Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/489016
20 | I NSIGH T • A p r i l 2 0 15 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m U P F R O N T CONNECTIONS B Y M A R G A R E T L E B R U N G reat ideas are a dime a dozen. Dreams can come easy, too. But if you can't take a great idea or a dream and create something, you will have nothing to show for it. So it is with innovation. It's making a commitment to a specific goal and following through on it when important changes happen, says Dan Barnett, owner of Make or Break Execution, a Nevada-based speaking and consulting company. "It's one thing to have a good idea, but if you can't execute it well, it's not going to do any good," Barnett says. "How do you make it happen in your company in an effective way? How do you focus your efforts so you can really cause it to happen?" Barnett, who explores such challenges through real-life anecdotes and stories, will deliver the keynote speech at the fourth annual Technology & Human Innovation Networking Conference hosted by Insight Publications LLC the aernoon of May 19 in Menasha. Insight Innovation Award winners will also be announced at THINC! Barnett's talk, sponsored by TEC- Midwest, will address how companies can overcome obstacles in their path to innovation. "What it's really about is, of all the things you have to do in a company — and you have to do lots of things to be successful — what's the most important thing you can do? If you are going to change something in a way that will cause you to realize your vision, the way you go about doing it will make all the difference." Barnett brings years of experience guiding companies through change. He has held leadership roles for some of the world's largest corporations, including Nestlé, Pillsbury, Weyerhaeuser and Constellation Brands wine company, where the stock price tripled when he served as president and CEO. He was chief operating officer of Vistage International for seven years and continues to serve as a Vistage chair in Reno, Nev. In addition to his speaking and consulting firm, Barnett is currently the CEO and owner of e Primavera Company, a real estate and natural gas company with operations in three states. He has appeared regularly on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, speaking on CEO confidence and leadership. In his keynote, Barnett will share stories of specific actions he has taken to help leaders make game-changing decisions. For example, when he served as president of Pillsbury's Van de Camps frozen food business, competitors were focusing on crunchiness and texture. Van de Camps decided it would take another route to being No. 1: It would "own" freshness. Examining every step of the process, from the ocean catch to the processing and packaging, the company identified specific changes it had to make to achieve its goal. By focusing on freshness, the company moved from a distant No. 3 in the market to being the No. 1 brand — in spite of the fact its next competitor was three times the size. "It all reinforces this idea of focusing on the most important thing," Barnett says. Key to maintaining focus, he explains, is convincing everyone in Bringing breakthrough ideas to life: Just do it 'Make or Break Execution' focus of THINC! keynote Dan Barnett