For over two decades, “digital first” has been the rallying cry. It meant building online before offline, designing for the screen before the storefront, making data and devices the backbone of every customer interaction. It was the promise of efficiency, scale, and reach - and for many … [Read more...]
Decide or Discover – But Not Both at Once
We spend a large part of our professional lives in meetings. Some are energizing, many are draining, and far too many are just ... confusing. In my current role at the Ottawa Community Foundation and through my years in executive leadership, meetings with different teams, partners, funders, and … [Read more...]
Apprentice to Master: Why 10,000 Hours Still Matters
If becoming indispensable in a domain is the long game, and if deep work is the daily practice that fuels it, then what comes next is the path itself - the lived, deliberate journey from beginner to master. And while the world is overflowing with shortcuts, hacks, and shiny new tools, there’s still … [Read more...]
The Point of No Return: Knowing When to Stop Negotiating
It’s a quiet temptation we all face. The urge to push just a little further. To see if there’s more room. To believe we can edge out one more concession, one more advantage, if we just hold our ground for a little longer. It is deeply human to want to test limits. Sometimes it’s driven by … [Read more...]
When Growth Outruns Operations
After twenty-five years of building, leading, and refining operational engines, I’ve come to see a pattern that many miss. It’s not something I’ve learned from textbooks or management theory. It’s something I’ve learned from being in the room, having hard, thoughtful conversations with people … [Read more...]
You Can’t Burn the House and Win Firefighter of the Year
There’s something deeply unsettling about people who create problems and then rush to solve them, expecting applause along the way. It’s like the arsonist who torches a house and then eagerly joins the fire brigade, not to right a wrong, but to chase a medal for bravery. This is not just a … [Read more...]
The Shape of Bold: A Framework for Those Building the Future
For as long as I’ve worked in strategy — and it’s been more than two decades now — I’ve searched for tools that do one thing well: help people think clearly. Not just think big, or think fast, or think lean. But to think clearly. Because clarity is the most underappreciated resource in … [Read more...]
Proximity Isn’t Alignment: Why You Don’t Owe Everyone Your Time
Let’s start with something simple and human. You don’t have to know everyone. You don’t have to network with everyone. You don’t have to say yes to every invitation, every introduction, or every handshake at a conference. Somewhere along the way, “networking” became confused with … [Read more...]
Say It Like You Mean It: Why Your Introduction Matters More Than You Think
There’s something quietly radical about introducing yourself with intention. Not flash. Not performance. But real presence — language that lands, posture that invites, and clarity of purpose that lingers. I often tell my students and the young professionals I mentor that one of the most … [Read more...]