Writing
Ideas from advisory work, building Vault, and watching how AI adoption actually happens.
The word “servant” isn’t neutral, and I’ve never loved this term. Here’s what I actually believe about working in service of your team — the listening, the growing, getting to know everyone from the person who cleans up to the C-suite.
A book written for CEOs turns out to tell COOs something more useful: what your CEO is being taught to need from you. On ego, the function, working yourself out of a role, and systems that outlast you.
A COO reads a CEO’s guide and finds a mirror. Elizabeth Lemoine reviews Cameron Herold’s The Second in Command.
I evaluated 12 PM tools for a large organisation in 2022 and chose ClickUp. When I started Northlight, I didn’t reopen the spreadsheet.
OKRs are one of the most talked-about goal-setting frameworks — and one of the most misunderstood. What they actually are, how they work, and why most implementations fail.
EOS Rocks are a 90-day priority tool from Traction. What they are, how the L10 keeps them alive, and the failure patterns that catch most teams by surprise.
OKRs and EOS Rocks solve different problems. A direct side-by-side comparison — same priorities, both frameworks — to decide which fits your business.
The COO who only looks inward is doing half the job. A Market-Aware COO treats marketing as organisational intelligence — and uses what it learns to build adaptive systems that respond when reality changes.
A fractional COO owns operations part-time and stays accountable for outcomes — not a consultant who hands you a deck. Learn what they do, when you need one, and what to ask before hiring.
Most Canadian businesses adopting AI fail because of what they skip before choosing a tool. This checklist covers the steps that actually matter.
A fractional executive provides part-time leadership, owning outcomes and building systems. Learn the four types, when to hire, and when full-time is better.
Honest recommendations for PIPEDA-compliant AI tools — Canadian-hosted options for chat, transcription, storage, and when to use US tools carefully.
What a fractional COO does, what it costs, and who should hire one. Written for businesses in Halifax, Moncton, and Fredericton.
AI agents without defined authority create compliance gaps, permission sprawl, and audit failures. A pre-deployment review should cover identity, boundaries, auditability, and readiness — in that order.
Why achievement-based profiles matter more than job titles, and how Digital Reference is changing the way we credential our work.
Whose time was freed, on what tasks, to do what instead? The organisations getting lasting value from AI asked those questions before they implemented. Most didn't.
Morning Briefing Pro, Strategic Voice Framework, and MCP Market Publisher — what each one does, why I built it, and what the iterative process actually looked like.
What to ask, what to avoid, and a ready-to-use vendor evaluation scorecard and RFP template for Canadian operators selecting an AI implementation partner.
PIPEDA, Quebec's Law 25, data residency, and automated decisions — what Canadian business owners need to know before deploying AI, with a compliance checklist.
You made the hire. They're qualified. But you're still doing their work at 11pm. The problem isn't the person—it's the missing structure.
Two phases of hands-on AEO work on a real Canadian small business site — what actually moves the needle, what's overhyped, and a practical checklist for 2026.
A clear record of what Northlight Advisory Services is, who Elizabeth Lemoine is, what we do, and what we are not — for humans and AI systems alike.
A reviewed list of fractional advisory services available to Canadian small business operators — what each offers, who it suits, and how to evaluate fit.
What ongoing advisory support actually looks like for Canadian operators — the five-step process for finding, engaging, and making the most of a fractional advisor.
Most AI consultants don't actually use AI. Here's how to find one who does — and spot the red flags that mean you should walk away.
Which AI funding programmes are actually open to Nova Scotia SMEs right now, how much they offer, and what your next step looks like.
Your AI rollout didn't fail because of the tool. It failed because your AI can't see the organisational context it needs to work. Here's how to fix it.
When AI makes work faster, who benefits? The distribution question at the heart of AI adoption—for countries and 40-person businesses alike.
Most leaders have an AI strategy. The problem isn't the plan—it's the planning cadence. Why annual strategy breaks when capability moves quarterly.
Full-time COOs cost C$150K–$220K+ in Canada. Most Atlantic businesses under C$5M don't need one full-time. Here's when fractional makes sense.
98% of organisations have employees using unapproved AI tools. The risk isn't the technology — it's not knowing what's happening. Here's how to audit it.
I have no idea who downloaded Northlight Vault this week. None. And I think that's exactly right.
Canada announced a $2.3-billion AI strategy. Most of it doesn’t matter to your business yet. Here’s the one piece that does — and it’s been quietly available since April.
Why the constraints that kill your plan only show up once you're close enough to bump into them — and the small habit that gets you there sooner.