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DX Learning Solutions

ELE Group, LLC

Session Overview:
In the Midwest, “nice” is a leadership default, but not always a performance driver.

While being nice can create short-term harmony, it often results in long-term dysfunction: avoided conversations, a lack of clarity, and underperformance cloaked in politeness.
In this interactive, no-fluff session, <a style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.ele.llc/members/alex-draper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Draper</a> (Founder of DX Learning and author of CARE to Win®) and <a style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.ele.llc/members/richard-rykhus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Richard Rykhus</a> (Head of Global L&amp;D at Shure) challenge the norm of “Midwest Nice” and introduce a new, practical standard: Kind Leadership, where leaders lead with a system that build an environment where candor and care can flourish.

Why? Because culture is a mirror of leadership. And if leaders model avoidance or ambiguity under the guise of being "nice," those habits cascade through teams.
This session invites HR, Talent, and Learning professionals to explore what it takes to evolve their culture from comfortable avoidance to courageous alignment.
.
<img class="aligncenter wp-image-8919" src="https://wp.ele.llc/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DraperAlex-crop.jpg" alt="Experiential Learning:" width="946" height="512" />

What You’ll Experience
Through candid storytelling and peer-driven discussion, you’ll explore:

<ul>
 	<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
 	<li>Why “nice” is often rooted in conflict avoidance, not care—and how it undermines trust and performance</li>
 	<li>How “kind” leaders use clarity to reduce ambiguity, accountability to inspire ownership, and care to build trust</li>
 	<li>Real-world examples of nice in action and example from those shifting norms without sacrificing empathy</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
You’ll also reflect on your organization’s spot on the DX Nice–Kind Spectrum, and leave with actionable tools to:
<ul>
 	<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
 	<li>Hold people accountable without being harsh</li>
 	<li>Offer feedback without micromanaging</li>
 	<li>Build psychological safety without enabling underperformance</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Who Should Join
This session is designed for HR, Talent, and L&amp;D leaders across the Midwest who want culture to show up in day-to-day behaviors, not just posters and slogans.
If you're responsible for:
<ul>
 	<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
 	<li>Building trust across levels</li>
 	<li>Helping managers lead through ambiguity</li>
 	<li>Making performance expectations more human and more clear</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
…this session is for you.
You'll connect with peers facing similar cultural friction points—especially in organizations where kindness and courage need to coexist.

How It Works
We’ll start with a short insight from Alex Draper (drawing from CARE to Win®) and then move into real-time reflection and peer dialogue.
Together, we’ll unpack:
<ul>
 	<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
 	<li>How to build clarity without control</li>
 	<li>How to set high standards without shame</li>
 	<li>How to use empathy without enabling</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
This isn’t theory. You’ll walk away with:
<ul>
 	<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
 	<li>Practical tools to embed CARE (Clarity, Autonomy, Relationships, Equity) into your culture</li>
 	<li>A lens to assess where leadership behaviors might be blocking performance</li>
 	<li>A renewed sense of possibility for your role in reshaping norms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Why This Matters Now
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, only 23% of employees are engaged globally, and trust in leadership is at a historic low.
Midwestern cultures, often defined by humility and harmony, risk stagnation if discomfort is avoided. As Alex Draper writes:

<blockquote data-start="1038" data-end="1155">
“Empathy without clarity is enabling. Clarity without empathy is cruelty. But together, they unlock accountability with care.”
</blockquote>
Want to go deeper?
This discussion draws on Care to Win: The 4 Leadership Habits to Build High-Performing Teams (Revised Edition) (Oct 28, 2025).
Explore the book on <a href="https://www.ele.llc/members/bookshelf?member=alex-draper">Alex's ELE Bookshelf</a>
Join the ELE Conversation
These every-other-Friday discussions are part of ELE’s ongoing peer exchange for leaders shaping talent and work in the AI era. Come ready to listen, contribute, and learn alongside peers testing ideas in real organizations and sharing what they’re learning.
Recordings are posted to <a href="https://www.ele.llc/insights">ELE Insights</a> within 2–4 business days.
&nbsp;

Beyond Midwest Nice: Building high performing environments of Clarity, Candor, and Courage

single-event

future of work

Your Teams

Learning Circles

digital transformation

alex.draper

innovation

upskilling

leadership development

talent development

richard.rykhus

Complimentary

online event

complimentary event

Talent Strategy

Culture Change

psychological safety

collaboration

accountability

trust

employee experience

Future of Work

Engagement &amp; Culture

continuous learning

reskilling

L&amp;D

performance

matt.sernaker

organizational culture

david.scherer

manager effectiveness

HR leaders

AI in HR

change leadership

workplace adaptation

knowledge sharing

High Performing Teams

actionable insights

practical strategies

cindy.pinkstaffmiller

people-first leadership

1Q2026

AI and learning

AI reskilling

leadership habits

care to win

Alex Draper

DX Learning

learning leaders

values in action

leadership in practice

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

work-life balance

Focus

Concentration

Digital Distraction

Career

Success

Creativity

Goal Setting

Self-Improvement

Mindfulness

Technology

Personal Growth

Effective evaluation and measurement of learning and development initiatives is critical to maximise the impact of training, identify gaps for improvement and ensure that efforts are aligned to the business' needs. Learning Analytics outlines how analytical approaches can respond to these challenges, the types and benefits of technological solutions and how to ask the right questions of organizational data in order to build a learning organization that boosts performance and competitive advantage.
Drawing upon case studies from organizations who have applied such approaches such as The Gap, Hilton Worldwide University and Seagate Technology, Learning Analytics will enable those involved in learning and development to make the business case for their activities and deliver an evidence-based service to their organizations. Alongside updated chapters on learning technology tools and moving beyond learning analytics to talent management analytics, this second edition also features new content on measuring informal learning, increasing data literacy, and framing L&amp;D's contributions through a portfolio evaluation approach.

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