On someone’s very first day at Pivota, we tell them something most companies avoid saying out loud: 

You will make mistakes here. 

You’ll make a few small ones and probably a few big ones too. That isn’t a failure. That’s reality.

How many dominos do you think it would take to knock over the Empire State Building?

Pause for a second and pick a number. Don’t scroll until you have a number in mind. I promise this makes the exercise so much more rewarding.

I’ve been in two situations where people have been asked this. Some said thousands, millions, others said zero as if it was not possible.

This time of year usually comes with a familiar pressure to add more.

New goals. New routines. New commitments. New plans for how we will finally do everything better.

But lately, I’ve been thinking about a different approach. What if growth this year is not about adding anything at all?

What if it is about taking more away.

One of the hardest hiring lessons to learn is this: talent alone is not enough.

On paper, someone can check every box. The portfolio, the certifications, the confidence in their abilities. You look at their experience and think, “finally, someone who can take this off my plate”. But then the work begins, and you realize something much more important is missing.

Values.

As we move into Thanksgiving week, I’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude. Not the kind you list off quickly, but the kind that shows up when life feels heavy.

The kind that shows up on the long days. The overwhelming days. The “nothing is working the way I planned” days.

Before my trip to China, I would have defined successful progress as fast, competitive, and a little chaotic.

The kind of growth that feels like a race, where speed and disruption are the benchmarks of success.

After spending two weeks there, I gained a new appreciation for what progress can look like when it’s collective.

You are the sum of your five closest friends.

Not because you copy their choices exactly, but because proximity shapes possibility. Their habits rub off. Their ceilings become your ceilings. Their language shapes what you think is possible.