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Voices of Leadership w/ Chris Atwell - Alex Leblanc · Voices of Leadership w/ Chris Atwell

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to Voices of Leadership.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Chris Powell, and in each episode I tip down with the leadership in the future of the manufacturers' rep industry.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_02: Real stories, real challenges, real life.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_02: This is where leadership comes to life.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to Voices of Leadership.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_02: Today I have a really special guest, Alex Leblanc from Dest Oud.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_02: Alex's story is about returning to the rep world with an outside perspective.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_02: So, Alex, thank you for joining me.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Glad to be here.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me, Chris.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_02: You grew up close to the electrical industry.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_02: You worked inside the agency.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_02: You deliberately left, went to school, studied finance, then you came back with a different way of seeing the business.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_02: And today I want to explore what that outside chapter taught you and how it now shapes how you lead people, systems, and change.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_02: So uh why don't you take a moment and just let people know who you are, where you came from, um, all right.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: So Alex has always been connected to the electrical world.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: And my dad, my family has always been involved.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he's been at uh Sonypar Upco since I think I was born.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I've always been around the world uh of electrical.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh then I've started working with the family business.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: My uncle actually purchased an agency uh back in 2010, I would say.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh smaller agency, uh, wanted to come back to the electrical world since he had left uh in 208 to go to the uh car dealership world where it was originally from.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so I worked summers there, uh, learned the rope, learned how to be inside cells, uh, how things worked uh in the industry on the manufacturer side.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Uh then 2016 came, graduated uh finance uh in college, tried to work uh full-time with uh my uncle there, didn't work out.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I mean we had uh views, different views of uh how we could run the business.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I decided to left, uh to leave, I mean, uh the uh the industry, go to the my field of study, which was finance at the time.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: So became a financial planner there uh for three years, loved the experience, uh, brought back a lot of uh knowledge with me when I came back in 2020 when my dad uh asked me to decided to leave the Sunny Park Upco and started uh to buy the agency from my uncle.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: And uh you know, go the other side.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: I go to the uh manufacturer side.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: So that was very uh very interesting to me to learn from him as well.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he's he's I mean he's he's my dad, so I see him uh a bit up there, but still as a legend in Quebec.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he's he's known by pretty much everyone.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: So that was very fun and uh a great learning experience to uh to have him as a coach.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: So uh and you know being in business with your with your dad is is something that uh I wish everyone could do.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's a pretty great experience.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: And uh yeah, here I am today.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: We decided to merge in 2023 with DesDAO, the competitor at the time.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh even though we had a great portfolio synergy, not a lot of overlap, so that make you know a natural fit for uh our agency to merge.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: And uh we had a succession plan in place, which is uh taking effect now, this year.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's it's been great.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_02: Really, really interesting path, the journey that you've taken, you know, inside sales, finance, rep world.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: What did leaving help you appreciate about the rep business?
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and I think that's the right word, appreciate.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, seeing you know, I have friends in multiple uh other industries, but finance especially, uh, the competitiveness in those industries is not as uh respectful as ours is.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I'm not sure about other markets, but for sure Quebec is very respectful uh in terms of competition, competitors as well.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I mean we we're in a unique place where you can go on a fishing trip with your you know head-to-head competitor and have as much fun as you would with a with a good friend of yours.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and I think that that is something very unique to our industry, and that's something we should nourish and you know and and be proud of.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh everyone has this has his place in our industry, and everyone respects that.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: So I I think that's what I I appreciated the most coming back, you know, all those friendships that develop over time, uh, even though they're a different part of industry, uh, and we we can keep you know having those great relationships.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_02: So that's yeah, that's that's a really good point.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you've got some industries, markets that uh competitors really get at each other's throats.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_02: They don't they're they're kind of mean to each other, they don't respect each other.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_02: What I'm hearing from you is in this space, particularly in Quebec, from your experience, is even though they're competitors, you can still thrive together, be be be friends, and and and respect each other.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I I I would agree with you.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: That's a really, really that's something to appreciate for sure.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_02: You mentioned the merger, and uh, you know, this merger from what you shared created this wonderful path for for you to step up and your father to step back, right?
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and for you to join ownership uh as a as a as a partner in the business.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_02: What what made this merger, the structure of this merger, the right move for you?
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think uh over the past few years, a lot of people will agree there's a lot of uh bigger companies buying smaller companies, uh especially on the manufacturer side.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh being a smaller agency, you're always at risk uh of having one of your company, your reping, being purchased by a big conglomerate.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so that's that's what happened.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and at that time, uh early on when uh when we purchased the agency, uh we lost one of our major lines.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: So that was 40% of our revenue out the window.
• 6:14
  unknown: Yeah.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Just before the the December mark, so Christmas time.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: And uh that was a tough time.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, even though we we jumped back from it, but we learned that uh it's it's you know 30 days contract, right?
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um so making that merger would make us one of the bigger outfits in Quebec.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and at that time, Nvent was purchasing one of our lines, so uh we would become became fourth agent for that same Nvent brand.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and and joining force with Des Dot would make us the biggest package.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I I think that was a right move there.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: But even further than that, if you if you look at it from a succession plan perspective, uh when JS came uh came to us, I mean the the whole murder thing came from a joke in the golf game.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: So that's the funny story.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but yeah, it it all came because of that succession plan.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you know, even though we I could have taken over Desda Tilvine at the time with the smaller agency, uh, I had the feeling uh I needed someone to accompany me for you know the 30 to 45-ish years old period, which I am right now.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I to make myself a better leader, I think I needed some coaching, someone to to uh to be by my side.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think JS fills that role, uh our president, very well for me.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: So you have a great mentor in place.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_02: Uh he's he's there.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_02: But uh tell me a little bit more about this joke on a golf course and how did that become a merger process?
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we were at uh EFC, which is uh our our organization in Canada, and we were playing golf.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: So back to those relationships, you know, we were competitor at the time, but still golf partner outside the uh the work uh environment.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: So uh JS was talking to my dad about maybe needing a plan for succession, and how he was uh looking into uh his succession plan at the time, and Andre pointed at me and said, Oh, here's here's your successor, right?
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: Why not?
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: And he looked back at my dad saying, Are you serious?
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: And then it you know, all boys go, all boys will go.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: He says, No, are you kidding?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's he's my really he's my plan, not yours.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so but then it it kind of uh stick in his head, I believe I I think.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: And he discussed this with his partner at the time, and a few months uh later we get a call from Patrick at the time who was president of Desdal saying, you know what, maybe we should sit down and and think this through because I think it makes sense.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and and yeah, it took a good year and a half of uh going back and forth, you know, figuring things out, putting things in writing, the plan going forward.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: And the good thing about the merger is it was good for both sides.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh everyone win uh from that merger, and uh I think that's what makes it make this the merger so successful to this day.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_02: What a testament to to your point of building relationships and even with your competitors because you never know what will unfold, right?
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_02: You want to have these good relationships because they could lead to almost anything, and in your case, a really, really um merger.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh sure.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you were you're now a leader in the business, right?
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_02: So, what did you need to learn as you moved from uh uh operations leader to an owner?
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_02: You're an owner in the business now.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_02: What did you need to learn?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think you know, everyone, all eyes on you.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: So make sure you you give the great example, the right example.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh lead the way the right way.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I think everything you do kind of have a bigger impact than it would as a uh non-owner, I would I would say.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: But uh at the end of the day, you now are responsible for 35 families.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: So make sure that what you do is is good to them and to yourself as well.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: So that's that's how I approach every decision.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Are are my what what will be the impact on everyone when we make this decision?
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Is it gonna benefit them?
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: Benefit just us?
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I take this responsibility really seriously, and I want to make sure uh all our employees benefit from what we do.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you had to learn that your responsibilities have really expanded and now you have people who really, really you know, you they they you need to care about them.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_02: You know when we had our original conversation, you had shared with me that uh there was like an old directive model.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_02: People used to tell people what to do, right?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_02: In the workplace where um where you know it's not it's it's it's where it's withholding the ability for people to contribute ideas and help shape the future of the business.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_02: What what is changed how is your view of leadership compared to that?
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_02: What would you say it is?
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yes.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think you're I mean the reason why I left at the first time was that directive, you know, way of there's a boss and he he gets what's to he gets the final sale no matter what.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and and I think I learned from that that this is not the type of environment environment I want for my business or for the company I work for.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so I think that by leading today, by listening to your employees, by listening to their ideas, engaging them into decisions, uh, you make a better decision, you get a broader view of you know, maybe the challenge you're seeing.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: You're you might be seeing it with narrow, narrow view, but they bring other ways of looking at a solution or a problem.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I really think that's that's what I want to be as a leader, you know, engaging all our all our employees and making them participate in decisions.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_02: How do you do that?
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: So uh if I can give you an example, uh my first mandate when I when I joined Des Doubt was uh to figure out is the CRM the right tool for us?
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: Or the tool we were we were using, is it the right one for us?
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so what we did is was what I did is I set up multiple meetings with all our the people, all the users, and I asked them, what do you like?
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like what are your needs?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: How do you use it to this day?
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: What are the must-have, nice to have, and don't want to have in a CRM version.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then I that's that's how I shaped my research going forward to find the right solution for our CRIM.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: Then I showed them, showcased them uh demos of solution one and two that I had picked as finalists, and going back to the feedback.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: So the the way uh I wanted to do it is pick the tools you want and make sure it fits your needs.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: And to this day, I think we have a better engagement rate with the newer newer new CRM than we had before.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: So by having them participate, they they feel like they're part of the company and there's more ownership going forward uh to the solution we pick.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so you you didn't just choose the CRM, you had these employee sessions with your team, and and those sessions helped reveal things that maybe you would have missed, right?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: Because I don't use it the same way they would.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe my needs are not theirs.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: I want to make sure it's focused for them.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: And so tell me then, why did the uh what are you using now?
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: You're using rep fabric?
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_02: Is that why did rep fabric emerge as the right fit then?
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_02: Uh you know, what what what did they bring up there that they wanted to use?
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so for us, uh data is very important, as you may know, because every day we have to prove why we earn that commission.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so the uh activity journal portion was very important for us, uh, making sure you know we track, not we track them, but they even then they realize how many time they spend on one particular line versus the other and revenue base.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: So we can share that insight with them, saying you maybe you should spend more time there, or you're spending a lot of time on a small on a line that's not bringing as many revenue as you think it is.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and the way we uh we use it for a project, because uh you know, as an agent, you have it's I call it the spider web.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: There's multiple contractors, multiple distributors, and it it's tough to have that link uh between a relation between those uh opportunities and other CRMs.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: So that made no sense at the time.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: The investment was way too big for a custom solution when Web Fabric was out of the box working for us.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: So that was just a natural fit.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_02: So now your team, they've recognized that hey, you know, you've got this engineer, this architect, this um um GC, this uh distributor, and now with the with the the way that they expressed and you've you've you've explored the system, you can connect all of that spider web together and and and then it's it helps communicate things more effectively.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: Make it make sense is the the way I would say it, because it's make it make sense.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_02: Love it.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_02: People involved.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you you you shared with me um before that communication, especially as the agency grows, is is really you know your the biggest leadership challenge.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: Um and you need to have clarity on things, and CRM helps with that.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_02: But where does where do you see communication slow down or lose clarity in your business sometimes?
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh usually it's the top-down.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, both ways.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it it's tough to be aware of everything going on.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, especially we have very dedicated people in insights uh internally.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: So at the inside cell level, they want to deal with the issues on themselves, right?
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: They want to fix it.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: They don't want to be a burden for everyone else.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: So uh sometimes it we become aware of a situation way too late in the process, and it's it's past the point where we can even have an impact.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh or customers already already you know screaming at us for something we could have fixed two weeks ago.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so sometimes that that information doesn't flow naturally up to the top where you know us at the director level or management level could get involved and fix it faster.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so that's that's stuff.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: And the other way around, too.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes uh there's a new manufacturer in place, not everyone knows it uh in the organization because we we took too much time, and then someone will say, no, we don't have access to this line, but in reality we do, and so it's just stuff to make sure everyone is aware of everything going on, and there's so much going on at the same time that it's it becomes a bit of a challenge to make sure everyone is on on par uh with with all the changes.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_02: So, what part of this communication challenge requires a system and what part requires different leadership habits?
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: Good question.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think the system would be really for the uh when it's when it's something's broken, right?
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so you want to put in place maybe a weekly meeting of all the what's going wrong, what's going wrong this week?
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: How can we assist?
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: What are the challenges?
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and as a leadership portion, I think it's really how we communicate the changes.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and yeah, I think it's a it's a cultural cultural shift that we need to have to make sure everyone is aware of everything.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but the challenge we we experience is uh remote work.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: So that becomes also remote change.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, everyone's working remotely.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_02: So correct.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_02: And you also mentioned to me that uh you know there's an aging workforce happening.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, you know, you've got people that are set to retire in in the coming years, and with so much experienced talent expected to leave the Quebec workforce.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: How are you preparing people who uh you know how are you preparing these people who need to like learn and work differently?
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I think there's a shift in the way we approach customers and be it at the contractor level and the distribution uh level, we go more from a selling aspect to a to a teaching aspect now.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think the agencies that that have a lot of a lot of success are the ones that become like the teachers of the new generation.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's how you will create the relationship going forward by being a reference to those engineers, to those distributor contractors when it comes to new products, when it comes to training on existing products, or uh how to you know uh work with what's already out there and you know time saving is is also uh a lot of uh a lot of interest from our contractors.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, how can we save time?
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: How can we uh make a two two work two guy job into a one-man job?
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so that's that's how I think we uh we need to adapt and become more the the teachers than just the salesman.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you said that age um sometimes becomes the obstacle, right?
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_02: Like you can get in your you can be put in your own well way.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_02: What what would you tell a younger leader who knows the business but worries that they have not yet earned enough respect or authority?
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Get out there and prove your worth.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think that if you're in that position now is because someone sees that potential in you and sees your worth.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: So don't diminish it, don't diminish your word because of your self-view.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: Just think about where you are today, what you're managing and what you're bringing to the table, and that should be enough.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: That that out outweights the wage.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: That out outweights the age.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_02: The the the tried, tested, and true, believe in yourself.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_02: Believe in yourself.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: There's uh there's something to be said about if you if you're lacking confidence and you don't fully believe in yourself, people will feel that, right?
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, yeah, good.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um you know, thinking about going back to CRM again, and you you're obviously very close to that system and you see the value of it, you know, there's often this scenario where the worst outcome is generating leads and then failing to follow through, right?
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: So you got a pipeline of projects and opportunities, and the follow-throughs are just falling through the cracks.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_02: And that's a big problem, especially as you collect more and more data.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_02: What needs to be true in people, process, and CRM so that doesn't happen?
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think ownership is a big one.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: So if you truly own your opportunity, you'll be proud to close it with a win, or to bring the information to the table and close it with a loss, anyways.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so I I think it all goes back to uh accountability as well, making sure these you know the guys that are putting the data understands why we need it and what we do with it.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: But the worst thing you can do is just take the data in and never show that you're using it, right?
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I remember a NEMRA speaker talking about that this last year, I believe, where you know you can get as much data as you want, but what are you gonna do with it?
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: And that's putting a lot of because it it just demoralizes them when we ask them for all this data and they never see why why we ask for it.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: So uh that's why we try to show them what we do with the data and that it's reused, it's not just there for fun.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, show them why it's so important, right?
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: And how it's being used.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's very important.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_01: Alright, I got one last question for you.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: What would you want another young owner?
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: Imagine you're talking to Alex, you know, a couple of years ago, for a leader to remember when they doubt that they are ready.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: I know we talked about the companies, but what would you want them to remember when they doubt whether they're ready to step into their leader?
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think doubting is good because it it it it means that you you want to succeed, right?
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: So doubting yourself is not it's not a bad thing, it just makes you think better and see all the outcomes.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I I would say embrace the doubts, uh try to overcome them and you know, be confident that you can do it for sure.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: What a great perspective.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_02: Embrace the doubt rather than suppress it.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_02: Look at it as a as your uh yourself um challenging yourself and saying, hey, like it's because you want to win so bad, let's go, right?
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's a great thing, right?
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's so it's like the stress, embrace embrace stress as well.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: And it's performance stress, not just stress in general, but it just means you're you're willing to do what it takes to win.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, Alex, thank you so much.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: I really appreciate you joining me today.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_02: Look, uh your story is a really good reminder that stepping away sometimes and having an outside perspective can really challenge old habits, put lasting change into a business, but also knowing that um you still have to communicate clearly, you have to build systems that help people.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and uh, you know, anyone can step into uh a leadership role, but it takes confidence and you have to believe in yourself.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thank you very much.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Cariz.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: That was fun.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.