December Insights – Insider Threats, Holiday Fraud Trends to Look Out For, and Leadership Wins Worth Celebrating
Happy December, friends.
The holidays are coming up fast, and if your calendar looks anything like mine, you’re probably wondering how we got here so quickly. It’s that final sprint of the year: inboxes are packed, projects are wrapping up and everyone is trying to finish the year strong before we shift into holiday mode.
This month, we’re looking at a few important cybersecurity reminders as the year-end busy season ramps up, along with some leadership insights that stood out to me. We’re also shining a spotlight on FortWhyte Alive, who just received a global recognition for one of Manitoba’s most sustainable building projects!
Michael
Cybersecurity / Technology Articles
Insider threats are not often discussed and can be uncomfortable, but they’re part of the modern threat landscape, especially as attackers are getting better at targeting individuals inside organizations. CrowdStrike recently terminated an employee after discovering they quietly passed internal information to a hacking group and while none of their environments were breached, it’s a reminder that risk isn’t always external. Read the full story here:
CrowdStrike fires ‘suspicious insider’ who passed information to hackers
TechRepublic is reporting an early surge in holiday-season fraud: everything from fake delivery notices to convincing invoice scams. Attackers already know that this month can be chaotic and they lean into it every year: overworked staff, rushed approvals, a mountain of year-end purchases… it creates the perfect conditions for mistakes. For small and medium-sized businesses, this is the time to slow down before clicking. Double-check unusual requests. Make sure MFA is doing your heavy lifting. To get the full breakdown, read the article here:
Holiday Fraud Trends 2025: The Top Cyber Threats to Watch This Season
Leadership & Personal Growth
Have you seen the latest Forbes’ “30 Under 30 in AI” list? It’s packed with founders who are building bigger models, smarter machines, and attracting huge investments. It’s easy to skim lists like this and focus on the tech, but there’s a leadership lesson sitting underneath it: momentum comes from people who are willing to experiment aggressively and stay in that uncomfortable zone. The AI landscape isn’t slowing down, and the leaders who thrive in this decade will be the ones who can make clear decisions through an ever-evolving market, test ideas and stay grounded while everything around them shifts.
Most leaders move too quickly past their wins. We obsess over the next challenge, the next problem to solve or the next decision waiting in our inbox. Celebrating progress isn’t self-congratulation; it can anchor good habits, build confidence and remind people that hard work pays off! If you lead a team, especially in a fast-moving industry like ours, it’s worth slowing down long enough to be able to acknowledge the victories. This is a fantastic article and I highly recommend reading it.
Most Leaders Don’t Celebrate Their Wins—But They Should
Partner Spotlight – FortWhyte Alive
This month, FortWhyte Alive was named one of the 20 global winners of the Holcim Foundation Awards 2025, which recognizes the world’s most sustainable designs. The new Buffalo Crossing building is the first one in Manitoba certified to the Passive House Standard, and will be certified as Zero-Carbon Building Standard. Congratulations to partner, we’re proud to work with you and are excited to see what comes next.
Buffalo Crossing Wins at 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards
Events
December 3 – Art Based Spiritual Care: Accessibility, Co-Creation and Two-Eyed Seeing
December 3 – Manitoba Chambers Holiday Reception
December 9 – State of the Province 2025 with Wab Kinew
December 10 – The Evolving Oversight Expectations of Boards in a Rapidly Changing World
December 16 – MBiz Breakfast feat. The Honourable Rebecca Chartrand