Today, Rad Marketing and Blackline hosted their second annual "Ballin' Out For Charity" basketball tournament. And it was a fantastic event. My sore lower back proves it. It's always fun getting so many Toronto real estate people into one room (or onto a giant court at the University of Toronto). But more important is the fact that it was for a good cause. This year's tournament raised money for the MLSE Foundation (which you can learn more about here). And last year's tournament raised over $70,000 for the Daily Bread Food Bank.

I'm looking forward to this becoming an industry staple. Everyone involved in the organizing of this event should be very proud of what they accomplished. Great job.

Like many of you, I have been watching The Last Dance. It is a powerful reminder of just how competitive, disciplined, and emotional Michael Jordan was, and still is, about winning at the game of basketball. But the most powerful moment so far has easily been his monologue on leadership at the end of episode 7. Here is that scene. If you can't see it below, click here.

Watching this brought tears to my eyes. Over the years, I have had teachers, professors, and bosses who have subscribed to this philosophy of leadership. I'm sure many of you have as well. It's never fun at the time. In fact, it sucks. But usually in hindsight it becomes clearer what that person was trying to accomplish. And you realize how they pushed you to grow.

My own view is that there are ways to win without resorting to emotional bullying. But then it begs the question, if you're not being extreme, does that reduce performance? Would it have been better for Jordan to be a bit nicer to his teammates, if it meant winning fewer championships? Depends on who you ask.

When you're determined to move a mountain, win a championship, or create something that has never been done before, it can be incredibly frustrating when you feel as if the team isn't on the same level or that they don't care as much as you. So you push. And that's what Michael did. Winning has a price.

We all need to be challenged. Some people, like Michael, are good at pushing themselves to be the best that they can be. Others need more external help. How best to do that is the great debate. But as Fred Wilson said on his blog earlier this week: "Leadership is not being liked. Leadership is being respected and followed."

The frenetic run-up to Christmas has come to an end, and I'm looking forward to relaxing and taking it easy with family and friends. I hope that all of you are able to do the same, however you spend the holidays. This is the one time of the year when the email firehose completely shuts off and it's a lot easier to do exactly that. I think that's important for all of us.

This past year I found it particularly difficult to disconnect. And 2020 is on deck to be an even bigger year. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I am, however, going to take this time to slow down, read, write, travel, and likely drink a bunch of wine. As always, you'll find me here on the blog every morning. Merry Christmas, everyone.

P.S. The Toronto Raptors are hosting their first ever Christmas Day game.