Leaders to learn how failure can fuel innovation

Corporate leaders clearly know about success, but a panel of executives plans to talk to peers about how employees and children can benefit from failure.

Northern Trust Executive Connie L. Lindsey will be the keynote speaker at "When Failure Fuels Innovation," an event organized by the DuPage Children's Museum to encourage professionals to change how they think about setbacks and open themselves up to new ideas.

"When Failure Fuels Innovation" will include Lindsey's keynote speech, as well as a panel discussion and networking time. The event begins with registration and light refreshments at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, at Hotel Arista, 2139 City Gate Lane, Naperville.

Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served during a networking hour at the conclusion of the program.

Attendees will hear from leaders who are creating workplace environments where failure is an expected steppingstone on the way to innovative achievements.

Lindsey is executive vice president and head of corporate social responsibility and global diversity and inclusion for Northern Trust. She will be joined by five panelists for a discussion of ways to leverage risk taking and how it can inform our perspectives on failure.

Lindsey previously held leadership roles with Northern Trust in wealth management, corporate and institutional services and enterprise enablement. Lindsey is the immediate past national board president of Girl Scouts of the USA, the highest-ranking volunteer of the 2.7 million-member organization.

Other executive leaders participating in the event's panel discussion are Ryan Kunkel, CO-CEO, Red Frog Events; Mark Magnesen, CEO of Matt's Cookies and formerly president of Kraft Heinz Company Meat Division; Jodi Bondi Norgaard, speaker, consultant, founder, Go! Go! Sports Girls, JB Norgaard Enterprises Inc.; Adam Russo, LCSW, chairman and CEO, Edgewood Clinical Services; and Sanjay Shah, CEO and chief architect, Vistex Inc.

DuPage Children's Museum is involved because the fear of failure is a learned response often instilled into a child early in life. The museum is intentional about creating an environment where there is no one way to do things, where trial-and-error is encouraged, and where "failure" is not punitive. The museum seeks to play an integral part in building the nation's future innovative workforce by engaging and inspiring children through STEAM - for science, technology, engineering, arts and math - experiences built around problem-solving and persistence at an early age.

The cost to attend the event is $25 per person. Register at dupagechildrens.org/innovation.