2012 Leadership Summit Keynote Speakers

Thursday, July 19th

1:00 pm
Great by Choice
Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and How the Mighty Fall, co-author of Great by Choice and Built to Last

Ten years after the worldwide bestseller Good to Great, Jim Collins returns with another groundbreaking work, this time to ask:  Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others do not?  Based on nine years of research, buttressed by rigorous analysis and infused with engaging stories, Collins and his colleague, Morten Hansen, enumerate the principles for building a truly great enterprise in unpredictable, tumultuous, and fast-moving times.  In classic Collins style—contrarian, data-driven and uplifting—he shows that even in a chaotic and uncertain world, greatness happens by choice, not chance.

2:45 pm
No Higher Honor
Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State and author of No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington

As secretary of state and national security advisor, Condoleeza Rice pioneered a policy of transformational diplomacy and heralded the formation of new global governments based on democratic principles. Rice has proven to be a significant leader during a time of unprecedented and tumultuous world affairs, recognized for her courageous efforts to foster worldwide freedoms for all people.

In this inspiring presentation, she provides a sweeping look at global affairs during her tenure in Washington. She shares compelling stories of her experiences, which illuminate the interrelationship of global events and leaders.

Friday, July 20th

8:30 am
The Innovator’s Prescription: A Disruptive Solution for Healthcare
Clayton M. Christensen, Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Clayton Christensen is regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on innovation and growth. His research has been applied to national economies, start-up and Fortune 50 companies, as well as to early- and late-stage investing. Christensen is the best-selling, award-winning author of seven books, including his seminal work, The Innovator’s Dilemma. 

Recently, Professor Christensen has focused the lens of disruptive innovation on social issues such as education and health care.  In this presentation, he deconstructs health care examining such questions as the likely prospects for today's leading companies, why health care is expensive and inaccessible, how to create new growth through affordability and simplicity, and how to circumvent the rules.

2:00 pm
Civilization
Niall Ferguson, MA, DPhil, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History, Harvard University

What was it about the civilization of Western Europe that allowed it to trump the outwardly superior empires of the Orient? The answer, Niall Ferguson argues, was that the West developed six "killer applications" that the Rest lacked: competition, science, democracy, medicine, consumerism and the work ethic. The key question today is whether or not the West has lost its monopoly on these six things. If so, Ferguson warns, we may be living through the end of Western ascendancy. Professor Ferguson takes us on an extraordinary journey around the world – from the Grand Canal at Nanjing to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul; from Machu Picchu in the Andes to Shark Island, Namibia; from the proud towers of Prague to the secret churches of Wenzhou. It is the story of sailboats, missiles, land deeds, vaccines, blue jeans and Chinese Bibles.

4:00 pm
The Political Argument Today
George F. Will, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and Newsweek essayist

America's foremost political commentator and columnist, George F. Will presents penetrating and incisive commentary on the Washington political scene, offering a glimpse into what the future holds for public affairs, public policy and American society. His popular twice-weekly column for The Washington Post syndicate reaches nearly 500 newspapers throughout the United States and Europe and he appears regularly on ABC’s This Week. Perhaps there’s no political acumen more finely honed than Will’s. And perhaps no one has more or better insights into the issues and political realities of today. He is a prolific author with books ranging from The Woven Figure: Conservatism and America’s Fabric to Bunts to his latest, One Man’s America.

Saturday, July 21st

10:00 am
It’s Not What’s the Matter, It’s What Matters to You
Maureen Bisognano, President and CEO, Institute for Healthcare Improvement

The recipient of HRET’s 2012 TRUST Award, Maureen Bisognano is a tireless advocate for change advising health care leaders around the world on quality improvement opportunities. She is a prominent authority on improving health care systems, whose expertise has been recognized by her elected membership to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and by her appointment to the Commonwealth Fund’s Commission on a High Performance Health System, among other distinctions. In this closing session, Maureen Bisognano offers her insights on the imperative to become more patient-centered in our approach to care delivery.