The further a decision travels from the work, the more people it can hurt.
AI is about to send every decision further than ever.
Chelsea Stoll helps leaders bring AI and big change into their organizations without losing the people who do the work.
Twenty years in HR taught her why it matters. Chelsea led HR through a union campaign at the top producing plant of a Fortune 250 food company. Pay was excellent. Benefits were excellent. People organized anyway, because somewhere along the way decisions started being made for them, not with them. She calls the distance that caused it the Proximity Gap, and she teaches leaders the practical skills to close it.
“AI can tell you what is happening in a seat. Only proximity can put you in it.”
Chelsea Stoll
THE PROXIMITY GAP
The higher you go, the less you can see.
Close to the work, expertise is your best tool. The further you climb, the more curiosity has to replace it. AI is widening that distance faster than ever.
Front line
90 / 10
You know the job because you do the job. Your expertise is what people need from you.
The middle
50 / 50
You translate between the people doing the work and the people deciding about it.
The top
10 / 90
You decide for people you can’t see. Curiosity has to do the seeing, or people get decided for, not with.
The fix isn’t more updates. It’s care, curiosity, and connection. Every workplace can still feel like a local.
“It's hard to leave one of Chelsea's sessions without feeling motivated, inspired, and ready to take action.”
KRISTIN ESCHWEILER, WOMEN LEAD CHANGE
KEYNOTES AND WORKSHOPS
One idea. Three ways to close the gap.
Every talk names the gap, then gives leaders a skill they can use on Monday morning. Each one is also available as a 3 hour workshop.
Lead The Many
Why great companies lose their people in the age of AI, and how to decide well for people you can’t see.
The Proximity Gap
Lead A Team
Communication into Connection
Why “communication” never improves on the survey, and LOCAL, five steps that turn updates into trust.
Lead Yourself
What You Bring to the Table
When AI can write your job description, what sets you apart is what you uniquely bring to the people around you.
STILL AT THE TABLE
Chelsea brings 20 years of HR leadership to the stage, and she’s still at the bargaining table.
As Founder of Versed HR, Chelsea currently negotiates contracts for local governments in Iowa and advises cities, counties, and nonprofits on real people decisions every week. Every talk is built on what she is seeing at the table this month.
Pro-employee, not anti-union. She comes to the table for collaboration, not opposition, starting from what is best for the employees rather than anyone’s ego.
CHELSEA HAS WORKED WITH
BEYOND THE STAGE
The story behind the work.
From the plant floor to the boardroom to the bargaining table, Chelsea’s career has been one long lesson in staying close to the people you lead.
LET’S CHAT!
Ready to bring Chelsea to your event?
Tell Chelsea about your audience, your event, and what you want people to walk away feeling.
She promises she makes a heavy topic fun to talk about!