Richard Patanao joined Chicago’s ISI as a senior consultant in 2025. His responsibilities include overseeing complex client engagements to deliver effective solutions to operational, technological, and strategic challenges. In this role, Richard Patanao demonstrates a range of analytical and communication skills while guiding clients through a diversity of business transformation initiatives.
His specific responsibilities include managing project scopes, deliverables, and timelines, with a focus on client satisfaction at every phase. To this end, Richard Patanao conducts extensive research and analysis, including market assessments, process evaluations, and risk analysis. His other activities include leading the training and coaching of the management teams he advises.
Richard Patanao studied commerce, with a specialization in finance and international business at Carleton University in Ottawa. When he is not providing consulting services, he volunteers with various community organizations. He also spends time following United Nations activities and reading about various global issues and international human rights developments.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
A typical day for me starts with waking up early and getting ready for work. I usually stop and get coffee somewhere on my way to work and work an 8- to 9-hour day. In the evenings, I like to go for walks and listen to music to decompress. What helps with my productivity is working off checklists that I lay out for the week in my Notes on my phone. Each day has its own section and as things come up, I list it under the appropriate day that I want to tackle that item—whether it’s something work-related, a personal errand or even a random thought that I just need to note. I also order things each day in terms of priority, and I always try to complete priority items on the day I list it.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Ideas usually come to life as an initial thought, and I’ll just write that down in a note on my phone. It might not have a lot of substance to it initially—and it could just be a word or two—but with time, it usually builds itself out in my thought process, and I’ll keep adding to that note until it forms into a more expanded idea. I’ll also talk about these thoughts with close friends and people whose opinion I trust, as their perspectives could add to the idea and help me with bringing that idea to life.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The use of AI is something that I’m slowly adopting a bit more with time. It’s exciting, as I’m seeing how it can enhance my productivity and use it as a resource to other tools I use at work. I’m excited to learn more about it and find unique ways to supplement my productivity at work.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I review my checklists every day and hold myself accountable to completing the priority items. It helps me roadmap the next day and upcoming week, especially with a demanding travel schedule.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to accept your vulnerabilities, flaws and imperfections and just be open and honest about them. I would tell my younger self to be more proactive in learning how to communicate these things and embrace acceptance of them. Genuine connection is built on vulnerability, not projecting an idea that you have of yourself that you want someone to accept—because that will never be authentic and you’ll never learn to love yourself.
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
We are seeing a resurgence where people in positions of power govern through fear, violence, force, and punishment. I don’t believe in this, and I believe that leaders need to be virtuous, show that moral example can be more powerful than force and that people in these ruling positions should emphasize equality and justice for the vulnerable and at-risk populations.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I always try to hold myself accountable to not making emotional decisions. Emotions and feelings come hard and fast, but decisions have a lasting effect. I try my best to be mindful of these emotions because it can narrow focus, magnify threats, and catastrophize outcomes. So, I try not to ignore emotion, but there is an effective way to learn emotion but decide with clarity.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Journaling or going for walks and listening to classical music help me decompress and gather my thoughts when I feel overwhelmed or unfocused. It helps me separate from those feelings and reset myself so I can come back and think clearly.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Being involved more in the workplace has helped, whether it’s work events, getting involved in focus groups or special projects, or leaning on a mentor to ask questions and provide guidance. Doing this has helped me lean on the experience of others to gain perspective on how I perform tasks in my job or how to handle situations that they have experienced so I can adopt those strategies in my own way.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
One failure early on in my career was that I did not utilize the wisdom, experience, and advice of mentors or more experienced professionals in my industry. I simply thought hard work and long hours would help me advance and get to where I wanted to be, but that is very limiting. I overcame it by acknowledging that it is okay to ask for help and advice and leaning on others. The people who have done this work before me have a lot of experience and have likely been through a lot of the situations I found myself in, so it was important for me to ask them questions and learn from them so that I can adapt for anything that might come my way. The biggest lesson I learned from this was that showing genuine and intentional commitment to learning from others can open doors for you.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Virtual reality experiences in the home-renovation or interior design world. This could include virtual walkthroughs or renovation previews using virtual reality so that the prospective customer can “walk” through the new design space and see the renovation or new design before it is built or redesigned.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
MS Outlook for the calendar so I know when all my meetings and appointments are. I also block off time in my calendar for times I need to complete something so that I can stick to my task and be limited from contact with coworkers.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I recently spent roughly $100 at a health foods store on some supplements and vitamins, and it has helped with some things in my personal health that I wanted to focus on.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
I enjoy a podcast called Work in Progress (with Sophia Bush) because something Sophia said resonated with me when she said that someone can be “both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously.”
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I recently finished Squid Game, and I enjoyed it because of the themes it explores with regards to inequality and desperation. It’s a very interesting social commentary.
Key learnings
- Vulnerability is strength.
- Seek advice and mentorship from those who are seasoned in your profession/career/field.
- Invest in your mental health and healing.