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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

The community's votes decide what gets on the calendar.

Explain the challenge. Shape what we tackle next.

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

Welcome

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.

Brunswick

Executive Learning Exchange (ELE)

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Diana Anderson wants to talk AI and L&amp;D strategy over lunch at the Botanic Garden. We're in. Are you?
Think less "calendar event," more "good conversation you didn't want to end."
Diana's been around ELE for years and is joining the Executive Cohort Panel at this fall's conference. This lunch is her way of getting a head start.
The loose prompt: where does L&amp;D actually fit into a 3-year plan when AI keeps changing the ground under it?
Teri Hart and Johannah Simon laid a lot of this groundwork back in 2018 in <a href="https://www.ele.llc/insights/your-learning-needs-a-comprehensive-strategy">Your Learning Needs a Comprehensive Strategy</a>. The first few slides — finding the "sweet spot" of impact and scale, the tells your strategy isn't comprehensive, Discover's Learning Landscape framework — still hold up almost exactly. Worth a skim (slides or podcast) before we sit down.
Jump into the Idea Exchange before we meet and drop your top questions — that's where this actually starts: [<a href="https://community.ele.llc/t/diana-anderson-three-year-learning-development-enterprise-strategy-in-ai-era/6191" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Idea Exchange Pre-Chat →</a>]
Friday, Sept 25 | 11:30 AM–1:00 PM | The Garden View Café, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe.
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-46058" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/chicago-botanic-garden-ele-meetup-preview.jpg" alt="Dirk Tussing smiling at the Chicago Botanic Garden, wearing a Chicago Botanic Garden cap, ahead of the ELE Chicago Meetup" width="1012" height="759" />
Heads up: the Café is a great spot, but it's inside the Garden, so admission and parking apply (both are free if you're a member — and it pays for itself after a visit or two). Lunch is on your own tab.
Paul DeSousa, Teri Hart, and Matt Hutson are already in — thanks for jumping on this early. Want to join them?

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ELE Chicago Meetup | Three-Year L&D Enterprise Strategy in the AI Era

single-event

future of work

learning strategy

Talent Executives

Team Leaders

Meet-ups

dirk.tussing

teri.hart

meetup

leadership development

talent development

in-person event

Engagement &amp; Culture

Digital

peer-learning

HR leadership

Strategic HR

innovation in L&amp;D

diana.anderson

matthew.huston

AI transformation

Executive Leadership

in-person

executive networking

L&amp;D strategy

enterprise learning

AI in L&amp;D

paul.desousa

ELE Meetup

Chicago HR Events

Latinas Rising Up in HR, created by Priscilla Guasso, proudly showcases inspirational stories of current and past Human Resources professionals who boldly overcame obstacles and defied statistics to achieve their dreams in corporate America, non-profit sectors, government, and as entrepreneurs. Their experiences answer the question, “Why aren’t Latinas in executive leadership?” and show how determination, grit, and gaining access to the right mentors, sponsors, and coaches can pave the way to opportunity for anyone of any background. It takes a strong leader to share their journey vulnerably and these ladies are ready to step forward to inspire a new wave of leadership. Take advantage of the Reflect and Rise micro-mentoring moments at the end of each chapter to challenge your growth and rise to your dreams.

<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Latinas-Rising-Inspirational-Resources-Professionals/dp/1957058145?pd_rd_w=vVSuz&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.c51e3ad7-b551-4b1a-b43c-3cf69addb649&amp;pf_rd_p=c51e3ad7-b551-4b1a-b43c-3cf69addb649&amp;pf_rd_r=0G7KMJG7V2Y0TNY1BBT8&amp;pd_rd_wg=Kc2Oi&amp;pd_rd_r=dee3fd6c-0443-4c0f-983d-a93454039df6&amp;pd_rd_i=1957058145&amp;psc=1&amp;linkCode=ll1&amp;tag=learningexecu-20&amp;linkId=6490a2e000e86551b4e19ccdaeeb4c03&amp;language=en_US&amp;ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-41344 size-full" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Latinas-Rising-Up-In-HR-Volume-II-Ariana-Paz-featured.jpg" alt="Latinas Rising Up In HR Volume II: Inspirational Stories of Human Resources Professionals Leading, Thriving, and Breaking Barriers" width="302" height="466" /></a>

Latinas Rising Up In HR Volume II: Inspirational Stories of Human Resources Professionals Leading, Thriving, and Breaking Barriers

leadership

Leadership

career development

inclusion

grit

diversity

belonging

ariana.paz

mentorship

DEIB

Professional Growth

Latinas in HR

Human Resources

Inspirational Stories

Overcoming Obstacles

Corporate America

Non-Profit Sector

Determination

Personal Wisdom

Micro-Mentoring

Equity

Women in Leadership

Latina Leaders

Breaking Barriers

Reflect and Rise

Latinas Rising Up in HR proudly showcases miraculous stories of aspiring human resources professionals who overcame obstacles and defied statistics to achieve their dreams in corporate America and in the non-profit sector. Their experiences answer the question, “Why aren’t there more Latinas in executive leadership?” and show how determination, grit, and finding the right mentors can pave the way to opportunity for anyone of any background. Be inspired by the personal wisdom in the Reflect and Rise micro-mentoring moments at the end of each chapter, and you too can continue to rise to your dreams.

Latinas Rising Up in HR: Inspirational Stories of Human Resources Professionals Leading, Thriving, and Breaking Barriers

ana.bedard

stephen.cornejogarcia

<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 Subtraction Problem in Modern Leadership</h4>
When an organization struggles to hit its targets, our default corporate instinct is almost always to add. We add another layer of approval, another compliance check, a new software tool, or an entirely new initiative. Over time, these well-intentioned additions accumulate like plaque in the organizational bloodstream, creating a culture of chronic friction where execution slows to a crawl.
In There's Got to Be a Better Way: How to Deliver Results and Get Rid of the Stuff That Gets in the Way of Real Work, the focus shifts from doing more to clearing the field. The book acts as a tactical guide for leaders who realize that the secret to high performance isn’t inspiring people to work harder through the sludge, but ruthlessly eliminating the sludge itself so your talent can actually do what they were hired to do.


<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: Identifying and Eradicating Institutional "Stuff"</h4>
The book offers a systematic framework for auditing your current operational environment and identifying the invisible barriers to execution. To streamline your workplace, leaders must master three principles:

<ul style="padding-left: 25px; margin-bottom: 2.5rem;">
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">The Audit of Friction: Map out the recurring processes that cause the most frustration among your front-line employees. If a routine task requires multiple sign-offs or excessive administrative overhead, it is no longer an asset—it’s institutional waste that needs to be redesigned or deleted.</li>
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">Challenging the "Legacy Trap": Just because a workflow or reporting cadence has existed for years doesn't mean it still delivers value. Leaders must foster a mindset that questions old practices, forcing every legacy process to justify its existence against current strategic goals.</li>
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">Empowering the "No": True efficiency requires psychological safety. Teams must be given the explicit permission and authority to raise their hands and call out tasks, meetings, or automated workflows that get in the way of actual business outcomes.</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 talent, HR, and L&amp;D executives who are tasked with designing agile, high-performing corporate cultures, this book offers a strong operational focus:

<ul style="padding-left: 25px; margin-bottom: 2.5rem;">
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">Protecting Your L&amp;D Investment: You can design the most impactful leadership development programs in the world, but if your leaders return to an environment choked by administrative red tape, their new skills will remain dormant. Clearing the runway is essential for training to stick.</li>
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">Combating Quiet Quitting and Exhaustion: Top performers don't burn out from challenging work; they burn out from meaningless work. By leading the charge against corporate bureaucracy, HR executives can directly improve retention and give employees their energy back.</li>
 	<li style="margin-bottom: 1.2rem;">Aligning Operations with Strategy: It moves the talent function out of the realm of abstract culture-building and anchors it into pure performance architecture, proving how operational cleanup directly drives bottom-line execution.</li>
</ul>

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<div style="font-style: italic; color: #444; background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 30px; border-radius: 12px; border-right: 5px solid #cc0000;">True leadership is often measured not by what you build, but by what you dismantle. When we develop the courage to cut away the legacy processes, useless meetings, and administrative clutter that drain our teams, we finally make room for meaningful, impactful innovation to thrive. Let’s stop managing the sludge and start building a cleaner, faster path to real work.</div>
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