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ELE is a peer-powered community where people leaders don't just reframe challenges — they leave with decisions, next moves, and 30/60/90-day commitments to move real work forward.&nbsp;For 22 years, leaders from Fortune 1000 companies have brought their hardest problems here — and left sharper than they arrived.

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This is where people leaders get sharper — and their teams get smarter.ELE is a peer-powered network of people leaders who accelerate business results through shared intelligence and real-work collaboration. Learn more below about why ELE has been the trusted choice for leaders building high-performing teams for over 20 years.

About ELE

Schedule a Local Meetup

Bring a real talent challenge. Name what's at stake, what you've tried, and why it matters now.

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Signal what matters most. Your vote shapes what your peers tackle next.

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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.

Where people leaders share what's working, ask what's hard, and learn from peers navigating the same talent challenges right now. Search before you post. When referencing a resource, paste the key insight directly into your response with a link to the source.

Real conversations from people leaders tackling today's toughest talent challenges -- captured live, ready to apply with your teams when it fits your schedule, and connected to what's happening right now.

Insights on Talent Challenges | Captured Peer Conversations | ELE

Pick your path — each plan reflects a different commitment to accelerating business value.

ELE Plans — Find your place.

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

Lake Forest Center for Leadership

<blockquote>"Identify where you can ignite change without direct involvement. Be the spark, not just the hand." -- <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/jennifer-kern" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jennifer Kern</a></blockquote>
This session offered a comprehensive exploration of the essence of catalyst leadership, emphasizing the pivotal role senior HR talent leaders play in driving organizational transformation. Leading as a catalyst means not merely managing or directing but sparking significant change that aligns with strategic visions.

Key Takeaways from the Session:
<ol>
 	<li>Empowerment and Strategic Questioning: Effective leaders empower their teams by asking insightful questions that align with long-term goals, fostering a culture where curiosity and proactive engagement are valued.</li>
 	<li>Building Trust through Delegation: Delegating strategically allows leaders to concentrate on areas where they can add the most value, encouraging a culture of trust and independence within the team.</li>
 	<li>Sustainable Change: As catalysts, HR leaders are urged to focus on sustainable change rather than quick fixes, developing systems and cultures that support continuous improvement and long-term success.</li>
 	<li>Utilizing Mental Models: Leaders should adopt and refine mental models that aid in making strategic decisions, helping clarify complex situations and ensure alignment with the organization’s objectives.</li>
 	<li>Communication and Influence: The ability to communicate effectively and tell compelling stories about HR initiatives is crucial in securing support and demonstrating the value of the HR function.</li>
 	<li>Reflective Leadership: Continual self-reflection on personal effectiveness and adaptability as a leader is vital in the dynamic field of HR, ensuring that leadership strategies remain relevant and impactful.</li>
</ol>
By embracing these practices, senior HR talent leaders can truly act as catalysts for change, harnessing their unique positions to influence and reshape their organizational landscapes profoundly.

Leading as a Catalyst: Igniting Change in a Rapidly Evolving Landscape

Strategy

Leadership

Change Management

team-building

leadership development

talent development

organizational change

CHIE2024

matt.sernaker

jennifer.kern

employee empowerment

HR leadership

HR Strategy

HR Innovation

Strategic HR

sustainable change

Leadership Effectiveness

Catalyst Leadership

Senior HR Talent

Strategic Delegation

GP Strategies

In today's rapidly evolving workplace, building an internal talent marketplace that centers on skills, rather than traditional job roles, is becoming a critical strategy for organizations. Employees have diverse needs. Skills marketplaces require continual feedback and adaptation. Let's discover the future of internal talent management in this session.

We'll explore the intersection of skills and change management, offering valuable insights and actionable tips. Key points include:
<ul>
 	<li>Skills-Centric Marketplace: Shift from job roles to skills for enhanced transparency, employee agency, and career mobility.</li>
 	<li>Bridging Competency and Skills: Connect competency models and skills frameworks to measurable work results, aligning HR and L&amp;D.</li>
 	<li>AI's Influence: Rethink skills in the AI era, as AI reshapes job roles, emphasizing EQ and DQ (emotional and decency intelligence).</li>
 	<li>AI-Human Collaboration: Harness AI to boost skills and enhance employee performance.</li>
 	<li>Addressing Workplace Challenges: Solve issues like job satisfaction, role flexibility, and career growth through skills-focused strategies.</li>
 	<li>Change Management: Implement personalized, iterative change management in your skills framework.</li>
 	<li>Learner Education: Educate employees about the value of skills frameworks.</li>
 	<li>Business Involvement: Engage the business in defining work outputs and required skills.</li>
</ul>
In summary, a skills-based talent marketplace, supported by a flexible framework, drives transparency, mobility, and adaptability. Effective change management is key. Key takeaways:
<ol>
 	<li>Linking Skills to Results: Align skills with concrete work outputs.</li>
 	<li>Adapting Skills in an AI World: Redefine skills for the AI era.</li>
 	<li>Change Management Focus: Prioritize personalized change management.</li>
</ol>

Tips for Building a Skills-Based Internal Talent Marketplace: Explore Intersection of skills and change management

future of work

Integrated Talent Management

Future of Work

Digital &amp; AI

talent management

matt.donovan

critical thinking

Learning Agility

skillsforthefuture

future of learning

internal talent marketplace

CHIE2023

skills marketplace

internal talent development

workforce adaptability

Zurich North America

Shure Incorporated

Art Institute of Chicago

Froedtert ThedaCare Health

In our recent panel discussion, industry leaders explored strategies for creating an inclusive workplace that embraces generational diversity and drives innovation. Richard Laible from Shore highlighted the importance of organizational culture, stating, "I think something that really helps minimize some of the differences that we may experience is our culture and because we've been around for so long there's a lot of shared pride in our history in the quality of our products."

Key Takeaways:

1. Adaptive Workplace Policies: Companies are implementing flexible work arrangements and revising policies to meet diverse generational needs.

2. Culture of Continuous Learning: Organizations are encouraging a "learn-it-all" mindset and providing ongoing learning opportunities for all employees, regardless of age or tenure.

3. Leadership's Role in Inclusivity: Leaders are crucial in creating an environment that values diverse perspectives and makes it safe to ask questions and learn from failures.

These insights emphasize the need for a comprehensive approach to managing generational diversity. By focusing on adaptability, continuous learning, and inclusive leadership, organizations can create a culture that not only acknowledges differences but leverages them to foster innovation and success. This approach ensures all employees feel valued and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives, ultimately driving the organization forward in today's dynamic business landscape.

CLO/DEI Panel: "aha!" moments: Fostering an Inclusive Culture for Innovation

Engagement &amp; Culture

dirk.tussing

teri.hart

bala.swaminathan

janice.simmons

richard.rykhus

denise.banks

DEIB

richard.laible

workplace culture

inclusion and well-being

workplace transformation

organizational culture

DEIB toolkit

Komatsu

In this inspiring and insightful keynote presentation, Iris Farley, Vice President of Talent at Komatsu and a trans woman, will share her unique perspective on fostering a culture of inclusion and well-being for LGBTQ+ employees, particularly trans individuals. Drawing from her journey of transitioning on the job and her experience as an HR and DEI professional, Iris will discuss the importance of embracing gender diversity and creating a supportive environment where ALL employees can bring their whole selves to work.

Attendees can expect to learn practical examples and lessons from Komatsu's ongoing efforts to support DEI generally and LGBTQ+ employees specifically. Iris will also address the current legislative climate surrounding trans issues and the role of companies in promoting workplace well-being through diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Join us for this empowering session as we explore the benefits of embracing gender diversity, fostering an inclusive culture, and promoting workplace well-being to unlock the potential of known and unknown skills within our organizations.

Creating a Space to Belong at Komatsu | Embracing Gender Diversity: Fostering a Culture of Inclusion and Well-being

iris.farley

insights-wise-2023

gender diversity

LGBTQ+ inclusion

Build a Modern L&amp;D Team

Organizations are facing an era of rapid acceleration. As new technology and digital strategies are integrated, workers at all levels will be required to build capability much faster than before, navigating more complex systems and processes. Yet, learning and development (L&amp;D) have lagged in this area, as too many L&amp;D functions still focus on transactional interactions across a broad and complex portfolio while starved for resources.

In L&amp;D’s Playbook for the Digital Age, Brandon Carson argues that it’s time to reorient L&amp;D, take a more proactive role in enabling the workforce, and create a new framework for developing skills and capabilities. L&amp;D leaders must realize that theirs is one of the most critical business functions and must be appropriately funded and resourced to realize the performance gains that are crucial to the business.

L&amp;D cannot be caught standing still. In fact, it needs a new playbook to navigate the radical and complex transformation the digital age demands. Stemming from the sports world, a playbook ensures the players know their roles, connect as a team, and understand the winning strategy and how to execute the game plan. For L&amp;D, a playbook can help build alignment across the team and with stakeholders by being flexible as business needs change.

Carson walks you through the steps to formulate how a new playbook could help align your L&amp;D function—restructuring, new skilling, or rescoping. He asks readers to speak the language of business instead of the language of learning. For example, does your workforce repair aircraft or enable safe flight? In other words, can you be the visionary your organization requires?

L&D’s Playbook for the Digital Age

digital transformation

Operations

learning and development

brady.bair

employee well-being

learning analytics

team collaboration

Workforce Reskilling

Upskilling Strategies

Technological Convergence

Urbanization and Business Change

Corporate Learning Strategies

Continuous Learning Culture

Data-Driven Learning

AI and Workforce Development

Learning Ecosystems

Digital Age Learning

Human-Machine Collaboration

L&amp;D Strategic Integration

brandon.carson

susan.c.guest

cecilia.lillegard

<div style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: #333; line-height: 1.8; max-width: 850px; margin: auto; text-align: justify; font-size: 18px;">
<h4 style="font-size: 1.75rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin-top: 2.5rem; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; border-left: 5px solid #cc0000; padding-left: 15px; text-align: left; line-height: 1.3;">The Tyranny of the Fast Fix</h4>
As senior leaders, we have been promoted and rewarded throughout our entire careers for one specific skill: having the right answer. When an employee walks into a manager’s office or slacks a challenge to a director, a powerful chemical reaction occurs. The leader’s brain registers the problem, pulls from legacy experience, and instantly delivers a solution. It feels efficient, helpful, and satisfying. But most of the time, it is a trap.
In The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious &amp; Change the Way You Lead Forever, Michael Bungay Stanier argues that our default instinct to jump in and solve things is actually holding our teams back. When leaders offer immediate advice, they are usually solving the wrong problem, disempowering their talent, and creating a bottleneck that crushes organizational agility. True leadership capacity is built not by having all the answers, but by developing the discipline to stay curious just a little bit longer.


<hr style="border: 0; border-top: 1px solid #eee; margin: 2.5rem 0;" />

<h4 style="font-size: 1.75rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin-top: 2.5rem; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; border-left: 5px solid #cc0000; padding-left: 15px; text-align: left; line-height: 1.3;">The Blueprint: Taming Your Inner Advice Monster</h4>
Bungay Stanier provides a practical, behavioral framework to help managers transition from a "tell-assert" default to an "ask-learn" mindset. To master this shift, leaders must identify and tame three distinct personas of the Advice Monster:

<ul style="padding-left: 25px; margin-bottom: 2.5rem;">
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">Tell It: This persona convinces you that the only way you add value as a leader is by having the answer. Taming it requires acknowledging that your front-line talent is often closer to the data and better equipped to design the solution if given the space.</li>
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">Save It: This persona takes full responsibility for everyone else’s success and struggles, rushing in to prevent any discomfort or failure. Taming it means realizing that stepping in too early robs your people of the critical learning experiences required to build their own resilience.</li>
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">Control It: This persona is driven by the fear of losing control over the process or the outcome, forcing everyone to follow a rigid, pre-determined playbook. Taming it requires moving toward a culture of psychological safety where experimentation and adaptive learning are prioritized over compliance.</li>
</ul>

<hr style="border: 0; border-top: 1px solid #eee; margin: 2.5rem 0;" />

<h4 style="font-size: 1.75rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin-top: 2.5rem; margin-bottom: 1.2rem; border-left: 5px solid #cc0000; padding-left: 15px; text-align: left; line-height: 1.3;">Why It Matters for the ELE Community</h4>
For senior HR, talent, and L&amp;D executives who are tasked with designing the leadership development programs of tomorrow, this framework offers a profound operational shift:

<ul style="padding-left: 25px; margin-bottom: 2.5rem;">
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">Scaling a True Coaching Culture: Organizations often spend millions training managers to be "coaches," but the habits rarely stick because the baseline instinct to give advice remains untouched. This book offers a hyper-practical, behavioral approach to stripping away the complexity of traditional coaching programs.</li>
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">Uncovering the Real Challenge: The first problem an employee brings to a manager is almost never the real problem; it is simply the top-of-mind symptom. By training your leadership bench to ask open-ended questions before acting, you ensure the organization spends its energy fixing root causes rather than symptoms.</li>
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">Protecting Executive Bandwidth: When leaders constantly give advice, they train their teams to become dependent on them for every decision. Taming the Advice Monster breaks this dependency cycle, freeing up senior executives to focus on high-leverage strategy and long-term innovation.</li>
</ul>

<hr style="border: 0; border-top: 1px solid #eee; margin: 2.5rem 0;" />

<div style="font-style: italic; color: #444; background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 30px; border-radius: 12px; border-right: 5px solid #cc0000;">True performance improvement doesn't happen when we build smarter leaders who have better answers; it happens when we design environments that demand smarter questions. When we have the humility to step back, slow down our instinct to fix, and stay curious a little longer, we unlock a level of collective capability and ownership that no top-down advice could ever engineer. Let’s stop managing the answers and start architecting potential.</div>
</div>

The Advice Trap

performance improvement

team-development

Coaching

Behavior Change

coaching mindset

L&amp;D strategy

communication strategy

baryons.aimentor

stay curious

advice trap

Michael Bungay Stanier

humble leadership

managerial capability

Starbucks

Executive Learning Exchange (ELE)

Brandon Carson, a keynote speaker at ELE's 2024 Skills-First Chicago Talent Development Conference

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