Humanizing IT Leadership

HDI Chicagoland: Executive Leadership Day Agenda:

April 25, 2025

Humanizing IT Leadership is no longer just a concept—it’s a mission-critical capability and a competitive advantage. Why? Because the data is indisputable: According to McKinsey, an alarming 70% of digital transformations fail, largely due to a fundamental disconnect between leadership behavior and organizational culture.

Happy employees drive results. With 3x the revenue growth, when compared to a company of unhappy employees. Humanizing IT Leadership has been proven to generate 3x more revenue and outperform the stock market by 3x—while disengaged teams drag growth down.

Trust and respect aren’t perks—they’re performance drivers.

Furthermore, a recent study by Harvard Business Review reveals a sobering truth—92% of employees feel undervalued, and shockingly, only 24% believe their leaders consistently demonstrate empathy in the workplace.

Now, add in the relentless pressure of accelerating AI adoption, the complexities of hybrid work, and the demands of continuous innovation, and the stakes climb even higher. As a result, leaders who fail to evolve beyond traditional, transactional models are placing their organizations at risk. Indeed, without a deliberate shift to human-centric leadership, even the most cutting-edge digital strategies are destined to stall—or collapse entirely.

🧠 The Case for Urgency: Why Now?

Therefore, the call to action is clear: To thrive in this era of exponential change, IT leaders must move beyond managing technology and begin championing trust, empathy, and adaptability as core capabilities. Because in 2025 and beyond, those who lead boldly—by humanizing IT—will be the ones who shape the future.

Let’s face it—technology is outpacing and evolving faster than leadership. Consider these urgent indicators:

Gartner predicts that by 2026, 90% of CIOs will fail to meet performance expectations without embracing human-first leadership approaches.
The Wall Street Journal warns of mounting AI fatigue, largely due to poor leadership communication and lack of employee support.
Forbes reports that Gen Z professionals rank empathy as the #1 trait they seek in a leader, above even technical competence.
And IDC confirms that while 90% of enterprises will adopt GenAI by 2026, just 23% feel ready culturally to lead that transformation.

📌 Translation: If you don’t develop leadership agility and emotional intelligence now, you’ll be leading yesterday’s IT strategy in tomorrow’s world.

🗓 Event Spotlight: Executive Leadership Day – Chicago

Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM CT

🗂️ Agenda Highlights:

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Panel: The New Expectations of Today’s Leaders
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Networking Lunch
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Executive Spotlights
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Cocktail Networking Reception

🔊 Chicago HDI Featured Thought Leaders

🎤 Wesley Eugene – SVP, Humanising IT- HIT Global Services

2023 CIO of the Year Finalist. Brings a human-first leadership model that directly impacts loyalty, engagement, and business outcomes. He is lead the exclusive Humanising IT Masterclass on April 30 for a deep-dive masterclass that turns human-first principles into repeatable, scalable leadership strategy.

🎤 Doug Rabold – CX Leader, XLA Institute

Champion of Experience Level Agreements (XLAs), Doug will show how focusing on user sentiment and satisfaction changes how IT value is measured.

🎤 Tim Lawes – VP, SymphonyAI

With deep roots in enterprise AI, Tim translates advanced technology into human-centered digital impact—proving that innovation and empathy can coexist.

🎤 Barrett Shrader – Managing Director, Protiviti

A proven strategist through economic disruption, Barrett connects resilient leadership with consistent performance—even amid AI-driven change.

🎓 Humanising IT Masterclass – April 30

Why attend and leave transformation to chance when you can be learning how to redefine and deliver happy humans who innovate and drive profit?
Join Wesley Eugene is leading this highly compelling deep-dive masterclass that turns human-first principles into repeatable, scalable leadership strategy.

🎟 Reserve Your Seat Now – Spots are Limited

🔧 Power Tool of the Modern Tech Leader

✅ XLAs – The Experience Evolution

Move beyond traditional SLAs. XLAs focus on what your customers and employees actually feel, enabling outcome-driven decision-making.

🧭 Final Call: The Future Is Human Powered Digital

When you fully realize the transformative power of managing IT in tandem with applying human-centered strategies that uplift and empower people, everything changes. Indeed, it’s no longer enough to simply manage systems or implement tools. Instead, success now hinges more than ever on how effectively you lead—how deeply you inspire, how intentionally you connect, and how boldly you humanize your approach.

Furthermore, as AI, automation, and hybrid work relentlessly accelerate and reshape the enterprise landscape, one truth becomes increasingly undeniable:

The most powerful and sustainable competitive edge any organization can cultivate is human-centered leadership. Technology may drive change, but it is leadership that determines whether that change leads to progress or disruption.

This is precisely where Humanizing IT becomes essential—it provides the ‘how’ behind leading with empathy, trust, and purpose.
Equally important, Experience Level Agreements (XLAs) define ‘how well’ we deliver that leadership—by measuring what truly matters: experience, satisfaction, and emotional impact.

Together, Humanizing IT and XLAs form the blueprint for building resilient, high-performing organizations—powered not just by innovation, but by intention.

Because ultimately, technology enables—
but people transform.

🧠 The Case for Urgency: Why Now?

🗓 Event Spotlight: Executive Leadership Day – Chicago

🔊 Chicago HDI Featured Thought Leaders