Next Element

09/01/2026

“I just tell it as it is.”

Directness can be a leadership strength. But intent and impact aren’t always the same thing.

When delivery starts to undermine trust, people may stop asking questions, sharing ideas or speaking openly, even when honesty was the intention.

In our latest blog, we explore:

🔵 Why directness itself isn’t the problem

🟢 The difference between “telling it as it is” and “telling it like I see it”

🔵 How ORPO supports clearer, more productive conversations

🟢 What to do when you’re on the receiving end

Can you be direct AND strengthen the relationship?

Absolutely.

Read the full blog here ⬇️

https://www.next-element.com/resources/blog/telling-it-as-it-is-is-it-effective-in-leadership/

Does “telling it like it is” build trust or damage it? Explore how leaders can communicate directly while protecting relationships and driving results with Compassionate Accountability.

08/26/2026

Trust doesn’t break because things get difficult in the workplace.

How we handle those difficult moments determines whether we strengthen trust, or erode it.

In our Trust and Conflict at Work study, we found that that 83% of people believe trust comes before conflict.

Yet 92% believe conflict can actually build trust when it’s handled well.

That creates an interesting paradox.

We need trust to feel able to engage when things get difficult, but those difficult moments are also where trust has the opportunity to grow.

It’s not about creating workplaces where tension, disagreement, or difficult conversations don’t happen, that's not productive.

It’s about the capability to build relationships while getting results, which we call Compassionate Accountability®.

You can read our full research study here ⬇️

https://www.next-element.com/trust-and-conflict/

08/25/2026

People all over the globe are reading Compassionate Accountability.



🔵 HR Leaders

🟢 Coaches

🔵 Senior Executives



All of these people reading have one thing in common:



They value people and results!



Our book explores how you bring the two together, building connection while getting results!



And right now you can save 35% on your copy through September 4th.



Use code LEADINTOFALL on the Berrett- Koehler website at checkout.



Grab yourself a copy today ⬇️

https://bkconnection.com/products/9781523004553_compassionate-accountability?_pos=1&_psq=compasi&_psid=508e5d96d&_ss=e

08/24/2026

What happens when leaders prioritize people at the expense of performance, or performance at the expense of people?

Neither approach is sustainable.

Our latest blog explores why the strongest leaders learn to develop compassion and accountability together.

🔵 Compassion without accountability can weaken follow-through and behavioral trust.

🟢 Accountability without compassion can erode emotional trust.

🔵 Strong leaders address difficult issues while protecting dignity, connection, and results.

Compassionate Accountability® offers a different way forward.

Read the full blog to explore why the best leaders don’t choose between people and performance.

Read the blog here ⬇️

https://www.next-element.com/resources/blog/the-best-leaders-dont-choose-between-compassion-and-accountability/

Leaders who develop compassion and accountability together create stronger teams than leaders who lean heavily toward either one alone.

08/21/2026

What if there were a better way to handle tension without sacrificing relationships or results?

That’s at the heart of our award winning book, 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆®: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀, written by our CEO Dr Nate Regier.

The book introduces a practical approach to Compassionate Accountability that challenges the idea that we have to choose between people and performance.

It explores how we can navigate difficult situations, strengthen relationships, and hold ourselves and others accountable while still getting results.

From 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟰 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟰, you can 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝟯𝟱% on Compassionate Accountability® as part of the publisher’s Lead Into Fall sale.

Use code 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟 at checkout.

Orders over $65 can also use FREESHIP for free shipping.

Ready to build relationships and get results?

Get your copy here ⬇️
https://bkconnection.com/collections/leadership/products/9781523004539_compassionate-accountability

08/19/2026

Yesterday, we shared that employees spend nearly one-third of their workday dealing with tension.

But what sits underneath all that tension?

Exhaustion.

The mental load of difficult conversations, strained relationships, unresolved issues, and constantly managing how we respond takes energy.

For organizations, exhaustion can mean lower productivity, reduced engagement, more mistakes, absence, and people simply having less capacity to perform at their best.

For individuals, it doesn’t necessarily stop when the workday does.

It can affect confidence, relationships, wellbeing, and our ability to feel fulfilled in what we do.

Connection, esteem, and fulfillment are basic human needs.

Compassionate Accountability® helps create the conditions for these needs to be supported.

Explore the Compassionate Accountability Hub for practical resources to help the people in your organzation to build connection, while getting results ⬇️

https://www.next-element.com/resources/

08/18/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻?

Think about how easily it happens.

🔵 A difficult conversation gets avoided.

🟢 A misunderstanding takes three meetings to unravel.

🔵 Two colleagues stop communicating properly.

🟢 A manager spends hours trying to resolve an issue that keeps resurfacing.

Meanwhile, deadlines don’t move, customers still need answers and targets still need to be met.

The real cost of workplace tension isn’t always visible on a balance sheet.

It shows up in lost focus, repeated conversations, strained relationships, slower decisions, and time spent dealing with issues instead of moving work forward.

And that time adds up.

Our 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 & 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 found that employees spend nearly 𝟯𝟱% of their workday dealing with conflict.

If that number feels uncomfortably familiar, explore what our research uncovered about trust, tension, and leadership at work.

Read the full Trust & Conflict at Work research paper here ⬇️

https://www.next-element.com/trust-and-conflict/

08/14/2026

We’ve already trained our people. Why isn’t it working?

It’s a fair question.

Organizations invest significant time, energy, and money into training, expecting it to translate into lasting changes in behavior.

But knowing what to do and consistently doing it are two very different things.

Real behavior change takes practice, reinforcement, accountability, and a shared framework people can return to when things get difficult.

Training can introduce the skills.

Culture determines whether they stick.

In our latest blog, we explore why one-off training rarely creates lasting transformation, and what organizations can do differently to embed healthier, more productive ways of working.

Read the full article here ⬇️

https://www.next-element.com/resources/blog/weve-already-trained-our-people-why-isnt-it-working/

Organizations across the globe invest heavily in training. From leadership development, conflict management, and communication skills, to coaching and performance management.People attend the workshops, they engage in the exercises. They leave with new tools and, often, genuine enthusiasm about putt...

08/13/2026

What does Compassionate Accountability® actually mean?

At its heart, it’s remarkably simple:

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀.

Too often, we treat these as competing priorities. We focus on people at the expense of performance, or push for results at the expense of relationships.

Compassionate Accountability brings the two together.

In this short Q&A, our CEO Nathan Regier, Ph.D. explains the big idea behind Compassionate Accountability and why healthy relationships and meaningful results don’t have to come at the expense of one another.

Explore more videos on our YouTube channel and discover what’s possible when compassion and accountability work together.

https://www.youtube.com/

08/11/2026

What if the problems you can see aren't actually the problem?

❎Missed deadlines.

❎Difficult conversations.

❎Avoidance.

❎Frustration.

❎Poor accountability.

❎Tension between teams.

These are often the symptoms.

Underneath them are patterns in how people respond when pressure rises.

🟢Some avoid.

🔵Some blame.

🟢Some take over.

🔵Some accommodate.

🟢Some step in and take responsibility for everyone else.

And unless you can see those patterns, it's difficult to know what really needs to change.

That's where insight comes in.

The Compassionate Accountability® Assessment helps individuals and teams understand how they respond under pressure, giving organizations a clearer picture of where capability already exists and where development is needed.

Because before you invest in changing behavior, you need to understand what's driving it.

📍Join us on August 29th at 10am CT, where Nate Regier, Ph.D. and Aaron Chappell Deckert, will be hosting our next free Compassionate Accountability webinar ⬇️

Do Your Leaders Have an SOP for Conversations That Matter?

More information on the event link below, registration is required.

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/SXDvMqV4TmekIG3czGnlrA #/registration