by Tom | Apr 21, 2026 | The Catbird Seat
You’re in a practice room, walking through your presentation before a big meeting. The slides are clear, the pacing is good, and there are no obvious gaps. At the end, you ask, “Any questions?” Silence. Then someone says, “Sounds good.” They know what you meant to...
by Tom | Apr 13, 2026 | The Catbird Seat
I’m a second-year analyst, headed back to my office, thinking I’m done for the night. Then I hear my name. I turn—and there’s Slocum. “Tell me three things about this manager.” Not one. Not ten. Three. Three things that matter. A reason to choose in the length of a...
by Tom | Apr 7, 2026 | The Catbird Seat
We’re a few minutes into a coaching session, and the PM is walking through the strategy. “It starts with sourcing…our relationships are strong…then how we underwrite risk…the team has been together a long time…the track record…and how we...
by Tom | Apr 2, 2026 | The Catbird Seat
A group gathers for a photo. No one steps back. No one asks, “Can you get everyone in?” The phone just does it. That’s the ad. This phone can do a thousand things—GPS, email, video, payments. But the ad shows one. The one that decides. Decisions form around an idea....
by Tom | Mar 31, 2026 | The Catbird Seat
Next slide: Differentiators. Experienced team. Long tenure. Deep sector expertise. Proven track record. Global team / local presence. Disciplined investment process. Fundamental / bottom-up / proprietary research. Robust risk management. Scale and resources....
by Tom | Mar 26, 2026 | The Catbird Seat
Most strategies have a slide called “Differentiators.” Experienced team. Proprietary research. Disciplined process. Risk management. All true. Not different. The subject of another note. In the last note: The Problem of No Problem — name the problem. Here’s another...
