I Was Wrong: No More Mr. Nice Guy

For three years, Dan O’Malley tried to be the boss everyone loves—never criticizing, always smiling. Now, he says that was the wrong approach.

- By Cameron Albert-Deitch

The co-founder and CEO of Boston-based Numerated, which helps banks and credit unions automate their processes, went into crisis mode when, in March 2020, the Small Business Administration launched the Paycheck Protection Program. Numerated’s 55-person team worked 20-hour days for weeks to help banks process roughly $250 million in forgivable small-business loans per hour.