The 1% That Changes Everything: Leadership Insights with Andrew Leith

Andrew Leith, Founder of Octant Executive Advisory Group, joins Behind the Business to unpack what it really takes to lead through complexity and change.

Andrew’s leadership philosophy wasn’t shaped in a boardroom. It began on a marina in Southern Ontario. Growing up on the water taught him early lessons about unpredictability, resilience, and navigating uncertainty. Those lessons became the foundation for Octant, a firm that empowers executives and teams across industries to embrace curiosity, accountability, and innovation.

Get a look Behind the Business in Waterloo Region with Ian McLean, President & CEO of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.

Transcript

Introduction

Ian McLean 0:01

Welcome to another episode of Behind the Business, presented by Gore Mutual. I'm your host, Ian McLean, President and CEO of the Greater Kitchen Waterdoo Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is recorded on the traditional territory of the neutral Anishinabe and Hoden Ashone peoples. Each week I sit down for candid conversations where we go beyond the boardroom and behind the business to uncover the real stories of Waterdoo Region's business community. Today on Behind the Business, we're joined by Andrew Leith, founder of Octant Executive Advisory Group. Andrew has spent his career helping organizations navigate complexity, grow high-performing teams, and unlock hidden potential, all through his unique navigation philosophy. His journey didn't start in a boardroom, it started in a marina in southern Ontario where growing up in the water taught him lessons about unpredictability, resilience, and direction. Those lessons became the foundation for Octon, a firm that empowers executives and teams across industries to embrace curiosity, accountability, and innovation. In this conversation, we talk about what most leaders get wrong about motivation, why sales and leadership are inseparable, and the 1% gap that can transform performance. Let's go behind the business with Andrew Leaf. Well, Andrew, uh, thank you so much for spending time with us today. Uh time is probably the most valuable commodity that uh that any business owner has, so thank you for spending some time with us today. Yeah, I appreciate it. Thanks for having me back. Now, um, your leadership philosophy didn't start at a border. We talked about this before we went on air. Um uh it started in a marina uh in southern Ontario. Looking back, what did growing up on the water teach you about uncertainty and risk and decision making that still shows up in how you lead today and how you teach others to lead?

Andrew Leith 1:55

Yeah, for sure. I think the one thing that boating teaches you is you need the resources before you leave shore. And so um, you know, my whole life growing up, we were really planning these trips, making sure that we had all the resources, planning for any uh inevitability that could occur. And, you know, the last thing you want is for there to be an accident on the water and not have exactly what you need in the way of first aid and so on.

Ian McLean 2:18

Now, I and talk about that. Do you rented houseboats? Uh like what were the things that you that you did? And it was up in the was it the Trent Severn or the what part of the Autonomy River. Autonomy River. Yeah.

Andrew Leith 2:32

So we rented houseboats. My dad also sold uh boats, so I have lots of great memories of me cruising the water, sitting in the front of the bass boat holding on for dear life. Uh but yeah, no, it was great growing up in that uh area. But you know, I think you you touched on something there. That as a child, the lens of preparedness is not always something that we bring with us, right? And so I think from a really young age, I learned the benefits. And and you know, probably some of my friends when we would go out on trips, uh, you know, probably thought it was absurd, but we were always prepared.

Ian McLean 3:03

So well, and and houseboats, I go up to my old my old boss's place in uh near Fenland Falls, and and we always go and watch the locks and watch the houseboats come in. And uh I would say not all of those houseboat uh operators uh when they rent one of those places were probably as prepared as you are. But uh it it is a it is a valuable lesson of uh having enough gas and enough uh life jackets, amongst other things, to be ready when you go in the water. So let's talk about um many leaders talk about finding their leadership philosophy or style. Um and I think everyone's got one, whether you can name it um about how you how you lead, but but people recognize that and and they would probably have a better idea of articulating whether you're command and control or consensus leader, whatever those things are. Uh, when did you realize your personal experiences were so whether it's formative or it through your business career uh were actively shaping how you lead?

Andrew Leith 4:05

Yeah, well, definitely it's been an evolution. I'm not the same leader that I was uh the first time I managed a team, and I think a lot of that comes from lived experience. And so for me personally, um going through, you know, um a life-altering illness and then an ADHD diagnosis really gave me a couple of to use the term lenses um to be able to see the world a little differently. And so uh I'm definitely a kinder leader now. I'm certainly um nicer to myself and nicer to people around me. But I think for me, the biggest change has been understanding that each person requires an individualized leadership strategy. And so we tend to, as managers, manage a department, but that department is full of people, and all those people are very unique. And if we can, as leaders, figure out how to tap into their unique superpowers, we might be able to create our own Avengers team to assemble.

Ian McLean 4:55

Um that's interesting, and I think that's right, everyone is unique, and what you try and manage a department is different than managing the people in the department. Um when organizations call you and say, hey, look, you know, a lot of you a lot of yours will will be uh around um say, I need some help with my sales team as an example. Like so you'll be you you you pick a a certain part of a business when when they call you, they usually think they need that one thing. I need help with my with my business say or my business development staff or or my operations staff. Once you're inside the business, what do you typically discover um that they actually need? Like is it is it usually will it will it expand to something else or is it something else entirely? Or in many cases, is it no, they actually need it's their business team that needs it. How do you kind of evaluate what their true need is? Because they've called you because they they know they have a need. Right. Whether they've a self-diagnosed the right or wrong thing is an open question.

Andrew Leith 5:54

Yeah, no, absolutely. So I'm a revenue strategist, so I quite often get called when companies want to make more money. Uh, what we do is we assess a number of different cultures within the organization, which is often um surprising to some of our clients that it's not just uh hiring more, doing more, working harder. And so what we've understood over years working with different organizations is there's actually three cultures that exist within an organization. You've got your people culture, you've got your process culture, and you've got your product culture. And each of those cultures are interlinked. The only thing is that your process culture is not allowed, and neither is your product. Your people are going to be the canary in the coal mine. They're going to be the indicator that there's a problem in one of those three cultures. And so what we do is we create assessments and work with organizations to isolate the gaps within or between those different pillars. And uh usually we can uh not only isolate and fill those gaps, but um attribute uh a higher retention of revenue or clientele to that.

Ian McLean 6:56

Let's pull back the the the onion on that. Uh so when you say there's people, process, and product, and and process and product are quiet and people are loud. Yes. Is are you saying that if there's a process problem, the machine's not screaming out unless it breaks down as an example, if you're talking about a machinery, but it might be the operator saying, hey, this thing is not working properly. Is it is that when you talk about being loud, they're the ones that are going to identify where things are working, where they're not working?

Andrew Leith 7:24

So let's talk about an example. You've got an altercation between two employees that gets to HR. Uh HR wants to reprimand one of the employees. We could reprimand the one employee and say the problem's done and move on. However, what if it's an internal process that is causing that frustration, creating internal roadblocks or hurdles, creating frustration between departments, which inevitably, no matter who's sitting in that seat, is most likely going to lead to that outcome. So understanding how that process impacts our people culture indirectly, but also directly impacts our ability to generate revenue. Because I don't know about you, but when I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, I'm not at my most excellent. And if there's someone that's promoting me to get up on the wrong side of the bed, I'm probably even less productive that day. So I think in this area, talking about product is really important. So for founders or owners that are listening, that you've created your own products and you're very proud of them, you have a core group of people that are intrinsically connected to that product. That's easy to understand that your people are connected and have ownership over the product. But what if you scale and you get to 10, 20, 50, or 100 employees? Heck, you get to a thousand. What is that 999th employees' connection to that initial product? And if organizations aren't thinking about how to add uh transparency, ownership, and accountability to their product development process by either bringing employees into the research and development process, creating a feed lap feedback loop between their clients and their sales team, uh, you have a lot to learn from your employees. We just have to create the safe space for them to give us the information we need.

Ian McLean 8:59

Well, I would tell you, my kids tell me that I wake up on the wrong side of the bed every day. Just kidding. Um, okay, let's talk about what I was I was fascinated. We were talking and and and we made the comment of you talk about the gap between 99% and 100%. And I didn't really under like in terms of performance, 99% versus 100%. Um and and it really is, you know, your your own everyone's interpretation of perfection, right? Wanting to get it right. So when you when talk about what that that 1% gap is there that you're talking about, the 99% to 100%, like what lives in that in that gap? So if you say like 99%, sure sounds like a great score, but if you're insist on getting 100%, what is the what is the gap that's there? And why if if why do why do leaders pursue that that perfection when you're probably maxed out when you're at 95 or 99%, you've pretty much maxed out um I I just I found it fascinating because it really talks about where are you going to put the extra time and effort in into your business.

Andrew Leith 10:10

So you're exactly right. I think you summed it up very well. There's a return on investment on every activity that we undertake. And if as a perfectionist we continue to ideate and evolve and make it better because it's only 99.2% or 99.3%, we don't see the value in the message just hitting the audience it needs to find. And so we can sometimes toil in this gap between 99 and 100%, and no one will ever notice the difference. And so what I say is 99% is excellence, 100% is perfection, but perfection doesn't exist. So if we physically try to attain 99%, we can get there. And so for perfectionists, it's important to have uh to be introspective, but also to have external resources that we reflect upon. So let's say you and I are colleagues. Uh, if I'm working on a big project, I might in my brain believe that there's still so much left to do on this. But when I get to 90% of where I think it should be, that's a great time to turn it over to a colleague or a trusted uh compatriot and say, can you take a look at this? And my guess is most perfectionists, the response they're gonna get is this is amazing. I've never seen anything that was done to this level before. And you're still in your brain 10% away from where it's perfect. And so I think that there are a lot of leaders that are beating themselves up and and not just leaders, but people in general that are raising the bar so high that they're the only ones that can actually notice the difference. And so I think it's important to get that external perspective and understand uh when enough is enough, and again, be kinder to ourselves in that process.

Ian McLean 11:42

Well, that and that that would be uh uh something important if people are not seeing that is uh it's you coming in and getting them to see that uh for themselves is important. Listen, I I mean uh w when we talk about um um hiring and and and the the people that we work with, I've always said since I've been at the chamber, and in fact, most of the jobs I've had is everyone's gotta be a leader. Especially if you're in small business. If you're a small, medium-sized business, there is not enough people to have you know you know the hierarchy and or some large businesses, but even within that, everyone's gotta take leadership of the piece that they own. When we talk about um in in the companies that you're working with, I mean you're often because you're revenue, you know, um uh enhancement and that that's your focus. Do you cut brought in in sales uh as the as the vertical? Um and but is in that environment, is is leadership always always looked as it's kind of separate from sales? Because I I think leadership is part and parcel of everything, including sales.

Andrew Leith 12:48

Yeah, I think that there's a lot of salespeople that are their own leaders, right, because they're entrepreneur entrepreneurial in spirit or their role mandates that they're a team of one. And so it's important for people to realize that leadership isn't always leading others, sometimes it's leading ourselves, and sometimes it's creating the positive cultures and processes and values that allow us to stay in our excellence. And I truly believe working with a number of solopreneurs, that there's not a lot of people out there thinking in that regard. Uh, and I feel like if we ask ourselves how would we treat an employee in this position, we're most often going to treat that employer a lot, employee a lot nicer than we would treat ourselves. And I do challenge any uh solopreneur or entrepreneur out there to treat themselves a little better because it's in that rest, it's in that recovery where you will regroup and find your excellence again. And I think there's a lot of people pushing themselves to the brink. And and I was an example of that. So I can speak firsthand to uh, you know, almost killing myself for a company that, you know, um that might not have been killing themselves for me.

Ian McLean 13:54

So well, and and I think that that that's very important for people, you know, anyone listening is everyone's got to lead themselves before you can lead others. And I think that that's really good. Okay, you now you've worked globally, but well, I guess a little maybe through um to some of some of your your work history, but um uh I guess the part I want to get to is you're rooted here in Waterloo Region, you've worked around the world, you know, in the different places and doing different different types of roles. Um what makes the the Waterloo region kind of the reason you want to be here? Because you could you could do what you do from anywhere. I mean there is there is a home market here, but you you've worked other places, you've lived other places. What makes the the leadership conversations here in the in the region of Waterloo different, for an example? Or is it different?

Andrew Leith 14:44

Yeah. So coming from a background in tech, Waterloo Region is a very attractive place to be, but it's also a humble place to be that really has a lot of brag-worthy aspects. And so I've been to Silicon Valley, I've been to some of these uh upstart um uh upstart organizations that uh uh you know are big and flashy and are happy to tell you all about that. There's some really great community-based uh initiatives happening here in KW. Uh, I'm a member of Communitech, I'm at Accelerator all the time. Um, there's such a um gathering of uh brilliant minds working on AI and automations and other projects that are really putting Waterloo on the map right now. And personally, the value that I bring to the community is that ability to understand how equity companies are rapid scaling software to get them to that next big leap or their third or fourth evolution, uh, and helping founders and owners that are into rapid scaling their organizations to understand what roadblocks are going to come and make those plans and initiatives to circumvent them when they arise.

Part 2 of Interview

Ian McLean 15:55

The Behind the Business Podcast is made possible through the support of our title sponsor, Gore Mutual. Proudly Canadian, Gore Mutual has stayed true to one purpose for more than 185 years: insurance that does good. It's the reason they exist. They believe that when we focus on being good, doing good, and spreading good, we all thrive together. We're grateful for their continued commitment to our local communities and the positive impact they make every day. For more information, visit goremutual.ca. So just following on on that, I mean, we are growing fast. There's lots of you know startups and there's a whole i innovation culture, not just in tech but across the board. Um, but that's a fast-growing region. What what responsibility would you say that leaders um in business in particular, but also not for profits, I guess, have in a region that that like ours that's experienced such rapid growth and the change that comes with rapid growth?

Andrew Leith 16:57

Yeah, well, I can speak for myself. I'm most proud when someone that has been in my command comes full circle and is sitting at the table beside me, or sometimes that I'm asking for a seat at their table. And so I think part of being a leader in this community is understanding that that reciprocal relationship is in perpetuity. And so um you make long-standing relationships in a place and community like Waterloo, and those are shoulders you're gonna rub up against for the remainder of your career. You know, unlike in New York, where you might not see the same people, uh, here when you really put your thumbprint on the community, uh, it's not erased. Yeah.

Ian McLean 17:36

Uh listen, we're just about at time. We could talk all day, but uh um wanted to ask one more question before we wrap up uh with the rapid fire kind of leadership questions. Okay, great. As you look ahead um on what's next for you and your company, um you know, I and and I and I maybe put it this way, where are you most focused on making impact? Like, um, because you know, you work with the Rotary Club, you work with with clients across the region and outside the region. What what's the uh what's next for you and what where are you most focused on that on making that impact?

Andrew Leith 18:13

I really appreciate the opportunity to talk about this. Um so in the last couple of years, I've been involved with the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, and that has really helped me to realize that um by speaking on larger stages, I can get my message to a larger audience. And so my pursuit for 2026 is to speak on stages, uh providing keynotes, um, speaking to leaders and uh people in general about how individualized leadership and bringing all of themselves to the table is hugely important, um, bringing joy back into their lives and stop listening to the joy thieves in our lives that are stealing all of our fun.

Ian McLean 18:52

Well, that's that's worthwhile, and we'll look forward to seeing where you where you go in the days ahead. Listen, before we wrap up, um and and this this podcast is always about the the the leaders that that are leading in our community, in in the business community, in the broader community, uh for sure. But it's also, and we talked a little bit about this, it's about leadership. And so I'm always fascinated. I asked the same series of questions to everyone that comes on the podcast because it's always fascinating how people kind of view the questions. No wrong answers, but um, but it it it you know, for everyone listening, I I I challenge you to think about if I was asking them the question when you're watching this podcast, how would you you would respond? So if you could go back in time and tell your younger self something, what would it be?

Andrew Leith 19:34

Um well, I think I just touched on it. Would be to bring all of yourself to everything that you do, that all the parts of yourself that you hide that you're embarrassed of that you don't think have value actually are what makes you the most excellent. So bring all of yourself to every show you play.

Ian McLean 19:50

Um who or what inspires you?

Andrew Leith 19:55

Yeah, I think I would go back to the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. I was just at their uh national conference in Halifax. You know, I've been in a room with five people that were inspiring and they were trying to change the world. To be in a room with 200 people who are doing their best to change the world is uh it's a powerful thing.

Ian McLean 20:12

Well, that's great. Um if you weren't in your current career, what would you be doing? Would you be back on the water uh and boating, or what would you do if you weren't in your current career?

Andrew Leith 20:22

Well, I think most likely I would be selling something. Yeah. However, I would like to think that I would be on a beach somewhere warm, working for the exact amount of money of money I need to have the most joy in every day.

Ian McLean 20:34

Well, given that it's minus 14 out, I'd like to be on a beach as well. That's a good answer. Uh are you reading a book or are you listening to a podcast? What do you do to kind of keep your either tune out or or kind of recharge?

Andrew Leith 20:48

Yeah, I'm always picking up different podcasts and listening to things, but I always have a couple of books on my nightstand that are, you know, causing uh some points of reflection. I think uh Jason Marichello's book, The Prosperity Triad, has really got me thinking about how uh external uh success and internal wellness are intrinsically connected and how it's important to keep a lens on all that. And then as I get into my speaking career uh and and understanding diversity and inclusion is important to me as a speaker. Uh, a book that I've picked up and can't seem to put down is The Inclusive Speaker by Denis Boudreau. And you would love it. Uh, it's just all about how people in the audiences are perceiving our messages and we don't even understand because of potential inclusivity issues or or resources they they might require that we could be conscious of and in our uh message would even have more impact. And so I'm learning a lot about people that think and absorb information differently than you and I.

Ian McLean 21:44

Interesting. Okay, and uh as we wrap up, what's your favorite local business? Coffee shop, restaurant, retail, what's what's your go-to?

Andrew Leith 21:52

Yeah, well, uh I have a lot of favorite businesses, but the ones that I'm gonna call out are ones I think that are doing amazing things for this community that we live in. Um, food for kids, uh, Fawn and Carrier just doing amazing things over there and the rest of the team, not to disclude anyone, um, just really uh doing their best to nourish the next generation of leaders. Um, we've also got Little Mushroom Catering, who I've done some work with, who I can say is really a local leader, uh, who sh people should be looking at as a way to uh empower their employees and how can they emulate um what the team over there at Little Mushroom is doing there. Just uh just an amazing group. And then finally, uh I'm working with a young man at the University of Laurier on a project called Lumenwell, which is uh a basically first response uh mental health uh application for neurodivergent individuals that are seeking help in the community and offering them the support that they need before they're able to receive it from the medical community. So um just some, like I said, always inspired by the people that I'm working with and uh looking forward to helping them grow and and being a part of this thriving community.

Closing Remarks

Ian McLean 23:01

Okay, last question. Where where can uh I want any of our listeners or viewers go to connect with you or to find your uh your contact information or your business?

Andrew Leith 23:10

Absolutely. You can find me at andrewleith.ca or at our uh executive website, octanteag.com. But please also seek me out on LinkedIn. You can find me under Andrew Leith Sales Executive, and I look forward to having meaningful conversations with all of you.

Ian McLean 23:26

Listen, uh appreciate you coming in. I know how uh I always say this, but for especially small and medium-sized business owners, time's probably the most valuable thing you have, and so we appreciate you spending some time with us today.

Andrew Leith 23:37

Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

Ian McLean 23:39

Thank you for joining us for another episode of Behind the Business, proudly presented by Gore Mutual, insurance that does good. New episodes drop every Thursday, so be sure to tune in next week. You can also visit greater kwchamber.com to catch up on past episodes anytime. We'll see you next time as we continue to go behind the business.