoption is no longer a training problem, but a practice, support, and reinforcement challenge.
How This Works

This 50-minute ELE Design Charrette isn’t a presentation. It opens with a short framing insight, then quickly moves into peer work. Participants compare notes on what actually shifts behavior at scale—how communication, manager support, and real success stories accelerate adoption, and where well-intended efforts quietly break down.
You’ll leave with clearer design patterns and sharper questions—not a framework to admire, but practical moves you can test immediately inside your organization.
Join the ELE Conversation
These every-other-Friday discussions are part of ELE’s ongoing peer exchange for leaders shaping talent and work in the AI era. Come ready to listen, contribute, and learn alongside peers testing ideas in real organizations and sharing what they’re learning.
Recordings are posted to <a href="https://www.ele.llc/insights">ELE Insights</a> within 2–4 business days.

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