ELE Group, LLC

🧠 Rethinking What We Think We Know
How many of our “proven” HR practices are built on shaky assumptions?
That’s the question Janice Simmons and Amy Leschke-Kahle asked in their powerful keynote, Myth Spotting and Myth Busting. With sharp insights and real-world examples, they invited senior HR leaders to stop following recycled wisdom—and start designing talent practices rooted in what actually works.
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-43048" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Myth-Busting-Amy-and-Janice-1.jpg" alt="Myth Spotting and Myth Busting" width="648" height="454" />
Here’s what they challenged us to rethink:

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SMART goals don’t spark motivation. They offer structure, but lack emotional resonance. Today’s workforce needs goals that connect to purpose—think “bumper sticker” goals that stick.
</li>
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Cascading goals create disconnect. Strategic alignment matters, but when goals tumble top-down like Niagara Falls, frontline teams disengage.
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Measuring isn’t the same as improving. Metrics track outcomes—they don’t cause them. Human connection and timely feedback drive change.
</li>
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Managers matter, but they’re not the whole story. Engagement also lives in peer relationships, culture, and clarity of purpose.
</li>
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Annual reviews are out. Frequent, two-way conversations rooted in support—not judgment—build trust and performance.
</li>
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Beware data that sells. Many stats floating around HR are untraceable or vendor-driven. Validate everything. Context matters.
</li>
</ul>
<blockquote data-start="112" data-end="257">
“We’re solving problems we assume are real—because everyone else is solving them too.” -- <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/amy-leschkekahle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amy Leschke Kahle</a>
</blockquote>
<h3 data-start="1723" data-end="1777">✅ 3 Practical Actions for Senior HR Talent Leaders</h3>
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Validate before you invest. Trace statistics and best practices back to their original research. If you can’t verify it, don’t build on it.
</li>
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Design for people, not process. Rethink goal-setting and performance management to prioritize emotional connection, relevance, and real-time dialogue over structure and scorekeeping.
</li>
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Broaden your engagement strategy. Stop over-indexing on managers. Focus equally on peer connection, purpose, and a culture of support across the organization.
</li>
</ul>

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The best HR leaders don’t chase trends—they challenge assumptions. Curiosity isn’t optional. It’s how we stay relevant, strategic, and effective. Because when we stop questioning, we start wasting.

Myth Spotting and Myth Busting

Engagement &amp; Culture

janice.simmons

leadership development

performance management

Talent Strategy

employee engagement

Performance Improvement

amy.leschkekahle

Goal Setting

manager effectiveness

Strategic HR

data driven HR

HR Best Practices

HR myths

wise2025

peer connections

culture of feedback

emotional engagement

original research

performance metrics

WALL STREET JOURNAL BUSINESS BESTSELLER
AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF 2O16 PICK IN BUSINESS &amp; LEADERSHIP
Master one of our economy’s most rare skills and achieve groundbreaking results with this “exciting” book (Daniel H. Pink) from an “exceptional” author (New York TimesBook Review).
In our distracted modern economy, the coveted skill of deep work—the ability to focus intensely without interruption on demanding mental tasks—has never been rarer or more valuable. As Cal Newport argues in Deep Work, this superpower boosts your career success and provides meaning, yet most squander it by endlessly checking email and social media.
<blockquote>💥 The key for Deep Work
(Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World)
is training your mind and habits.
<ol>
 	<li>Work Deeply</li>
 	<li>Embrace Boredom</li>
 	<li>Quit Social Media</li>
 	<li>Drain the Shallows</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
Newport makes the compelling case that cultivating deep work enhances your impact. He offers a practical four-part regimen for training your mind: work with laser-like focus free of distractions; embrace boredom instead of constant entertainment; quit social media; and avoid shallow obligations that don't engage your talents. Newport supports this advice with stories of legends like Carl Jung who structured their lives around deep work.
Deep Work provides an urgent roadmap for focus amid the digital discord. In our multitasking world where everyone is distracted, deep work is the key to standing out as an achiever. This skill allows you to quickly master the most difficult information and produce your best work. Deep Work gives you a competitive edge.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

leadership

Leadership

dirk.tussing

tracey.wik

chris.edwards

marti.konstant

effectiveness

time management

productivity

motivation

performance

work-life balance

Focus

Concentration

Digital Distraction

Career

Success

Creativity

Self-Improvement

Mindfulness

Technology

Personal Growth

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators and “master of the life hack” (GQ) explores the fascinating science of productivity and offers real-world takeaways to apply your life, whether you’re chasing peak productivity or simply trying to get back on track.

In The Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Charles Duhigg explained why we do what we do. In Smarter Faster Better, he applies the same relentless curiosity and rich storytelling to how we can improve at the things we do.

At the core of Smarter Faster Better are eight key concepts—from motivation and goal setting to focus and decision making—that explain why some people and companies get so much done. Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics—as well as the experiences of CEOs, educational reformers, four-star generals, FBI agents, airplane pilots, and Broadway songwriters—this book reveals that the most productive people, companies, and organizations don’t merely act differently. They view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways.

Smarter Faster Better is a story-filled exploration of the science of productivity, one that can help us learn to succeed with less stress and struggle—and become smarter, faster, and better at everything we do.

Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity

Change Management

organizational effectiveness

decision making

Leadership Skills

workplace productivity

laura.sandera

Efficiency

Team Productivity

Strategic Planning

As talent leaders, we know the feeling: we've helped craft a powerful strategy, but as soon as it hits the floor, it gets buried by the "whirlwind" of daily operations. Great ideas stall, and initiatives that should have been transformative simply fizzle out. If you're looking for a way to bridge the gap between strategy and execution for your teams, you're not alone. I’ve found a resource that tackles this challenge head-on.

The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) is a powerful framework that offers a clear, repeatable path to achieving your most critical goals. Unlike other methodologies that get lost in theory, 4DX is a practical system that focuses on creating a culture of execution.

Here's the core idea: a leader's two primary roles are strategy and execution. This book argues that execution is the tougher challenge, and it provides a simple, proven formula to make it happen. You'll learn how to focus on a few "wildly important" goals, define the high-leverage activities that will drive those goals, create a transparent scoreboard to track progress, and establish a rhythm of accountability that keeps teams engaged and on track.

For HR and talent leaders, this isn't just a business book—it's a guide to building a high-performance culture from the ground up. It’s about empowering teams to own their results and transform the way your company gets things done. It’s about moving beyond simply having a plan to actually achieving it.

The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals

talent management

rick.wooden

accountability

organizational culture

HR leadership

Business Growth

High-Performance Teams

L&amp;D strategy

execution

In The 6% Club, The Change Doctor Michelle Rozen, PhD, teaches audiences and readers how to create and actually stick to new positive habits, unlocking the secret formula to the life, success, and happiness they've always dreamed of. The book was born from a recent study where Dr. Rozen surveyed 1,000 people who pledged to make a change in their lives, and, shockingly, only 6% had stuck to the change just a month later.

Dr. Rozen's powerful, uplifting, and actionable methods have been tested on countless event attendees from all types of background for over a decade. In this book, readers will learn how to:
<ul class="a-unordered-list a-vertical">
 	<li>Work out more, eat healthier, save more money, do better in business, or attain any other personal or professional goal</li>
 	<li>Make changes solo, or with another individual like a friend or partner</li>
 	<li>Stop making excuses, giving up, or putting it off—effortlessly</li>
</ul>
Based on science and written by one of the most sought-after motivational speakers on leadership and change, The 6% Club earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of all individuals looking to make lasting changes in their personal and professional lives.

The 6% Club: Unlock the Secret to Achieving Any Goal and Thriving in Business and Life

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