Author Archives: Pvot40

Understand the Problem Before Reacting to It

Most orgs deal with a daily deluge of problems. When enough of them land at once, leadership tends to slip into react mode. Clearing the plate becomes more critical than what is on it. And the whole “bias for action”, normally great advice, starts to become reactivity under pressure. What many forget is that aContinue reading “Understand the Problem Before Reacting to It”

Get It Over the Finish Line

Finishing is the only work that matters. While that sounds obvious, nearly every organization I have worked in has a graveyard of projects that made it to eighty percent and no further. And a longer list of good ideas that never made it out into the real world. This post is about the unglamorous disciplineContinue reading “Get It Over the Finish Line”

The 7 Principles of an Operator

In my last post I wrote about how I figured out I was an operator. This post is about what being an operator looks like in the day to day. In my career I have been most inspired by two famous operators. The first is David Sacks, whose essay The Cadence I have read maybeContinue reading “The 7 Principles of an Operator”

How I Learned I Was an Operator

When someone wants to change roles, there is usually something visibly wrong with the job. The pay is too low, the politics are exhausting, the workload is crushing. My case was stranger. Nothing was wrong. I was rated well, paid fairly, and surrounded by good people. Yet every two to three years, I needed aContinue reading “How I Learned I Was an Operator”

Corporate Life 101 – 7 Ways to “Seem” More Likeable

I didn’t fit into the Canadian corporate world naturally in the beginning. I am unapologetically myself and more than once “myself” was not corporate enough right away. In my first job at the Bank, one of my bosses compared me to Elle Woods (from Legally Blonde) – which I *think* he meant as a complimentContinue reading “Corporate Life 101 – 7 Ways to “Seem” More Likeable”

A Framework for Making New Friends as an Adult

A well-known psychologist I follow on Twitter posed a question the other day “How do adults make new friends?” It wasn’t the first time I heard this question. One of my girlfriends said that it was harder to make new friends as an adult than find a partner. I may struggle with a lot ofContinue reading “A Framework for Making New Friends as an Adult”

1 Year Review: 5 Things I love about Working at a Small Company

My first work selfie that I ever posted to my socials, after a project for Terry Fox Foundation. I left a decade plus bank career in 2022 to join Pllenty – a fintech “startup” in it’s 7th year. Join me as I reflect on how the last year shaped me in my next few posts.Continue reading “1 Year Review: 5 Things I love about Working at a Small Company”

My Own Personal Career Pivot – Part 3

In part 1, I wrote about the early days of my career – starting at BMO and then at TD.  In Part 2, I wrote about finding out what was next and reaching my immediate financialgoals. In this post I’ll describe the steps I took to leave the corporate world and join a start-up andContinue reading “My Own Personal Career Pivot – Part 3”

My own Personal Career Pivot – Part 2

In part 1, I wrote about the early days of my career – starting at BMO and then at TD. In this post I’ll get into the critical three years where I achieved my financial goals and started thinking about what was next. In 2018 I was 37, my sons were out of the babyContinue reading “My own Personal Career Pivot – Part 2”