Dallas-Fort Worth Executive Summit

The Hidden Variable: The Mindset Shift That Transforms Relationships and Results

You've hired talented people. You've set clear goals. Everyone's working hard. So why do the same performance problems keep showing up?
In this keynote, Mitch Warner, author and managing partner at the Arbinger Institute, will challenge one of the most common assumptions in business: that capability and effort are enough to drive high performance. Through compelling stories and a live exercise, you'll discover why organizations full of hardworking, capable people still struggle with silos, accountability gaps, and resistance—and what actually creates breakthrough results. The issue isn't behavior. It's mindset. And most leaders can't see when they're part of the problem.
In this session, you'll discover:

• The self-deception gap: Why your best performers might be creating the biggest obstacles to team success (without realizing it).
• The dynamic at the heart of dysfunction: How individuals and teams unknowingly provoke the exact behaviors they complain about, and the key to diagnose and break these destructive cycles.
• The real definition of a job: Why "executing tasks" isn't the same as "doing your job", and how this distinction unlocks performance.

Outlook for 2026 and Early 2027

ITR Economics’ outlook for 2026 and early 2027 offers critical insights for business leaders preparing for the next phase of the economic cycle. While early 2026 is expected to bring a mild rising trend, ITR’s leading indicators suggest that momentum may fade for some industries as the year progresses and into 2027. Understanding these shifts will be essential for strategic planning and decision-making.
We will examine expected changes in GDP and Industrial Production growth, helping leaders anticipate market turns, manage risk, and understand industry-specific impacts.
With clear guidance on how to navigate the coming landscape, you will be better equipped to make informed decisions and stay ahead of industry peers throughout the next stage of the business cycle.