top of page

Matthew Balyk

In a world full of noise, be a voice worth hearing.
Tradecraft Field Notes


Presence Influences Decisions
SITUATIONAL ENTRY I walked into a liquor store to grab drinks for the weekend. The layout is simple. One long aisle from the door to the beer coolers at the back. A woman stood near the front, looking at bottles. A man stood farther down the same aisle. I decided to pay attention to how my behavior affected each moment. FIELD NOTE I passed the woman without saying a word. No eye contact. No “excuse me.” I just walked through her space. It felt cold. Dismissive. Like I wa

Matthew Balyk
6 days ago2 min read


Authority Is Not Automatic
SITUATIONAL ENTRY I was standing at ice level during another teams hockey practice. A young boy skated over and started banging his stick against the glass at eye level. Loud. Repeated. Distracting. His mother stood beside me. She told him to stop and return to practice. He ignored her. She raised one finger. Then two. A silent countdown. He kept going. A man walked over from down the rink. He banged on the glass once. He told the boy to get back into the drill. The boy stopp

Matthew Balyk
6 days ago2 min read


Why High Prices Don’t Kill Sales—Bad Incentives Do
SITUATIONAL ENTRY A few weeks before Christmas, my sons and I went shopping for a gift for my wife. Her favorite clothing store is one of the most expensive in town. It’s in the main mall, in a prime location. High rent. High overhead. When we walked in, there was one employee. An older woman standing behind the counter, on the phone. She didn’t look up. She didn’t acknowledge us. Two other shoppers were already in the store. They browsed for a few minutes, then left. No gree

Matthew Balyk
6 days ago2 min read
bottom of page