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Panel Proposals

Operational Excellence

The GRITT Stress Test Every ESOP Needs: Are Your People, Culture, and Numbers Ready?

Monday, April 6, 2026
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM CDT
Location: 104
CE: 3

Sponsored By 
CE Type: SHRM
Education Level: For All Levels
This session equips ESOP leaders with a powerful, people-centered approach to evaluating and strengthening the long-term health of their organization. We’ll explore the GRITT Stress Test framework by examining how optimistic thinking drives individual resilience and ownership culture; why psychological safety is essential for teams to communicate, adapt, and perform under pressure; and how modern talent strategies, supported by people data and technology, create a workforce built to thrive. Participants will gain practical insights and tools to enhance engagement, predict and navigate stress points, and align their people, culture, and systems for sustainable ESOP success.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Participants will learn the science behind Explanatory Style—the mental habits that shape how people interpret challenges, setbacks, and successes—and why these habits are a foundational driver of ESOP culture and performance.
  2. Participants will discover how belonging, trust, and interpersonal safety enable people to adapt more quickly, communicate more openly, and respond creatively to uncertainty.
  3. Attendees will walk through a clear Talent Management Strategy Map that aligns people, roles, systems, and technology in support of a high-performing ownership culture.