🏒What the Maple Leafs’ Playoff Defeat Can Tell Us About the Corporate World

🏒What the Maple Leafs’ Playoff Defeat Can Tell Us About the Corporate WorldI don’t follow sports. But living in Toronto, even I couldn’t escape the Maple Leafs playoff drama.The part that stuck with me wasn’t the final score (1–6, ouch), but the conversations around it—especially the double standard we apply to failure.A mid-tier hockey player underperforms in a big game? Might not make the cut next season.But a top-league player? They’ll be back. Too much money, too much reputation invested.Sound familiar?In corporate life, we often see the same thing:CEOs tank strategies and stay for years.Execs a few levels down? Miss a target once—and they’re out.Why do we extend more grace to people higher up the ladder?I shared some thoughts on this in my latest newsletter—what the Leafs can teach us about power, failure, and why your intern might’ve gone through more interviews than your CEO.Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare