Keynote

Plans Don’t Change Businesses. Leaders Do.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026 12:00 PM Main Stage

Session Overview

The plan may point your business in the right direction, but leadership determines whether it ever gets there. Drawing from her groundbreaking career in professional baseball, Rachel Balkovec shares how leaders turn ambitious plans into daily behaviors, build cultures of accountability, and create teams that can execute without them. Attendees will leave inspired to close the gap between knowing and doing, and ready to lead their businesses into their next stage of growth.

What You’ll Learn

  • Why execution, not ideas, is the true competitive advantage
  • Recognizing when success has become a false summit
  • Closing the gap between annual plans and daily action
  • Transitioning from being the best technician to becoming the leader your business needs
  • Building belief, ownership, and accountability across your team
  • Creating a high-performance culture through clear standards and communication
  • Using speed, innovation, and decisive leadership to compete with larger organizations