Toronto PM Forum Breakfast Roundtable: Silver Linings and Team Culture

Thank you Suzanne Donnels for such a thoughtful and perfect summary of our inaugural PM Forum Canada CMO Roundtable! A gathering of great minds, each committed to helping their firms and their teams reach new heights. In addition to the takeaways shared by Suzanne below, one statement struck me: « strategy isn’t fair » (Credit: Robin!). Sometimes it’s hard to draw the line between what is right for the firm from what is fair to individual stakeholders. That’s where culture, authenticity and accountability are key to supporting strategic decisions that might not be easy to implement. Thank you Robin Ashford and Sameer Dhargalkar for igniting the conversation. Thank you to all who joined us today, and thank you to our PM Forum Canada committee members for making this happen. If you’d like to be added to the mailing list for future events, and wish to learn more about the many benefits of a PM Forum firm membership, please contact Neha Sawjani. Upcoming Canada Chapter events are listed here and include a webinar March 9 on CRM as an engine of growth and not just a glorified Rolodex. https://lnkd.in/gtuUvdQ3 Committee members: Natasha H. M. T. Shiraz Gheyara Kendra deVries-Mulhern, CPSM Kelly Peace Vanessa Bramley (nee Rountree) Morag Campbell

The first 90 days after a major growth event are the most important window that is easy to waste. I’m not talking about the growth event itself — the funding round, the acquisition, the new market entry. Everyone plans for that. I’m talking about what happens to the team immediately afterwards. There’s a window where everything is in flux. The plan has changed but the team hasn’t caught up. People are still in the roles they had before. Decisions are being made at the old pace. And the founder or leadership team is so focused on executing the plan but doesn't stop to ask: is this team actually set up to deliver it? I’ve seen this window play out dozens of times. The businesses that use it well — who take stock of their team structure, roles, and capabilities against the new plan within the first few weeks — set the trajectory for the next 12–18 months. The ones who don’t find themselves firefighting at month four. Mis-hires. Key people burning out. A structure that was never deliberately redesigned for where the business is now heading. The founder wondering why they are still drowning in operations. The fix isn’t complicated. It starts with a simple question: does my team match my plan? If you’ve recently been through a growth event and haven’t asked that question yet, the window is still open. But it won’t be for long. Drop me a message. Happy to share what I have seen work.

‘Limitless’ in a time of uncertainty: LeadingRE’s Paul Boomsma’s message to brokerage leaders https://ift.tt/HeUvEiS “We live in challenging times. There’s no doubt about it, they’re complicated,” Paul Boomsma, CEO of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE), told the crowd at the network’s annual conference in Las Vegas. Today’s headlines are dominated by mergers, private listing debates, lawsuits and questions about profitability, and Boomsma did not sugarcoat the environment. “At times, it’s hard to even know what the exact right thing is, because there’s so many nuances globally,” he said. HousingWire was in the room as independent brokerage leaders gathered to confront what many described as one of the most complicated operating environments in recent memory. From mergers and acquisitions to private listings, AI and commission compression, the mood was pragmatic — but far from pessimistic. Kicking off the event, Boomsma set the tone with both candor and perspective. “You’re all amazing. You all have a great story. You’re all charismatic people. You’ve built great companies and great businesses. So congratulations,” Boomsma told the audience. Challenging times — and perspective Boomsma did not gloss over current industry headwinds. Still, he urged leaders to resist being consumed by uncertainty. “I don’t want to wallow in the challenges. I don’t want to ignore them. I don’t want to be tone deaf to them. But there isn’t a lot that we can do right now,” Boomsma said. To reinforce that message, he shared a personal story about his mother, who came of age in the 1950s amid global turmoil. Reflecting on her outlook during a time marked by the aftermath of World War II, the threat of the atomic bomb and the Korean War, she told him: “Whatever you’re living through always seems the worst. You have to have perseverance, and you need to believe that in the future there will be bright things.” Her lesson, he said, remains instructive today. “Unfortunately, there’s always dark things, but we need to just keep going.” A “bubble” — with intention Boomsma encouraged attendees to take advantage of the momentary insulation the conference provided. “I want to encourage us to think about the fact that we are right now in a little bit of a bubble,” he said. Rather than view that as escapism, he framed it as an opportunity for growth. “We owe it to our clients. We owe it to our constituents. We’re leaders… we’re here to become better versions of ourselves.” Industry crosscurrents: M&A, private listings and profitability Originally, Boomsma expected the LeadingRE conference agenda to center primarily on AI and innovation. But the landscape shifted. “We realized, oh, there’s this merger and acquisition going on. Well, we need to talk about the competition. We need to talk about how we compete and how we differentiate ourselves,” he said. Private listings and referral disclosure also emerged as pressing topics. “I want to share...

One of the themes that came through strongly at the Global Revenue Forum this year was the value of simply bringing the right people together. Revenue and commercial leaders often work in roles where the responsibility is high, the expectations are complex and, at times, the work can feel quite isolated. You may be the only person in the business responsible for revenue strategy, or the only one looking at the numbers from a commercial perspective. That is why the conversations at GRF matter so much. The event creates space for commercial leaders to connect with others who understand the same pressures, the same challenges and the same opportunities shaping our industry. When those conversations happen, people quickly realise that many of the questions they are wrestling with are shared across the industry. Just as importantly, it creates a sense of community. For many attendees, GRF is where they find their tribe. A room full of people who speak the same commercial language, who are curious about the future of revenue and who are open to sharing ideas, perspectives and experiences. Because while revenue management can sometimes feel like a lonely role, it does not have to be. When leaders come together to share challenges, learn from each other and push the industry forward, the impact reaches far beyond a single event. Thank you to Michelle Rex and Simon Bullingham for their thoughts.

Fantastic for Ashfords to support the inaugural Business of the South West conference this week and to look at how successful regeneration, innovation and business growth can connect. The region has an increasingly compelling story to tell...

To quote the Helen Godwin Mayor of the West of England - since 2019 the region's economic growth rate has been 4 x the national average (I hope i have that right) ... noting real momentum in the creative, digital, tech and clean energy sectors. This inaugural event brought together the people shaping what our places, businesses and communities will look like over the next decade. It won't be without bumps in the road I'm sure - but as someone who lives, works, and is raising a family here, I came away feeling genuinely more optimistic about the future and the region's potential.

Yesterday’s Town Hall was more than a celebration. It was a signal. A signal of who we are becoming. When you step back and look at the awards we recognized, a pattern emerges. Not just performance. Not just tenure. But behavior aligned to purpose. ✨ 26 people with Service Awards! A testament to commitment and belief in the long game. Leadership awards: 💛 Be Caring – Greg Rieke 📚 Be Sharing – Lisa Gray, RN 📈 Be About Results – Collections & Cash Applications Team to include Deb Nystrom, Kayla Brill, Lise Powdika, and Danielle Visconti 🔥 Be Willing to Challenge – Scott Zielstra, PMP, CBAP 🏔 Be an Owner – Joseph Burnheimer 🚀 Be Daring – Nate Gilkerson These are not soft values. They are operating principles. In a year where healthcare systems are being asked to do more with less — where access, flow, financial stewardship, and intelligent, AI-enabled operations matter more than ever — these behaviors become strategic advantages. They are what allow us to build platforms that move organizations from reactive to predictive. From fragmented to integrated. From capacity constrained to capacity optimized. A few recognitions stood out as powerful reflections of where we’re headed: 🏆 Clinician of the Year – Lettie Primeaux, RN Clinical excellence grounded in connection and trust. The future of healthcare technology must remain deeply human. 🏆 President’s Award – TeleTracking UK team, led by Neil Griffiths and including Kian Derakhshan, Melanie Shivetts, Lauren Lynch, Kelly Calvert, Dan Wadsworth, Rien Moore, Luke Climpson, Emma Ward-Covell, Josephine Kenny, Steven Whiteley, and Ruth Williams. Global collaboration. Cross-border execution. Scalable leadership. This is what international impact looks like when done well. 🏆 Koko Shu Employee of the Year – Lauren Gambatese Partnership, consistency, and ownership at the highest level. If innovation is our engine, culture is our fuel. We are not just building technology. We are building the operating intelligence layer for modern health systems — and the team capable of delivering it at scale. Aligned. Energized. Clear on the mission. The future isn’t something we wait for. It’s something we build. Proud to be building it with this team. #TeleTracking #ClinicalLeadership #Teamwork #FutureisNow #ThisTeamRocks

Thanks to Conor, Cathal, Fiona, and all the Chamber team, I was delighted to be part of an excellent panel discussion — and a broader, thought-provoking conversation on the key priorities for the Chamber in the years ahead. It was great to hear insights from Sinead O’Neill (Boston Scientific), Jim Hernan (ESB), and Dave Brosnan (Clearstream), each bringing a practical and forward-looking perspective from their respective sectors. Among the newly introduced priorities discussed were: - The potential for an integrated task force — bringing together relevant public and private bodies — to ensure critical infrastructure projects are delivered effectively and at pace. - Cork’s response to the rapid evolution of AI, and how we position the region. - The growing role of AI within company talent strategies, workplace development, and governance policies. Looking forward to seeing how these priorities translate into action over the coming years.

Next week, Megan (Meg) Carpenter hosts the Advisor Growth Salon at the Barron's Advisor Independent Summit. This is a brand-new, pre-conference experience designed to go well beyond traditional networking. Think curated, roundtable-style conversations where top independent and RIA advisors rotate through guided discussions on scaling, deal-making, and succession planning with decision-makers across the RIA ecosystem. The goal: meaningful conversations that leave advisors with clear next steps, not another stack of business cards. Learn more about the Barron's Advisor Independent Summit here: https://lnkd.in/eghZDZCN #BarronsAdvisor #AdvisorMarketing #RIA #BAIndependent

Building Better Boards: Starting your journey as a tenant or resident board member Taking on a board position as a tenant or resident is an exciting opportunity — but it can also feel daunting. How do you get started? What should you know? And how can you use your lived experience to influence decisions at the highest level? Join us for this practical, supportive, and empowering webinar designed to help tenant and resident board members bring their voice, insight, and local knowledge into the heart of the organisations that serve their communities. 🎤 Chaired by: Mushtaq Khan, Chief Executive, Housing Diversity Network Our panel of experienced contributors will walk you through: ✔️ The essentials of your role and responsibilities ✔️ What good governance looks like in practice ✔️ How to build confidence and influence at the board table ✔️ Practical tips on communicating your perspective ✔️ Ways to ensure tenant and resident voices genuinely shape decisions Whether you’re preparing to take on your first board role, or you support others stepping into board positions, this session will offer valuable insights and a clearer understanding of how tenant and resident perspectives can strengthen and enhance governance. Book your free member place at: https://lnkd.in/eDrHiKZB