People

More often than not I worked in a multi opco (operating company) environment or group. My work experience provided a direct access to creative people: the leaders that were driving the business. I became a part of the business I managed and learned early on to "think like an owner".  These leaders were difficult to work with, often under tough environments. However, the growth opportunities derived from these experiences were far rewarding. Most of these leaders grappled with the challenge of managing several businesses/units at once; benefiting (and at times hurting) from the constraints and advantages of leveraging (or not) resources across multiple organizations, locations or brands. I learned to think strategically and to perform (implement the business model) universally. The results were sometimes good, bad and ugly (and occasionally all three at once)!