About
Morry Patoka
Chief Inquisitor, iQuest
When I was old enough to think about what I wanted to do in my life I was already in my 40’s.
Of course, my journey had a few twists before I arrived there. After six years of writing ads, comedy, jingles and directing television commercials, I became a bushy haired ad agency Creative Director leading development of integrated multi-media marketing campaigns for everything from financial institutions to drug store chains to board games. I learned through extensive experimentation, and dozens of crazy award dinners, that creativity really needs the right strategy to boost the bottom line.
With that critical insight, and through a totally unplanned series of events, I found myself being the first employee of RMR, a CRM technology company that was really a front for a strategy company using technology to execute great thinking.
The owner, with whom I would eventually partner, and I built up a multi-million dollar business creating and executing customer relationship strategies for major North American corporations. I quickly discovered an affinity for structuring and optimizing operations, detailed financial modeling and leading the organization by enabling a collaborative, creative culture. Along the way, I also picked up enough “tech speak” to guide our burgeoning technology department in the development of software designed to deliver one-to-one data driven strategy.
I worked directly with clients as Chief Strategist and managed our company as Chief Operating Officer responsible for accounts, production, response management, call centre; plus budgets, staffing, infrastructure, P&L, you name it. We even went public.
Then the dot bomb landed. Boom. When I contacted CEO’s to talk about CRM they wanted to talk about the misalignment of their management team, or how to replace $40 million of revenue, or needing a new corporate strategy for a new world. So I helped them.
Which brings me to my 40’s. I became a full time strategy consultant. I have had the good fortune to work with many great organizations representing a wide spectrum of recognizable names in communications, entertainment, finance, food, government, health care, insurance, manufacturing, professional services, retail, technology and more.
I’ve done speaking engagements, started-up businesses, ran a private equity firm, have begun writing a book called, Create the Conditions (that create the conditions) For Success, and continue to thoroughly enjoy my role as Chief Inquisitor of iQuest.
Tested and true, I work with my clients to unlock their organizational talent, secure commitment, inspire courage and ignite passion; incessantly asking the hard questions to reveal core issues and discover new, game changing opportunities. My deep understanding of the strategy creation process cemented by extensive management experience and plenty of battle-scarred common sense gives me a unique advantage in the creation and execution of strategy that measurably drives results.
I absolutely love what I do. I love the diversity of working with different clients and bringing together the best of what I learn from each of them. And I’m very happy to say, I know exactly what I want to be doing everyday.
I invite you to browse this site for articles and presentations you can apply at your company right now, visit iQuest, follow me on SlideShare and Twitter, and join me on LinkedIn. I look forward to getting to know each other.
Sincerely,
Morry Patoka - Chief Inquisitor, iQuest
