American management guru Michael Porter famously remarked that “the essence of strategy is choosing what not to do”. While that sounds simple, in practice and in my experience, it’s often a challenge for business leaders to let go of existing projects, even when they no longer add value or align with new strategies or the company's future goals.

After losing both legs above the knee in Afghanistan, former British Army soldier Hari Budha Magar rebuilt his life through extreme adventure, culminating in a history making summit of Mount Everest and a powerful message about resilience and purpose in life and work.

There’s a moment on every mountain when you have to decide to either push forward or turn back. For an A-type personality like me, who is driven, goal-oriented, and relentlessly focused on outcomes and impact, turning back feels like failure. But last year, on the icy slopes of Mt. Andromeda in British Columbia, Canada, that’s precisely what I did with my teammate.

Leadership and success in strategy execution is not about commanding from the front, but about walking alongside others, listening deeply and creating space for shared brilliance.

Businesses are operating in a tumultuous world full of risk and uncertainty. “The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” – Mark Zuckerberg

When Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, trade became his bluntest policy tool. By February, the new administration announced sweeping tariffs: 25 per cent on most Canadian imports, 10 per cent on energy, and similar penalties on Mexico and China. After a series of short delays, those tariffs are now in force — and Canadian businesses are feeling the pain.