ELE Group, LLC

&nbsp;
<blockquote class="ml-2 border-l-4 border-border-300/10 pl-4 text-text-300">
"We get through so much information in such a short amount of time — and the fact that we have a speedrun workshop that's still tangible is impressive." — <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/matt-sernaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Sernaker,</a> Lake Forest Center for Leadership
</blockquote>

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This isn't a presentation. Here's what it is instead.
ELE introduced something new this year — and if you haven't been in one yet, it's worth understanding before you read the rest of this post.
A Design Charrette is a structured, time-boxed peer experience built around one real business challenge — submitted in advance by a community member. Not a topic. Not a theme. A problem someone is actually living right now.
The format runs on two roles. An Internal Client owns the challenge and grounds the room in what the business actually needs. A Strategist helps reframe it, surfaces the tensions, and starts mapping what a path forward might look like. Then the full group breaks out — three rooms, 15 minutes, rapid ideation on a single piece of the problem. Everyone works from the same tool: ELE's Signals-to-Action Planning Worksheet.
As Matt Sernaker framed it at the open:

<blockquote class="ml-2 border-l-4 border-border-300/10 pl-4 text-text-300">
"We're moving away from just presenting out on specific topics — focusing on the workshop mentality, making it tangible, a safe learning environment for people to really practice." — <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/matt-sernaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Sernaker</a>, Lake Forest Center for Leadership
</blockquote>
The group comes back together, debriefs the moves, and leaves with a co-built Action Planning Worksheet — a 30/60/90-day path grounded in peer input, not someone else's framework. That worksheet then feeds the next event in the series: an AI Practical Lab, where the group picks the work back up and builds an implementation plan.
This is ELE's 2026 pivot. Not content delivery. Peer-powered problem solving.
👉 See it in action: <a href="https://www.ele.llc/moments/design-charrette-the-art-of-strategic-listening" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch the Design Charrette highlight reel</a>.


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Who was in the room: <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/lorna-malloy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lorna Malloy</a>, Education Design Manager at Allstate Insurance, as the Internal Client; <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/patricia-ouzounian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patti Ouzounian</a>, AI Workforce Transformation Strategist at ELE, and <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/megan-bickle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Megan Bickle</a>, Head of Talent Management at Rothy's, as Strategists; <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/matt-sernaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Sernaker</a>, Senior Business Development Director at Lake Forest Center for Leadership, as Executive Producer; plus contributing members from the ELE community.


<hr class="border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5" />
The challenge: when speed overrides listening
The business problem Lorna brought to the April 24 Charrette was one most people in the room had lived personally.
Leaders move fast. Agendas are packed. A decision needs to land before the call ends. Someone asks if there are concerns. Silence follows. The meeting moves on.

<blockquote class="ml-2 border-l-4 border-border-300/10 pl-4 text-text-300">
"Don't assume silence means alignment, right? That's what we're saying." — <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/lorna-malloy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lorna Malloy</a>, Allstate Insurance
</blockquote>
Patti Ouzounian, stepping into the Strategist role, reflected back what she heard — and in doing so, modeled exactly what the format is designed to practice:

<blockquote class="ml-2 border-l-4 border-border-300/10 pl-4 text-text-300">
"Leaders aren't always available to listen to their teams, and they often make assumptions, and base their decisions on those assumptions — and that really overrides any chance for listening, leaving teams and people feeling really unheard, especially during times of change." — <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/patricia-ouzounian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patti Ouzounian</a>, ELE
</blockquote>
That reframe — from "people aren't speaking up" to "we haven't created the conditions for them to" — is the move. It shifts the problem from a people problem to a design problem. And it's exactly the kind of clarity a Design Charrette is built to surface.


<hr class="border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5" />
The reframe: thermostat, not thermometer
Megan Bickle pushed the room on a question worth carrying back to your own team:

<blockquote class="ml-2 border-l-4 border-border-300/10 pl-4 text-text-300">
"Is this a temperature gauge or a thermostat, right?" — <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/megan-bickle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Megan Bickle</a>, Rothy's
</blockquote>
Annual engagement surveys tell you what already happened. Real-time listening lets you adjust before the resistance hardens into a pattern. The group named the cost of the gap clearly: slower execution, eroded trust during change, and a growing disconnect between what leaders think they're hearing and what teams are actually saying.

<blockquote class="ml-2 border-l-4 border-border-300/10 pl-4 text-text-300">
"Without the listening, you don't have a feedback to know if you're on target." — <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/dirk-tussing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dirk Tussing</a>, ELE
</blockquote>

<hr class="border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5" />
What to try next

<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="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">30 days: Add "What did we hear?" as a standing close to key meetings and decisions. Treat silence as an open question — not a green light. Early evidence signal: are different groups still surfacing the same concerns after the decision moved forward?</li>
 	<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">60 days: Build listening checkpoints into change initiatives at the 2–4 week mark — when quiet resistance typically becomes visible. Early evidence signal: are you catching friction before it calcifies into disengagement?<img class="aligncenter" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260424-ELE-Strategic-Listening-90-Day-Implementation-Map.jpg" alt="" width="865" height="477" /></li>
</ul>

<hr class="border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5" />
If any of these insights resonate—and you've got a top-of-mind talent business problem you'd like the ELE community to work on—send it our way.
Members can submit their challenge here: <a class="underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current" href="https://www.ele.llc/faqs/share-top-of-mind-business-challenges">Submit My Challenge Now</a>
Looking to turn these ideas into action? Access the <a href="https://community.ele.llc/t/pre-chat-post-chat-the-art-of-strategic-listening/5861" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Idea Exchange Post-chat</a> for an updated Action Planning Worksheet.

Design Charrette | The Art of Strategic Listening

Digital &amp; AI

Leadership

dirk.tussing

lorna.malloy

wendi.barlow

guillermo.gutierrez

patricia.ouzounian

matt.sernaker

megan.bickle

audrey..hackley

rachel.kaberon

ai practical lab

Leadership Effectiveness

actionable insights

2Q2026

Design Charrette

confidence capability clarity

Senior Talent Leaders

Action Planning Worksheet

ELE 2026

peer-powered learning

execution drag

strategic listening

trust during change

signals-to-action

internal client

talent business problem

peer-driven problem solving

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

Change Management

team-building

leadership development

talent development

organizational change

CHIE2024

jennifer.kern

employee empowerment

HR leadership

HR Strategy

HR Innovation

Strategic HR

sustainable change

Catalyst Leadership

Senior HR Talent

Strategic Delegation

"A completely revised and updated edition of the blockbuster bestseller from 'the personal productivity guru'"—Fast Company

Since it was first published almost fifteen years ago, David Allen’s Getting Things Done has become one of the most influential business books of its era, and the ultimate book on personal organization. “GTD” is now shorthand for an entire way of approaching professional and personal tasks, and has spawned an entire culture of websites, organizational tools, seminars, and offshoots.

Allen has rewritten the book from start to finish, tweaking his classic text with important perspectives on the new workplace, and adding material that will make the book fresh and relevant for years to come. This new edition of Getting Things Done will be welcomed not only by its hundreds of thousands of existing fans but also by a whole new generation eager to adopt its proven principles.

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Performance Improvement

time management

productivity

Personal Development

Task Management

executive coaching

stress reduction

laura.sandera

Efficiency

Focus and Concentration

Team Productivity

Strategic Planning

Personal Organization

Workflow Management

Workplace Organization

An INFLUENCER leads change.
An INFLUENCER replaces bad behaviors with powerful new skills.
An INFLUENCER makes things happen.
This is what it takes to be an INFLUENCER.

Whether you're a CEO, a parent, or merely a person who wants to make a difference, you probably wish you had more influence with the people in your life. But most of us stop trying to make change happen because we believe it is too difficult, if not impossible. We learn to cope rather than learning to influence.

From the bestselling authors who taught the world how to have Crucial Conversations comes the new edition of Influencer, a thought provoking book that combines the remarkable insights of behavioral scientists and business leaders with the astonishing stories of high powered influencers from all walks of life. You'll be taught each and every step of the influence process including robust strategies for making change inevitable in your personal life, your business, and your world. You'll learn how to:
<ul class="a-unordered-list a-vertical">
 	<li>Identify high leverage behaviors that lead to rapid and profound change</li>
 	<li>Apply strategies for changing both thoughts and actions</li>
 	<li>Marshal six sources of influence to make change inevitable</li>
</ul>
Influencer takes you on a fascinating journey from San Francisco to Thailand to South Africa, where you'll see how seemingly "insignificant" people are making incredibly significant improvements in solving problems others would think impossible. You'll learn how savvy folks make change not only achievable and sustainable, but inevitable. You'll discover breakthrough ways of changing the key behaviors that lead to greater safety, productivity, quality, and customer service.

No matter who you are or what you do, you'll never learn a more valuable or important set of principles and skills. Once you tap into the power of influence, you can reach out and help others work smarter, grow faster, live, look, and feel better and even save lives. The sky is the limit . . . for an Influencer.

Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change

organizational development

Communication Strategies

change leadership

Influencing Skills

Strategic Influence

Driving Change

Motivation and Change

Behavior Change

Stakeholder Management

Impactful Leadership

terresa.bubbers

Goodall shares a perspective that resonated greatly with me - change has become a cult, treated as a sacred easy button for leaders and organizations. The problem that change initiatives often disregard the change toll or on the people and organization's resources for true transformation. What if there were fewer change initiatives and more resources/effort were put into improving what already exists? What if there was more stability and less turbulence that would allow people to thrive? Fix what's really broken, transform what's not longer relevant, and create environment and systems that honor humans.

If you’ve had enough of the constant turbulence that defines corporate life today, you’re not alone.  Learn why change is bad for people and for business, and discover how to create the stability that we all need to thrive.

For decades, “disruption” and “change” have been seen as essential to business growth and success. In this provocative and incisive book, leadership expert Ashley Goodall argues that what has become a sacred dogma is both wrong and harmful.

Whether it’s a merger or re-org or a new office layout, change has become the ultimate easy button for leaders, who pursue it with abandon, unleashing a torrent of disruption on employees. The result is what Goodall calls “life in the blender”—a perpetual cycle of upheaval, uncertainty, and unease.

The problem with change, Goodall argues, is that a culture where everything from people to processes to strategic priorities are constantly in flux exerts a psychological toll that undermines motivation, productivity, and performance.  And yet so accustomed are we to constant churn that we have become numb to its very real consequences.

Drawing on two decades spent leading HR organizations at Deloitte and Cisco, Ashley Goodall reveals why change is not the same as improvement, and how, by prioritizing team cohesion (instead of reshuffling teams at will), by using real words (rather than corporate-speak), by sharing secrets (not mission statements), by fixing only the things that are truly broken (instead of moving fast and breaking everything in sight, and more, leaders at every level can create the stability that people need to thrive.

The Problem With Change And the Essential Nature of Human Performance

Engagement &amp; Culture

corinne@innovatingresults.com

talent management

employee engagement

organizational culture

resilience

Burnout Prevention

diana.anderson

employee wellbeing

Corporate Strategy

human performance

workplace stability

The next step in HR’s creation of value―turning the war for talent into victory through organization

“HR is not about HR. HR begins and ends with the business.”

The RBL Group and the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan have shaped much of the HR profession for 30 years through the Human Resource Competency Study (HRCS). With this latest (7th) round of research, Dave Ulrich, David Kryscynski, Mike Ulrich and Wayne Brockbank call for us to pivot from fighting the “war for talent”―to creating victory through organization.

Sure to be an HR classic, Victory Through Organization provides the rationale for shifting your focus from how to help individuals prosper to the organization. Filled with fact-based insights and field-tested strategies, it demonstrates that organizational success isn’t just about the talent you have―it’s about how the collective organization makes the individual talent better. To this end, HR professionals and business leaders will learn:

• How they can ensure that organization creates greater value than the sum of individual talent parts.
• How to create more integrated HR solutions for business results across multiple stakeholders
• How HR departments can better create a comprehensive information advantage
• How HR professions can master the competencies that have greatest impact on their personal effectiveness, key inside and outside stakeholders, and business results

Victory Through Organization offers tools business leaders and HR professionals need to better respond to emerging opportunities, and it provides expert advice for building HR departments to deliver measurable business value. You will learn how to build organization capabilities, strengthen systems, and empower human capital―for longer lasting success.

Building and retaining a solid, talented workforce is a great thing. Creating the competitive organization that wins is even more important for business results.

Victory Through Organization: Why the War for Talent is Failing Your Company and What You Can Do About It

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