ELE Group, LLC

Journyz

<blockquote data-start="772" data-end="868">
“Most of what surfaced here has nothing to do with learning—and everything to do with how work is designed.” — <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/brian-gold" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brian Gold</a>, Acrisure.
</blockquote>
The ELE Ideation Sprint offered a timely reminder that many of today’s capability challenges do not show up as obvious skills gaps. Instead, they surface quietly in everyday work: in manager workarounds, ambiguous decisions, delayed conversations, and teams absorbing more risk than expected just to keep things moving.

What leaders heard during the sprint was not a call for more training. Managers were not asking for new programs or tools. They were describing work that had changed without being formally redesigned. Roles were stretching beyond their original scope. Expectations were shifting without explicit conversation. Decision rights were becoming less clear.

That friction isn’t noise. It’s signal.
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/What-Managers-Actually-Surfaced.jpg" alt="" width="779" height="466" />
What surfaced across manager conversations

As participants compared real manager moments across organizations, a consistent pattern emerged. Reskilling needs are showing up first as judgment, risk, and decision challenges, not as requests for learning. Capability gaps appear as hesitation, uncertainty, and overload long before they show up in performance metrics, engagement surveys, or development plans.

Managers are navigating higher stakes work with faster timelines, tighter scrutiny, and greater system dependence, often without updated guardrails or shared definitions of “good work.” In response, many compensate quietly by stepping in, redistributing work, or softening expectations. Over time, these adaptations normalize risk and hide deeper structural gaps.

This reframes how leaders should think about reskilling altogether.

Three insights felt especially important for leaders designing team-based learning experiences:

First, manager conversations are the earliest capability sensor.
When leaders look across manager input not one story at a time, but in patterns they can detect role drift, uneven adaptation, and system strain early. These signals surface in everyday decisions, not in formal development requests. By the time learning demand is explicit, the organization is often already carrying risk.

Second, many “reskilling” challenges are actually design challenges.
Unclear workflows, broken handoffs, ambiguous decision ownership, and outdated role definitions cannot be trained away. The sprint helped leaders slow down long enough to diagnose whether an issue was rooted in skill, system, or structure and to respond intentionally rather than reflexively. This distinction proved critical for avoiding well-intended but misdirected learning interventions.

Third, learning works best in the flow of real work.
A key shift for participants was learning how to ask open-ended, work-centered questions that surfaced real problems instead of defaulting to one-track training conversations. When L&amp;D leaders resisted the urge to jump to solutions and instead invited managers to describe what felt hard, risky, or unclear, the conversation changed.

Rather than narrowing quickly to “what course do we need,” discussions opened up into a clearer understanding of how the work itself had changed and what kind of response was actually required. This approach consistently elevated L&amp;D’s role with the business.
<blockquote data-start="1289" data-end="1362">
“This gives L&amp;D a way to go back to the business with real value—not just more programs.” — <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/brian-gold" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brian Gold</a>, Acrisure.
</blockquote>
A different role for L&amp;D

One of the most important outcomes of the sprint was how it reframed the role of learning leaders. Instead of acting primarily as program designers or solution providers, participants left better equipped to serve as sense-makers and partners in diagnosing change.

Even when the answer was not training, L&amp;D leaders could guide their business partners toward clearer problem definition, better decisions, and more appropriate responses. That shift alone changes the credibility and impact of learning in the organization.

The bigger move is not about faster deployment or better content. It is about designing experiences that help teams see what has changed in the work, make smarter decisions together, and adapt in real time.
That’s the kind of capability-building work that will matter most in 2026.
𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓: The ELE Ideation Sprint focuses on reskilling closer to real work. Rather than starting with large-scale frameworks or tools, the sprint centers on practical manager–employee conversations and the early signals that reveal where capability is actually breaking down. The goal is not to jump to solutions, but to identify and validate the real problem space worth solving.

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒? Explore the <a href="https://www.ele.llc/faqs/innovation-sprint-reskilling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ELE Ideation Sprint FAQs</a> or reach the ELE team at help@ele.llc.

ELE Ideation Sprint — Reskilling Closer to Real Work

future of work

Future of Work

Leadership

dirk.tussing

azizeh.constantinescu

missy.gonzales

Performance Improvement

organizational capability

Performance Consulting

brian.gold

manager effectiveness

work design

Talent Leadership

capability building

manager coaching

deepa.kartha

ali.glaser

Ideation Sprint

1Q2026

workforce adaptation

learning in the flow of work

work clarity

reskilling signals

manager moments

elevated HR

root cause analysis

rapid learning

AI practicality

scaling capability

AI and talent

manager conversations

Alter Domus

HumanSide

Built from ELE’s May 22 Design Charrette, this AI Practical Lab focuses on a practical leadership challenge: moving from uncertainty to better decision support in coaching. We’ll explore how AI in the loop coaching can help managers prepare better, follow through more consistently, and support stronger coaching conversations—without losing the human judgment, trust, and context that make coaching matter. This is a hands-on working experience designed to help leaders turn coaching from a good intention into a more practical, repeatable part of how work gets done.

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_44940" align="aligncenter" width="835"]<img class=" wp-image-44940" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Gemini_Generated_Image_CRIT-model.jpg" alt="Infographic of the CRIT model for AI leading, breaking down Context, Role, Interview, and Task with icons and descriptions for each step." width="835" height="455" /> The CRIT Model for AI-driven leadership, from Geoff Woods.[/caption]

What we’ll do (live working experience):
You’ll use ELE’s Action Planning Worksheet to move from uncertainty to a more practical, repeatable approach to coaching with AI in the loop.
In this live working experience, we will:

<ul data-start="243" data-end="786" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">
 	<li data-start="243" data-end="342">Define one real coaching moment or manager workflow where better decision support is needed</li>
 	<li data-start="343" data-end="443">Clarify where AI can add value through stronger preparation, consistency, and follow-through</li>
 	<li data-start="444" data-end="538">Identify where human judgment still matters most in trust, context, and interpretation</li>
 	<li data-start="539" data-end="624">Apply the CRIT Model to structure sharper prompts and better coaching support</li>
 	<li data-start="625" data-end="698">Map the right balance between AI assistance and manager ownership</li>
 	<li data-start="699" data-end="786" data-is-last-node="">Build a 30-day action plan to test and apply AI in the loop coaching in real work</li>
</ul>

<hr data-start="1196" data-end="1199" />
Who you’ll work with:

<ul data-start="1227" data-end="1290">
 	<li data-start="1227" data-end="1246">Internal Client</li>
 	<li data-start="1247" data-end="1267">AI Learning Guru</li>
 	<li data-start="1268" data-end="1290">Real-world Skeptic</li>
</ul>

<hr data-start="1292" data-end="1295" />
What you’ll walk away with:

<ul data-start="1330" data-end="1488">
 	<li data-start="33" data-end="106">A 30-day action plan to test AI in the loop coaching in real work</li>
 	<li data-start="107" data-end="181">One coaching workflow or manager moment you can improve right away</li>
 	<li data-start="182" data-end="269" data-is-last-node="">Clearer judgment about where AI helps—and where human coaching still matters most</li>
</ul>
Below is the Action Planning Worksheet we’ll use live:
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-44983" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2026-03MAR-Zurich-Charrette-Action-Planning-Worksheet-Updated-2026APR09.jpg" alt="Action planning worksheet for ELE AI Practical Lab showing sections for Situation, From-To shift, Insight, Choice, Risk, Opportunities, and Actions (Next 30 Days) focused on applying AI to real decisions and workflows." width="922" height="560" />
If AI isn’t changing how decisions get made, it’s not adoption yet.
Join us to move from experimentation → to real work.


<hr data-start="1292" data-end="1295" />

ELE produces this member-only monthly AI Practical Lab on Zoom.
Collaborate online with your peers on our <a title="ELE's Idea Exchange" href="https://www.ele.llc/idea-exchange/">Idea Exchange</a> to keep the conversation going!

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

✨ AI Practical Lab: From Uncertainty to Decision Support — AI in the Loop Coaching

single-event

Team Leaders

Learning Circles

Virtual Cohort

upskilling

leadership development

anton.maletich

keri.kersten

online event

marty.murrillo

Digital

ChatGPT

AI tools

AI in HR

GenAI

ai practical lab

nicole.defalco

2Q2026

dustin.brewer

AI reskilling

human judgment

AI in the Loop Coaching

Decision Support

Coaching Workflow

AI at Work

Action Planning Worksheet

<blockquote data-start="758" data-end="903">
“Only 2% of CHROs believe their current system actually works.” — Deloitte’s 2025 Human Capital Trends
</blockquote>
At Milwaukee Talent Development Conference 2025, senior talent leaders came together to tackle one of the most stubborn problems in HR: performance management systems that drain time, strain relationships, and rarely drive real outcomes. As panelist Angie Zeigler put it:

<blockquote data-start="758" data-end="903">
“Performance management is like a dandelion—we keep pulling it, but it keeps coming back. The effort we put in just doesn’t match the results.” — <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/angie-zeigler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angie Zeigler</a>
</blockquote>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-43043" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Innovated-Perf-Mgmt-with-AngieZ.jpg" alt="Innovative Performance Management: Elevating Outcomes" width="2352" height="1568" />
The panel—including Angie, <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/ann-klitzke">Ann Klitzke</a>, <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/suzanne-sherry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Suzanne Sherry</a>, and <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/yolanda-mangram">Yolanda Mangram</a>—shared how traditional PM approaches have become compliance rituals that fail to inspire growth, fairness, or strategic alignment. And yet, when reimagined with intention and simplicity, performance management can become one of the most powerful levers for development, engagement, and culture transformation.

<h3 class="" data-start="1292" data-end="1345">What leading organizations are doing differently:</h3>
<ul data-start="1346" data-end="1886">
 	<li class="" data-start="1346" data-end="1446">
Replacing static reviews with frequent, meaningful conversations that build trust and clarity.
</li>
 	<li class="" data-start="1447" data-end="1543">
Anchoring performance systems in growth and development, not just ratings or compensation.
</li>
 	<li class="" data-start="1544" data-end="1655">
Training managers as coaches—with tools, questions, and feedback frameworks that make conversations real.
</li>
 	<li class="" data-start="1656" data-end="1778">
Using AI responsibly to support bias detection, goal alignment, and calibration—without losing the human connection.
</li>
 	<li class="" data-start="1779" data-end="1886">
Elevating purpose, recognition, and emotional connection as core drivers of motivation and retention.
</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="" data-start="1888" data-end="1916">🎯 What you can do next:</h3>
<ul data-start="1917" data-end="2415">
 	<li class="" data-start="1917" data-end="2010">
Reevaluate the true purpose of your system—is it driving performance or checking boxes?
</li>
 	<li class="" data-start="2011" data-end="2110">
Introduce lightweight employee-driven feedback loops to track check-in frequency and quality.
</li>
 	<li class="" data-start="2111" data-end="2210">
Equip managers with scripts, coaching scenarios, and role-play exercises to build capability.
</li>
 	<li class="" data-start="2211" data-end="2324">
Pilot AI tools for goal-writing, fairness audits, and manager enablement—always with intentional oversight.
</li>
 	<li class="" data-start="2325" data-end="2415">
Rebalance your reward strategy to emphasize development and belonging alongside pay.
</li>
</ul>
Performance management isn't broken—it’s misaligned. Leaders who treat it as a growth engine instead of a rating mechanism are seeing measurable gains in engagement, productivity, and retention. As shown in examples from Rolls-Royce and other high-performing orgs, success lies in shifting the mindset from accountability to partnership, from documentation to dialogue. If your current process feels like pulling weeds, it may be time to plant something better—something rooted in clarity, fairness, and human connection.

✨ AI Practical Lab: From Uncertainty to Decision Support — AI in the Loop Coaching

Login