Why are some leaders more successful at driving—and surviving—innovation?
Three Chicago area women executives explored this topic and how they’re staying abreast of fast-moving change in a lively panel discussion called “Winning the Future: Components of Leadership Vision” on May 7, 2026. The event—hosted by Lisa Madigan and Kirkland & Ellis LLP in downtown Chicago—was the latest in an ongoing Collaborative across premier Chicago area women’s leadership organizations, including the Women’s Leadership Center at Williams Bay (WLC), The Chicago Network (TCN), the International Women’s Forum-Chicago (IWF), and the Committee of 200 (C200).
“Being part of this special collaboration is a natural extension of what IWF has always stood for: convening exceptional women and connecting them to the most critical conversations and dialogues,” said Emily Rice Reynolds, President of IWF Chicago, in kicking off the evening. Added Maria Doughty, President and CEO of The Chicago Network, “Through high impact programing, peer connection, and initiatives that champion gender equity, we are inspiring and supporting each other as well as the next generation of women leaders.”
Moderating the discussion was futurist Rob Wolcott—founder of TWIN Global, venture investor, and author of Proximity: How Coming Breakthroughs in Just-in-Time Transform Business, Society, and Daily Life. The premise of Wolcott’s book—and theme of the evening—was how digital technologies can now make all kinds of goods and services available almost immediately, close to the moment of demand. As they do, they are transforming how we work and live and generating enormous pressure on businesses to adapt or fold.
“The cardinal question of proximity is, what might my customers want in the future if they could have absolutely anything at all?” Wolcott asked to start the dialogue. “Then ask yourself, how might that be provided or produced at the exact moment of demand? That’s the future, because in a world where technology can increasingly do anything, someone's going to figure that out.”
Discussing how their enterprises are learning to respond and turn on a dime were Elise Awwad, President & CEO of DeVry University; Emily Groden, President & CEO of Evergreen, a frozen food company; and Dee Merriwether, Sr. Vice President & Chief Financial Officer at W.W. Grainger, Inc., a distributor of industrial products.
All agreed on the importance of vision to keep moving forward. “The majority of my time is spent figuring out how to predict very consistently what our performance will be, not just quarter to quarter, but 12 to 18 months to three years out,” said Merriweather. “To put together a plan and a long-range outlook, you really have to focus on your strategy. That’s all vision.” Added Awwad: “It's not just about building the vision, but then about making sure that people buy into it and that you have a coalition behind it.”
Other key components of successfully leading innovation include sensing, or being able to assess trends, threats and opportunities and respond appropriately; foresight, or learning to judge where things might go next and developing flexibility to adapt; and projection, or picturing the value you aspire to create for customers and figuring out how to realize it.
All agreed that being a lifelong learner was essential. “We don’t take any successes for granted,” said Groden. “Our brand today looks totally different than the brand we launched with. We've pivoted and swerved many times but kept the same North Star.”
“Bringing together Chicago's premier women's leadership organizations in this way not only gives us a unified voice; it amplifies what each of us does best,” said Ann Drake, President & Chair of the WLC and a sponsor of the evening.
“This event shows how women leaders can turn collective power into collective impact,” added MarySue Barrett, Senior Vice President for Programming & Partnerships at the WLC. “And it’s a perfect example of the type of breakthrough convenings and content that the Women’s Leadership Center is designed for.”