As a lawyer and columnist, I’ve interviewed plenty of people over the years, and I’ve certainly interviewed my share of prospective employees.

But I have never considered offering a candidate a tin of sardines.

Anton Rabie has.

During a recent interview with the Canadian entrepreneur and co-founder of Spin Master – a multinational toy and entertainment company headquartered in Toronto – I asked him what he looks for when hiring senior executives. His answer led us from protein shakes to performance reviews, tennis lessons and, yes, sardines.

According to Rabie, the secret to a good interview is disarming a candidate, making them sufficiently comfortable to forget they’re being interviewed at all.

Rabie, whose forthcoming book Different is expected in February 2027, has spent decades building one of Canada’s great entrepreneurial success stories. As a Canadian small business owner myself, I wanted to know what his experience could teach other business owners navigating economic uncertainty, artificial intelligence and the perennial challenge of finding good employees.

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Entrepreneurs should think globally

I started with a familiar Canadian insecurity: are our entrepreneurs too cautious compared with their American counterparts?

Rabie wasn’t buying the premise. He knows plenty of Canadian entrepreneurs who think big and take enormous risks. The more useful question, he suggested, is whether an individual has the mindset to recognize opportunity.

“As entrepreneurs in Canada, right when they start, they should think globally,” he advised.

According to Rabie, a Canadian business doesn’t have to define its ambitions by the size of our domestic market or its access to one neighbouring country.

I then asked him a question many business owners are wrestling with: what should companies stop spending money on right now?

His answer surprised me.

“If you have a healthy balance sheet, you don’t start to cut costs at a time like this, because it’s actually an opportunity for you to get more market (share) from your competitors.”

It’s a useful reminder that cutting expenses and building a stronger business are not necessarily the same thing.

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Conversation turned to AI

Our conversation then turned to AI, and I put on my employment lawyer’s hat.

What responsibility does an employer have to loyal employees whose jobs could be automated?

Rabie didn’t begin with layoffs or efficiencies. He talked about identifying experienced employees who could take on ambitious new projects, using the knowledge they’ve accumulated to contribute in different ways.

He also spoke enthusiastically about neurodivergent thinkers and the value of creativity in an AI-driven workplace.

“People who think differently have an advantage,” Rabie said.

I found that perspective refreshing. Employers understandably want technology to improve productivity, but replacing employees shouldn’t automatically be the first objective. Sometimes the greater opportunity lies in allowing talented people to do work they never had time to do before.

Then came the sardines.

Rabie explained that when interviewing senior executives, he tries to dispense with formalities and understand the person behind the résumé . He’s interested in ego, insecurity, openness and whether someone can accept criticism.

He asks candidates about their last 360-degree performance review, what weaknesses were identified and, importantly, what they did about them.

If a candidate plays tennis, he might ask what they’ve changed about their game. Someone who hasn’t adjusted their technique in 15 years raises a question in his mind: how willing are they to change anything else?

It’s a clever test, even if I wouldn’t recommend employers abandon structured, job-related assessments altogether.

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Balance requires planning, constant adjustment and a strong team

Finally, I asked him something personal. As a mother, lawyer and entrepreneur, I’m interested in whether building a successful business must inevitably come at the expense of family life.

Rabie offered no magic formula.

“It’s not gonna work if you don’t have a plan,” he said.

Rabie described the importance of being deliberate, experimenting with routines and creating boundaries, including putting away his devices during family time. He’s also a proponent of buying yourself a weighted vest to amp up walks for a busy executive.

His answer was practical and raw. Balance isn’t something that simply happens once a business becomes successful. It requires planning, constant adjustment and a strong team around you.

What’s clear, from my short time with him, was Rabie’s willingness to question conventional thinking, whether in hiring, innovation, managing people or family life.

For business owners, perhaps that’s the most valuable lesson of all.

We spend a great deal of time asking our employees to adapt, learn new skills and embrace change. But how often do we turn those questions on ourselves?

And if you haven’t changed your own game in 15 years, perhaps it’s time to ask why.

Have a workplace question? Maybe I can help! Email me at sunira@worklylaw.com and your question may be featured in a furry column.

The content of this article is general information only and is not legal advice.