Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 491, an interview with the author Directional Living: A Transformational Guide to Fulfillment in Work and Life, Megan Hellerer. 

In this episode, Megan shares her experience as an executive at Google and how she realized the misalignment in her career path, which led to physical and mental health issues. She also discusses how she navigated through it by listening to her inner voice and experimenting with new paths. Additionally, Megan explains how she built her coaching practice, how to find clients that are a good fit for you, the common issues clients face, and how to help them solve those issues.

Megan Hellerer is a career coach and the founder of Coaching for Underfulfilled Overachievers. She has led hundreds of women, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to transform their lives by transforming their careers. After checking all the traditional boxes of success—graduating at the top of her class from Stanford University and spending eight years as a Google executive—and still deeply unhappy, she quit her great-on-paper job with no plan. Now her mission is to provide others with the support and guidance that she needed when she herself was struggling. Megan has been featured in New York, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and The Times. She lives with her husband and daughter in the Hudson Valley, New York.

Get Megan's book here: https://shorturl.at/Icv8w

Directional Living: A Transformational Guide to Fulfillment in Work and Life

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 492, an interview with the co-author of the book Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI, David C. Edelman. This book is a playbook for delivering true personalization at scale that will help executives learn how to put personalization at the center of their strategy and accelerate growth. BCG's Mark Abraham and HBS's David C. Edelman describe five promises of personalization: Empower Me, Know Me, Reach Me, Show Me, Delight Me.

David C. Edelman is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, an executive adviser and board member to brands and technology providers, and an adviser to BCG. Previously, David was chief marketing officer at Aetna and has worked with dozens of companies on personalization, AI, and agile marketing at BCG and Digitas. Forbes has repeatedly named him one of the Top 20 Most Influential Voices in Marketing, and Ad Age has named him a Top 20 Chief Marketing and Technology Officer.

Get David's book here: https://shorturl.at/Qj6Ys

Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 493, an interview with the coauthor of the book Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI, Mark Abraham. 

In this episode, we explore the rise of personalization through digital tools and AI, and how companies and organizations are leveraging it to build connections and engage with their customers. We discuss companies that excel in this area, such as Starbucks with its personalization engine, and Spotify with its tailored music recommendations. Personalization is not just about data; it's also about responding effectively to customer insights, enhancing customer experiences, and driving growth.

Mark Abraham is a senior partner at BCG and the founder of the firm's Personalization business, which he has built into a global team of more than 1,000 agile marketers, data scientists, engineers, and martech experts. He and his team have accelerated the personalization efforts of more than a hundred iconic brands (including Starbucks, The Home Depot, and Google) and built some of BCG's largest ventures and AI platforms, including Fabriq by BCG for personalization. Currently, Mark leads BCG's North American Marketing, Sales & Pricing practice and is reenergizing the growth and development of talent in what is one of the firm's largest regional practices.

Get Mark's book here: https://shorturl.at/Qj6Ys
Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 494, an interview with the author of Mindshift: Transform Leadership, Drive Innovation, and Reshape the Future, Brian Solis. In this episode, Brian discusses the concept of 'Mindshift'—moving beyond industrial-era, business-as-usual mindsets to become a visionary for a future that has yet to emerge. He also explores the importance of a beginner's mind, emphasizing the need for curiosity and awareness in leadership, which opens the door to new possibilities and fosters innovation.

Brian Solis is a world-renowned futurist, keynote speaker, and author of over 60 industry-leading research publications and 8 best-selling books exploring disruptive trends, corporate innovation, business transformation, and consumer behavior.

Forbes has called him "one of the more creative and brilliant business minds of our time" and The Conference Board described Brian as "the futurist we all need now."

Brian serves as the Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow where he leads vision, strategy, and program innovation for the company's global Innovation Centers. Brian also studies disruptive technologies, emergent trends, and market shifts to advise business executives on innovation and transformation strategies. 

Brian continues to publish business and technology thought leadership in industry publications such as CIO, Forbes, and Worth, and has consistently been recognized as one of the world's leading thinkers in innovation, business transformation, and leadership for over two decades.

Get Brian's book here: https://shorturl.at/KHi7j

Mindshift: Transform Leadership, Drive Innovation, and Reshape the Future

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 495, an interview with healthcare visionary, Eugene Litvak. In this episode, Eugene discussed the challenges in global hospital management, highlighting overcrowded emergency departments, nursing shortages, rising healthcare costs, and mismanaged surgery schedules leading to delays and increased mortality. Eugene discussed ways to improve the current healthcare system to save millions of dollars for each hospital while improving patient satisfaction and outcomes, nurse retention, hospital efficiency, and addressing healthcare disparities and inequities.

Eugene Litvak, PhD is President and CEO of the nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Optimization. He is also an Adjunct Professor in Operations Management in the Department of Health Policy & Management at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). He was a co-founder and director of the Program for the Management of Variability in Health Care Delivery at the Boston University (BU) Health Policy Institute. Since 1995, he has led the development and practical application of innovative approaches for managing patient flow variability, first introduced by him and his fellow co-founder Michael C. Long, MD, for cost reduction and quality improvement in health care delivery systems.

Get Hospital, Heal Thyself here: https://shorturl.at/6kevO

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 496, an interview with the author of Hospital, Heal Thyself, Mark Taylor. In this episode, we explore the challenges and potential solutions in the healthcare industry, focusing on Dr. Litvak's methods. The discussion highlights the inefficiencies in hospital operations, such as overcrowding and unnecessary expenditures, and the reluctance of hospital CEOs and surgeons to adopt more efficient practices. Dr. Litvak's methods, which involve optimizing surgical schedules, have been successfully implemented at many top 12-ranked hospitals to save hundreds of millions of dollars and countless thousands of patient lives.

Mark Taylor is a veteran healthcare journalist who has covered health and medicine for newspapers and business publications for decades. He is the recipient of Kaiser and Knight fellowships and is a co-founder of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Taylor is a former steelworker, taxicab driver, waiter, and lifeguard who lives in a Northwest Indiana suburb of Chicago.

Get Mark's book here: https://shorturl.at/6kevO

Hospital, Heal Thyself: One Brilliant Mathematician's Proven Plan for Saving Hospitals, Many Lives, and Billions of Dollars

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 497, an interview with the author of 12 Questions for Love: A Guide to Intimate Conversations and Deeper Relationships, Topaz Adizes. 

Topaz After a decade of exploring human connections through 1,200+ conversations in his Emmy Award-winning experience design studio, Topaz Adizes founder of The Skin Deep, popular on TikTok (1.2M) and Youtube (905k), is bringing his knowledge of the power of questions to the workplace.

In this episode, Topaz shares his filmmaking journey leading to creating "The And," a project focused on deep, human conversations. He emphasizes that in order to have meaningful conversations, we need to consider giving well-constructed questions, avoiding binary ones, and fostering a safe space for dialogue. Topaz also touched on creating impactful conversations by setting intentions, using connective questions, and ensuring participants feel safe and heard. He also highlights the significance of deep listening, which involves engaging the whole body and feeling, and how these types of conversations enhance relationships and personal growth.

Topaz Adizes is an Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and experienced design architect. He is an Edmund Hillary fellow and Sundance/Skoll stories of change fellow. His works have been selected to Cannes, Sundance, IDFA, and SXSW; featured in New Yorker magazine, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times; and have garnered an Emmy for new approaches to documentary and Two World Press photo awards for immersive storytelling and interactive documentary. He is currently the founder and executive director of the experience design studio The Skin Deep. Topaz studied philosophy at UC Berkeley and Oxford University. He speaks four languages and currently lives in Mexico with his wife and two children.

Get Topaz's book here: https://shorturl.at/lj2Ro

12 Questions for Love: A Guide to Intimate Conversations and Deeper Relationships

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 498, an interview with the coauthor of Triple Fit Strategy: How to Build Lasting Customer Relationships and Boost Growth, Christoph Senn. 

In this episode, Christoph introduces us to the concept of the "Triple Fit Strategy," a groundbreaking approach to strategy and sales with the power to transform businesses. It replaces the traditional single product-market fit with a three-fold alignment: planning, execution, and resource fit.

Christoph Senn is an adjunct professor of marketing at INSEAD, one of the world's leading and largest graduate business schools. He is also Codirector of the INSEAD Marketing & Sales Excellence Initiative (MSEI). He frequently works with leading companies, including BASF, Coca-Cola, General Electric, Hoffmann-LaRoche, Konica Minolta, Maersk, Microsoft, Otis, Pfizer, Schindler, Sonos, Vodafone, and many more. He is also Chairman of boutique consultancy AMC and the founder and CEO of Valuecreator, a software startup advancing the practice of value co-creation.

Get Christoph's book here: https://shorturl.at/n70UA

Triple Fit Strategy: How to Build Lasting Customer Relationships and Boost Growth

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 499, an interview with the author of Strategy and Leadership as Service, Sara Daw. Her new book provides businesses with access to the complete range of functional, emotional, and collective intelligence at the C-suite level by moving their positions from the "pay-roll" to an "access-role."

In this episode, Sara discussed strategies for advancing a career to the C-suite, including joining the right organization with clear career paths and development opportunities, and how to find a mentor and a sponsor within the organization to help open doors and realize career ambitions.

Sarah took us on her journey to becoming a fractional CFO and finding her first few clients, a motivational story of persistence and not giving up. Additionally, Sara shares her advice on marketing strategies, time management, and maintaining a balance between work and personal life.

Sara Daw is an entrepreneur, researcher, writer, speaker and future of work expert. Listed in the 2024 E2E Female 100, Sara is passionate about designing the future of work for C-level talent and organizations. As well as publishing the first research on the Access Economy for C-suite talent in her second book, Strategy and Leadership as Service, she is Co-Founder and Group CEO of The CFO Centre and The Liberti Group, the global number one provider of part-time and fractional C-suite professionals. Sara is a graduate in Chemistry from Oxford University, a Chartered Accountant, holds an MBA from The London Business School, and a Mastère Spécialisé® in Consulting and Coaching for Change, run jointly by Oxford University (Saïd Business School) and HEC Business School in Paris.

Get Strategy and Leadership as Service here: https://shorturl.at/I3TSS

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 500, an interview with an entrepreneur and global thought leader in high-performing teams and Chairman of Ferrazzi Greenlight and its Research Institute, Keith Ferrazzi.

In this episode, Keith takes us through his inspiring journey from a challenging childhood in a poor immigrant family to becoming a global leader in relationship-building and team performance.

Keith introduces us to the concept of teamship, a profound shift from today's hierarchical model to sharing the load among a team that elevates one another and the organization to achieve exponential results. He shared the 10 critical shifts to teamship and how to adopt these transformative practices to build high-performing teams.

Keith Ferrazzi, a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Never Eat Alone, Leading Without Authority, Competing in the New World of Work, and his newest book, Never Lead Alone: 10 Shifts from Leadership to Teamship. Keith is an acclaimed global executive team coach, who stands at the forefront of transformative leadership having coached the transformation of Fortune 500 corporations, the World Bank, fast growth Unicorns and even governments of entire countries. The founder of Ferrazzi Greenlight, Keith spearheads behavioral shifts in leadership and high impact teams, empowering organizations to thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of business.

Keith's research can be found in prestigious publications including Harvard Business Review, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Fast Company, and Inc. Magazine, where his columns serve as valuable insights for business leaders.

Get Keith's new book here: https://shorturl.at/DNHur

Never Lead Alone: 10 Shifts from Leadership to Teamship

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 501, an interview with the innovative CEO of Motiv, David G. Ewing where we speak about entrepreneurial resilience and customer experience innovation. 

In this episode, David shares his journey from early struggles during the 2000 tech recession to building a successful Oracle partnership that transformed his business. He candidly discusses overcoming self-doubt through meditation and mindfulness, while offering practical insights on testing business concepts and managing multiple ventures. The conversation explores how Motiv creates "moments of wonder" in customer experience, the value of the Entrepreneurs Organization community, and practical strategies for work-life integration. 

David G. Ewing has revolutionized the realm of customer experience since 1998. With a keen understanding that altering customer attitudes drives ideal behaviors, David has transformed this insight into substantial revenue growth for over 500 clients. A Harvard cum laude graduate in Engineering, his leadership acumen has not only propelled Motiv to the Inc 5000 list of America's fastest-growing companies but has also generated millions in additional revenue for his clients. Beyond his professional prowess, David's leadership extends to the community as the president of The Entrepreneur's Association, Austin Texas Chapter, where he's committed to unlocking every entrepreneur's potential. Outside the boardroom, David is the proud coach of his son's robotics team and cherishes his 19-year marriage, considering it his crowning achievement.

Learn more about David here: https://www.davidgewing.com/

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 502, an interview with Ed Fidoe, the founder and CEO of the London Interdisciplinary School (LIS), the first institution in decades to be granted degree-awarding powers from inception in the UK and offers an innovative, interdisciplinary curriculum focused on tackling complex global issues such as inequality, sustainability, ethics, and AI.

In this episode, Ed shares his journey from child actor to McKinsey consultant to educational innovator. Throughout the conversation, Ed emphasizes the importance of broad intellectual curiosity, the growing impact of AI on education, and the need for future leaders to develop skills beyond traditional academics. His story illustrates how combining consulting expertise with educational vision can drive meaningful change in learning institutions.

Before LIS, Ed co-founded School 21, an acclaimed school designed to nurture children from diverse backgrounds, achieving Outstanding Ofsted within two years. He also founded Voice 21, a leading oracy education charity. Ed's latest endeavour involves expanding the LIS' offering to include a future-proof MBA challenger, alongside the existing undergraduate, master, and leadership programs.

From his early days as a child actor on 'Woof!', and setting up a theatre production company with Oscar-nominee Matt Charman, to his tenure at McKinsey & Co., Ed's journey exemplifies resilience, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of change. His transformative vision has attracted educators from esteemed institutions worldwide, united by a shared belief in LIS's mission to reshape higher education. Ed's narrative is one of passion, innovation, and purpose, promising to inspire and challenge conversations about the future of learning.

Learn more about Ed here: https://speakonpodcasts.com/ed-fidoe/

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 503, where we are doing round 2 with John Rossman. John was an early Amazon executive and senior innovation advisor at T-Mobile & the Gates Foundation. He is the co-author of Big Bet Leadership and a keynote speaker and advisor. 

In this episode, John Rossman discusses the insights from his recent book, Big Bet Leadership, on how companies can manage major strategic initiatives ("big bets") that involve significant risks. He explains why organizations need to test ideas before making big commitments and stay focused on key priorities. John describes how companies can adapt to increasing digitalization through careful planning and controlled experiments.

John Rossman is an author, executive advisor and keynote speaker on digital transformation, leadership, and business reinvention. With a career spanning consulting roles at renowned brands like Novartis, Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Walmart, and T-Mobile, he brings extensive expertise in solving complex business challenges and driving customer-centric solutions. As an early Amazon executive, Rossman played a pivotal role in launching the Amazon Marketplace in 2002, shaping its transformative impact.

Rossman is the author of four influential books on leadership and business innovation, including the bestseller "The Amazon Way" and his recent release "Big Bet Leadership." He served as senior innovation advisor at T-Mobile and senior technology advisor to the Gates Foundation, where he honed his strategic acumen in driving organizational change and creating enduring enterprise value.

Today, Rossman is a sought-after keynote speaker renowned for his insights into leadership for innovation and transformation. His work focuses on practical applications of Amazon's Leadership Principles to foster innovation, drive growth, and navigate digital disruption effectively.

Get John's book, Big Bet Leadership, here: https://shorturl.at/XLpaB

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 504, where we interview Ex Harvard Kennedy School researcher Matt Kohut, the author of Speaking Out: The New Rules of Business Leadership Communication.

In this episode, Matt discusses the role leaders play in public communication. Drawing from his book "Speaking Out," he explores how CEOs can engage with political and social issues while balancing stakeholder perspectives, organizational values, and potential risks. Matt also shares practical advice on effective public speaking, managing communication anxiety, and building communication skills that help leaders connect authentically with their audiences.

Matthew Kohut is the managing partner of KNP Communications where he prepares CEOs, elected officials, and public figures for events such as live television appearances.

Matt has taught at George Washington University and held a fellowship at Bennington College. His writing has appeared in publications from Harvard Business Review to Newsweek. 

Get Matt's book here: https://shorturl.at/htduE

Speaking Out: The New Rules of Business Leadership Communication

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 505, an interview with the author of The Resilience Plan, Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier.

Resilience is a skill that can be developed, not a fixed personality trait. In this episode, Dr. Pelletier shares practical strategies for building resilience, including regular exercise, balanced nutrition, quality sleep, and creating a personal plan to manage stress and prevent burnout. She advises on how professionals can navigate challenges and maintain high performance while protecting their well-being.

Throughout her career in management and psychology, Dr. Pelletier has spearheaded the dialogue on the crucial issues of leadership resilience and work performance. Drawing on her extensive background in corporate, insurance, and governance, she brings an international perspective and unique expertise in leadership. She has over 20 years of experience as a leadership psychologist, executive coach, and senior leader. 

Marie-Helene is a Member of the Global Clinical Practice Network of the World Health Organization, and past Director on the boards of the Canadian Psychological Association and the International Association of Applied Psychology. She has presented and authored and co-authored a number of industry and academic publications and has won numerous academic and industry awards. Dr. Pelletier is a highly rated instructor at the University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business, Executive Education and a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, an opt-in research community of business professionals. Her award-winning book, The Resilience Plan: A Strategic Approach to Optimizing Your Work Performance and Mental Health, was named a "Top 5 Book to Read" by Inc. Magazine and Forbes.

Get Dr. Pelletier's book here: https://shorturl.at/iTfXg

The Resilience Plan: A Strategic Approach to Optimizing Your Work Performance and Mental Health

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Mita Mallick, Wall Street Journal–bestselling author and workplace strategist, examines how everyday managerial choices determine whether organizations are resilient, humane, and productive. Drawing on her leadership roles in marketing and human resources, as well as her lived experience as a woman of color in corporate America, she reframes common leadership breakdowns as design failures that can be prevented with the right structures. As she emphasizes, "There is power in being quiet." Used deliberately, silence becomes a tool to pause, observe, and de-escalate rather than react impulsively.

This episode delivers concrete practices senior leaders can apply now:

• Use silence deliberately. The "power of the pause" creates thinking space, defuses escalation, and strengthens negotiation outcomes. Leaders should model this and teach teams to signal reflection rather than defaulting to instant responses.
  
  

• Manage up with discipline. Mallick recommends structured, written briefings before talent reviews or board conversations so sponsors can "accurately tell your story" without relying on biased memory.
  
  

• Detect leadership drift early. She observes that leaders often falter when "external market stress, personal stress, and organizational pressure all collide." Each executive should know their stress-trigger behaviors and plan for corrective action.
  
  

• Design role transitions intentionally. Promotion into people leadership requires coaching, clear expectations, and viable technical career paths for high-performing individual contributors.
  
  

• Replace ad hoc tolerance with governance. "We protect harmful leaders because they deliver results," she warns. Leaders must enforce HR processes consistently rather than granting exceptions that damage culture.
  
  

• Teach rather than micromanage. Explaining rationale, setting standards, and investing in instruction yields lasting capability—"training sticks more than corrections."
  
  

• Rebuild trust through apology and consistency. A sincere acknowledgment of mistakes paired with steady, visible actions restores credibility faster than one-time gestures.
  
  

• Create high-trust, low-drama operating norms. Clear rules for communication channels, urgency, and information-sharing reduce gossip and anxiety, replacing speculation with facts.
  
  

For executives responsible for people, operations, or culture, this conversation provides a practical checklist: stop treating leadership problems as individual personality flaws, surface stress signals systematically, and convert empathy into repeatable management routines that protect both performance and retention.

📚 Get Mita's book, The Devil Emails at Midnight, here: https://shorturl.at/xWjjj

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: www.firmsconsulting.com/build

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Sarah Keohane Williamson, CEO of FCLT Global and coauthor of The CEO's Guide to the Investment Galaxy, offers a disciplined primer for executives operating at the intersection of corporate strategy and capital markets. Drawing from her background in investment banking, government, consulting, and asset management, she explains why "investors are not a single audience," how their incentives shape corporate outcomes, and what leaders must do differently to secure durable capital and strategic flexibility.

Williamson pushes back on conventional wisdom about investor relations, replacing it with practical routines and priorities. She emphasizes a consulting-rooted discipline, "Start with the answer", as a communications principle, and translates it into a concrete playbook for CEOs who cannot afford ambiguity when describing long-term bets. She underscores that "quarterly calls are important, but they're often dominated by the sell side," and CEOs should deliberately allocate their limited time toward building trust with long-term owners and anchor shareholders.

Key takeaways include:

• Map the owners. "Who actually owns your company? Who makes the decisions about those shares?" Owner types—retail, index funds, active managers, hedge funds—differ in incentives and time horizons, and executives should treat that map as a strategic input.
  
  

• Build an investor strategy like a customer strategy. Decide which kinds of capital the company needs, why, and how to attract and retain those investors.
  
  

• Use a long-term roadmap. Make risky investments intelligible by explaining milestones that link short-term actions to enduring value, and "don't be afraid to update the roadmap when the assumptions change."
  
  

• Translate investor signals into operational choices. Avoid reflexive short-term fixes, like cutting R&D to meet a quarter, without measuring the long-term cost.
  
  

• Treat disclosure and dialogue as governance tools. Clarity about ownership, voting, and incentives reduces misalignment and reputational risk.
  
  

• Reframe consultancy input for execution. "The hard part is not the analysis, the hard part is making it happen inside the organization."
  
  

This episode equips CEOs, CFOs, and board members with a practical framework for raising capital, defending strategic bets, and managing shareholder composition. It reframes investor engagement from a compliance exercise into a core discipline of strategy and governance.

📚 Get Sarah's book, The CEO's Guide to the Investment Galaxy, here: https://shorturl.at/7hFeb

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: www.firmsconsulting.com/build

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Why do even the most successful executives and management consultants secretly struggle with the belief that they're not good enough?

In this conversation with Josh Davis, PhD (psychology & neuroscience, Columbia University, NLP trainer) and Greg Prosmushkin (trial lawyer turned entrepreneur), we unpack:

• Why top leaders and consultants battle with imposter syndrome

• How invisible mental models shape every decision and client interaction

• Why strategy, frameworks, and technical skill aren't enough if this belief goes unchallenged

• Practical NLP tools to shift your mindset, reframe limitations, and lead with confidence

• How to communicate with influence by understanding someone else's mental model

Whether you're leading a strategy engagement, preparing for a board presentation, or positioning yourself for partnership, this discussion reveals how to break through limiting beliefs and unlock executive presence.

Key Takeaways for Executives & Consultants

• The real cost of "I'm not good enough" in leadership roles

• Why curiosity and modeling are underused tools in consulting

• How small language shifts transform client influence and team leadership

• A proven process for reprogramming your internal dialogue

Get Josh Davis & Greg Prosmushkin's book: https://shorturl.at/ixLfi

The Difference That Makes the Difference: NLP and the Science of Positive Change

For advanced strategy, leadership, and executive presence training, visit:

https://www.strategytraining.com

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Brad Englert, former Accenture partner, IT strategist, CIO, and author, shares how building genuine relationships has been the cornerstone of his career success. From his early days in technology consulting to leading large-scale initiatives, Brad reveals the mindset and habits that helped him grow, earn trust, and thrive in a competitive corporate environment.

In this episode, we discuss why relationships are the ultimate career multiplier, opening doors to opportunities, mentorships, and partnerships that skill alone can't guarantee. Brad's story offers actionable insights for professionals who want to grow their influence, navigate organizational politics, and create long-term career success.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How Brad's career path took him from hands-on technology work to Accenture partner

• The role relationships play in promotions, opportunities, and leadership roles

• Practical strategies for building trust across teams and organizations

• Lessons learned from consulting at the highest level

• How to create a career that's resilient to change

About Brad Englert:

Brad Englert is a former partner at Accenture, where he spent decades advising clients on technology and strategy. He is the author of Spheres of Influence.

📚 Get Brad's book, Spheres of Influence, here: https://shorturl.at/GWYuE

🎧 Visit Brad's podcast here: https://bradenglert.com/podcast

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Robert E. Siegel, Stanford Graduate School of Business professor, venture capitalist, and former executive, shares the leadership lessons he learned working with Intel's legendary CEO, Andy Grove, and other amazing leaders, and how to thrive in today's era of conflicting pressures.

In this in-depth conversation, we explore the concept of the systems leader, someone who can innovate while delivering results, balance global and local priorities, and combine decisiveness with humility. Drawing from his work with leading CEOs, his investing career, and his experiences in fast-moving industries, Robert explains how leaders can adapt and stay relevant, even as AI, economic shifts, and political uncertainty reshape the business world.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How Andy Grove influenced Robert's approach to leadership and decision-making

• Why the most effective leaders thrive in environments of "cross-pressures"

• Practical steps for staying relevant as technology and AI transform industries

• The importance of balancing execution with long-term vision

• Stories from Robert's career as an operator, investor, and Stanford professor

About Robert Siegel:

Robert is a Lecturer in Management at Stanford GSB, a venture capitalist, and a board member for multiple technology companies. His work blends academic research with real-world experience, guiding executives at the highest level.

Get Robert's new book here: https://shorturl.at/Zhv9N

The Systems Leader: Mastering the Cross-Pressures That Make or Break Today's Companies

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

L. David Marquet, former nuclear submarine commander and author of Leadership Is Language, shares a precise, operational approach to leadership, one that replaces command-and-control with a language designed for clarity, ownership, and adaptability. Drawing on his experience turning the USS Santa Fe from one of the worst-performing submarines in the fleet to one of the best, David shows how seemingly small shifts in language can radically improve decision-making, learning speed, and execution.

David rejects the traditional leader–follower model in favor of a leader–leader framework, where decision rights are pushed "to the people closest to the information." He explains how questions, statements, and the timing of communication directly shape whether teams think critically or default to compliance.

"What we say and when we say it changes what people do. Language is a leadership technology."

• Replace Permission with Intent
  Moving from "Can I…?" to "I intend to…" changes accountability and ownership:
  "When people tell me what they intend to do, they're already owning the decision."
  
  

• Protect Redwork and Bluework
  David distinguishes between redwork (doing) and bluework (thinking/planning) and stresses keeping them separate:
  "Mixing them degrades both. You want focused doing and focused thinking."
  
  

• Sequence for Thinking, Not Speed
  Meetings often reward quick answers over thoughtful ones. Asking the most junior person to speak first helps reduce conformity bias.
  
  

• Use Language to Invite Dissent
  Adding uncertainty—"I'm not sure, but…"—creates psychological safety and surfaces crucial information that might otherwise stay hidden.
  
  

• Leaders Design Systems, Not Just Give Answers
  The leader's job is to build communication structures that distribute thinking and enable faster adaptation in changing conditions.
  
  

This episode is a practical blueprint for leaders who want to operationalize empowerment without losing control. By deliberately changing how they speak and listen, executives can create teams that are more resilient, accountable, and high-performing.

Get David's new book here: https://shorturl.at/sv6QO

Distancing: How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Sarah Elk, Senior Partner at Bain & Company and global leader of its operating model work, brings a clear, pragmatic lens to why so many large-scale change efforts fail to stick. Drawing on decades of advising multinational organizations, she diagnoses the structural and behavioral traps that cause transformations to stall, and shares the disciplines that make change durable.

Elk emphasizes that transformation is not a one-off program but an enduring capability that must be "led from the top and embedded in the culture." She cautions against outsourcing responsibility to a program office:

"If the CEO is not leading it and the leadership team isn't engaged in the change, you might get something done, but it will erode quickly."

Key Insights from the Conversation:

Clarity on Non-Negotiables

Many failed transformations lack a shared definition of the "non-negotiables" in the new operating model. Without them, execution becomes fragmented.

"You have to be crystal clear on what's standard and what's flexible."

Outcomes Over Activity

Successful change efforts anchor to measurable business results, not just activity metrics or generic benchmarks.

"It's not about hitting 80 percent of a checklist. It's about whether you've moved the needle on the outcomes you care about."

Leadership Alignment Is a Continuous Process

Alignment isn't built in a single offsite; it requires ongoing dialogue, joint problem-solving, and confronting decisions that challenge entrenched interests.

"You need the leadership team acting as one—every week, every month—not just at the kickoff."

Manage Change Fatigue

Overloading the organization erodes momentum. Sequencing initiatives and celebrating visible early wins tied to strategy helps sustain energy.

"People get tired. You have to show progress and give them space to breathe."

Governance, Incentives, and Talent Must Evolve Together

Elk warns that without parallel changes to systems and structures, "behavior will revert to what it was before."

The discussion reframes transformation from a high-profile event into a muscle organizations must build and maintain. For executives seeking change that endures beyond the initial push, Elk offers a blueprint grounded in operational rigor, leadership accountability, and cultural realism.

Get Sarah's book here: https://shorturl.at/Tyotz

Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

John Horn, professor of economics at Washington University's Olin Business School and former McKinsey strategist, shares a disciplined framework for understanding competitive behavior by applying game theory and structured simulations. In this episode, he explains how companies can elevate competitor analysis from basic intelligence gathering to actionable strategic insight.

Horn begins by debunking the common misconception that many competitors behave irrationally. As he puts it:

"Every single time a client said the competitor is irrational, I could ask them... two, three questions which would explain... why the company was being rational in what they were doing."

He outlines a four-step framework leaders can use to model likely competitive behavior:

1. Observe what competitors say and do, including press releases, earnings calls, and other public data.
   
   

2. Assess their assets, resources, and capabilities, and imagine what you'd do in their position.
   
   

3. Identify the decision-maker and their background to infer how they think:
   
   

"If you grew up as a marketer and you became a CEO, you're going to look at the world from a marketing perspective."

1. Make a short-term prediction, write it down, and revisit it:
   
   

"It becomes a virtuous cycle of getting a better insight into how that competitor thinks."

Horn emphasizes that many firms fall short because they stop at step one or lack mechanisms to feed deeper insights into decision-making. He also stresses the role of empathy—not sympathy—in strategy:

"I do have to empathize, understand why they're making the choices they make."

War gaming, in Horn's view, is a powerful simulation tool, not theater.

"It's a chance to practice business choices in a risk-free way... and just a much more realistic discussion."

For entrepreneurs or under-resourced teams, Horn offers a lighter-weight version called "War Gaming Lite," which enables rapid, structured thinking about competitive responses using only internal knowledge and role-playing.

He also discusses how human biases, short-term incentives, and lack of time make both your firm and your rivals more predictable than you might think:

"People really are predictable... It's not rocket science—it's about being disciplined."

Whether you're a startup founder or a Fortune 500 executive, this episode offers practical steps to improve your strategic foresight and competitive positioning, grounded in empathy, behavioral realism, and iterative prediction.

Get John's book here: https://shorturl.at/6DOyh

Inside the Competitor's Mindset: How to Predict Their Next Move and Position Yourself for Success.

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

For this episode, let's revisit one of Strategy Skills classics, where we interviewed Kate Smaje, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and Global Leader of McKinsey Digital.

In this episode, Kate offers a clear-eyed and disciplined perspective on what it takes for organizations to succeed in digital transformation. Drawing from deep client work across industries, she outlines a practical, results-focused view of how digital can be embedded into the operating core, not treated as a parallel initiative or buzzword.

Kate Smaje challenges conventional narratives around innovation, urging leaders to look beyond technology adoption and focus instead on talent systems, cultural alignment, and strategic clarity. "We often start with a conversation about tech, but the value comes from the way you bring it all together," she says.

"If you think digital is the job of the digital team, you've missed the point. It's about how the whole organization behaves."

• Digital Transformation Must Be CEO-Led and Enterprise-Wide
  Smaje emphasizes that meaningful transformation requires the involvement of the full organization, not just IT or digital teams.
  
  "Digital is everyone's job. The companies who really succeed have a CEO and leadership team who are actively engaged."
  
  
  

• Shift Metrics from Volume to Value
  She critiques outdated performance metrics:
  
  "If you're just measuring lines of code or hours worked or features shipped, you're not measuring outcomes."
  
  
  

• Technology Without Architecture Is Just Chaos
  Many companies overemphasize agile practices but underinvest in foundational tech and data coherence.
  
  "You can't run 300 agile teams and not have an architecture that supports it. It's like having everyone run at speed but in different directions."
  
  
  

• Product Ownership and Cross-Functional Clarity Are Essential
  Successful organizations empower teams with clear product mandates while maintaining enterprise-wide alignment.
  
  "The product owner model is about creating real accountability, with multidisciplinary teams who have the context to make decisions."
  
  
  

• Leadership Behavior Drives Cultural Change
  Where leaders focus their time is a key signal:
  
  "One of the biggest indicators of success is how leadership spends its calendar."
  
  
  

This conversation is essential listening for senior executives who want to move beyond surface-level digital initiatives and embed durable capabilities that support both innovation and performance. Smaje leaves no doubt: digital excellence is not a side project—it's a leadership discipline.

Get Kate's book here: https://shorturl.at/hxqk6

REWIRED: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI. Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje, Rodney Zemmel.

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

For this episode, let's revisit one of Strategy Skills classics, where we discuss when a consultant must dissent and how it should be done.

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Rachelle Robinett, founder of Pharmakon Supernatural and educator in holistic health, offers a clear, science-aware framework for supporting energy, focus, and stress regulation, without defaulting to pharmaceuticals or overstimulation. In this episode, she explores how plant-based medicine, nutrition, and daily practices can be woven into practical, long-term routines that support resilience and cognitive clarity.

Robinett challenges the assumption that performance must rely on synthetic energy or end in burnout. Drawing from her work at the intersection of herbalism and evidence-based wellness, she shares actionable strategies for optimizing physiological readiness through balance, not intensity.

"I'm really interested in how we can live well without needing to biohack or rely on pharmaceuticals or stimulants or even supplementation all the time."

Key insights from the conversation include:

Stimulants Borrow, Not Create Energy

Robinett explains that caffeine and similar compounds don't give us energy; they "just turn off the signals of fatigue." Instead, she emphasizes rhythm management, aligning with circadian patterns and energy cycles:

"You don't have to be on all the time. And if we try to be, the crash will always come."

Herbs Should Be Matched to Mechanism, Not Trend

She encourages listeners to move beyond marketing labels like "adaptogen," noting that compounds like rhodiola (stimulating) and reishi (sedating) serve very different roles. 

"Match your plants to your goals... It's kind of like caffeine; if you don't need it, don't take it."

Sugar Is Energizing, But Often Disruptive

Robinett discusses how sugar can be paired with fiber, fat, or protein to reduce its volatility:

"Sugar is biologically energizing… but we tend to use it in ways that give us a spike and then a crash."

Daily Practices Outperform Sporadic Interventions

Light exposure, meal timing, and breathwork help regulate the autonomic nervous system more effectively than isolated hacks:

"What we do daily matters more than what we do occasionally… so many people don't understand how profoundly their breathing patterns are affecting their state."

Recovery Is an Active Recalibration

Robinett distinguishes between activities that feel restful and those that actually reset the stress response system:

"Sometimes the things we think are relaxing are not—Netflix, alcohol, even yoga. True recovery is shifting the nervous system."

This conversation reframes wellness not as indulgence or optimization, but as physiological literacy—a disciplined, systems-level approach to mental clarity and endurance. For professionals seeking alternatives to overstimulation, Robinett offers a sustainable path toward long-term resilience and regulated energy.

Get Rachelle's book here: https://shorturl.at/q7TDb

Naturally: The Herbalist's Guide to Health and Transformation

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Vanessa Druskat, organizational psychologist and professor at the University of New Hampshire, discusses team emotional intelligence (EI) as a predictor of sustained performance. Building on her foundational work with Daniel Goleman, Druskat focuses not on individual EQ, but on the group-level norms and practices that distinguish effective teams, particularly in complex, high-stakes environments.

Druskat identifies three core team norms essential to cultivating group EI: mutual trust, constructive expression of emotions, and norms that support individual and group self-awareness. These are not "soft" ideals; they function as operational levers for managing conflict, decision-making quality, and adaptability.

Key takeaways include:

High-performing teams are not those without conflict, but those with processes for metabolizing conflict. Druskat emphasizes the role of emotional expression norms in allowing task-related disagreement while mitigating interpersonal friction.

Leaders significantly influence team EI by modeling openness and emotional competence, but sustained performance requires that these behaviors be embedded in team norms, not reliant on individual charisma or authority.

Team emotional intelligence predicts effectiveness beyond technical competence, especially when teams must adapt to ambiguity, pressure, or interdependence. Druskat cites multiple studies where team EI predicted performance outcomes more reliably than IQ or experience.

Psychological safety is necessary but not sufficient. Teams with high EI create an environment where members not only feel safe but are also expected to monitor and manage the group's emotional climate.

Organizations often undermine team EI unintentionally, through forced competition, misaligned incentives, or ignoring the emotional fallout of change. Druskat suggests that senior leaders regularly audit not just team outcomes, but the emotional processes behind them.

This episode reframes emotional intelligence not as a personal trait but as an institutional capability with measurable consequences for execution, resilience, and organizational learning. The discussion is particularly relevant for senior professionals seeking to institutionalize performance through culture rather than control.

Get Vanessa's book here: https://shorturl.at/u5KOs

The Emotionally Intelligent Team: Building Collaborative Groups that Outperform the Rest

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

James D. White, former CEO of Jamba Juice, current board chair, and coauthor of Culture Design, shares how culture becomes a management discipline rather than a slogan. Drawing on his eight-year turnaround of Jamba, service on more than 15 boards, and leadership toolkit, he explains how listening, rituals, and disciplined systems embed values into sustained performance.

Key takeaways:

• Start with stakeholder listening. White began his turnaround with nearly 200 "start, stop, continue" inputs across employees, suppliers, and board members. "I always start by listening," he says, because the people inside the company "actually know what's required to make the company run better."
  
  

• Make culture intentional. "Companies have culture by design or default." Define what matters, create rituals that reinforce it, and remove practices that contradict stated values.
  
  

• Reduce the say–do gap. "The really important things from a leadership perspective is what we say versus what we do, and minimizing the say–do gap." Simple rituals—forums, recognition, measurement—align words with actions.
  
  

• Invest in people individually. "People don't care how much you know until they understand how much you care about them personally." One-on-ones and role design that lean into strengths unlock discretionary effort.
  
  

• Demand transparency. White is direct: "I want bad news first." Candor allows leaders to respond before problems multiply.
  
  

• Design mechanics, not just rhetoric. From anonymous feedback channels to departmental listening sessions, operating processes must "make it easier for our stores to deliver great products in the most efficient fashion."
  
  

• Balance preservation and change. Protect what works—"fantastic products" and passionate employees—while reallocating resources. One example was adding steel-cut oatmeal for colder markets, paired with smoothies.
  
  

• Measure what matters. "Anything that matters, you always measure it." White combines Gallup Q12 surveys, pulse checks, and qualitative indicators like recognition letters to monitor engagement.
  
  

• Clarify board vs. CEO roles. "The CEO is responsible for running the company… the board chair is a facilitator of the collective board." A strong chair–CEO relationship unburdens management while channeling board expertise.
  
  

• Exit with care. Not every role fits every person: "You often… get to a place where you free up people's future to go do something else. You do it with kindness and grace and thoughtfulness."
  
  

For executives facing turnaround, scaling challenges, or governance decisions, this episode offers a tested blueprint: start with listening, design culture deliberately, align actions with words, and lead with humanity.

📚 Get James's book, Culture Design, here: https://shorturl.at/NVrs1

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: www.firmsconsulting.com/build

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Margaret Moore, faculty member at Harvard Medical School and former biotech CEO, brings decades of experience at the intersection of science, strategy, and human development to this conversation. In this episode, she unpacks The Science of Leadership, the forthcoming book she co-authored after reviewing hundreds of meta-analyses and large-scale studies, ultimately synthesizing leadership science into a framework of nine essential capacities.

Moore emphasizes the role of conscious leadership, defined as the ability to "see things clearly" by quieting internal "ego noise", the arousal, impatience, and worry that cloud judgment. She highlights the emerging concept of the quiet ego, noting that "you're still impactful... but with a way of being quiet about it that people can absorb more easily."

Challenging conventional strength-based approaches, Moore advocates for psychological wholeness, encouraging leaders to access underused capacities—such as empathy, creativity, and intuition—to become more balanced and mature decision-makers: "You'll be surprised that you have it there… You actually, if you pause, can access [it], like playing or being an orchestra conductor."

She also discusses how intuition, often misunderstood as abstract, is a skill that can be developed through stillness, reflection, and experience: "Creativity is flow, and flow is when you let go of control… It's the opposite of our main mode."

The conversation underscores the importance of strategic adaptability. Drawing on research, Moore shares that while humility doesn't improve a leader's own performance, "other people's performance is improved if you're humble. So you don't do it for yourself, you do it for them." But she also cautions: in crises, "humility is not what people want. They want strong leaders out in front, in charge."

Finally, Moore distinguishes between empathy and compassionate leadership, where compassion is "respect and understanding… with action," and can be both more sustainable and effective in driving accountability.

For leaders ready to evolve beyond performance and toward genuine transformation, this conversation offers a research-grounded framework and an invitation to reflect: "In the moment, there's always the potential. If you're just awake, you will feel it. And you can act on it."

Get Margaret's book here: https://shorturl.at/tuRKR

The Science of Leadership: Nine Ways to Expand Your Impact

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

In this conversation with Bree Groff, author of "Today Was Fun" and who has advised executives at Microsoft, Google, Target, and Hilton through periods of organizational change, shares specific observations about leadership blind spots in large corporations and offers practical frameworks for creating workplace cultures that drive both performance and employee satisfaction.

Key Insights:

The Professional Conformity Trap: Large organizations often mistake formality for competence, creating environments where rigid presentation styles and corporate jargon become proxies for professionalism. This stifles the creativity and authenticity that both employees and customers actually seek. Organizations that are "unapologetically themselves" create magnetic appeal, as demonstrated by early Google's distinctive culture.

The Psychological Safety Framework: Effective leaders implement simple tools to humanize workplace interactions. The "check-in" method—where meeting participants rate their current state on a scale of one to five and briefly explain why—transforms team dynamics by creating context for behavior and establishing emotional safety that enables better performance.

The Micro-Change Strategy: Rather than pursuing wholesale transformation, leaders create meaningful cultural shifts through "micro acts of mischief" and connection. These range from rearranging office furniture to facilitate collaboration, to sending brief acknowledgment messages to colleagues. Such small actions compound to create environments where creativity and engagement flourish.

The Joy-Performance Connection: Organizations that measure employee satisfaction with the same rigor they apply to productivity metrics discover that optimizing for workplace enjoyment simultaneously addresses communication gaps, decision-making delays, and other operational inefficiencies. As Groff explains, "to optimize for joy and fun means you're automatically optimizing for all of the other things that make a business successful."

Leadership Characteristics That Drive Culture Change: The most effective leaders demonstrate two key traits: they avoid taking themselves too seriously while thinking expansively about possibilities. Groff cites Melissa Goldie, former Chief Marketing Officer of Calvin Klein, who maintained perspective with phrases like "there's no such thing as a fashion emergency" while pursuing ambitious creative projects.

This discussion provides concrete tools for leaders seeking to create environments where high performance and genuine workplace satisfaction reinforce each other, drawn from real-world applications across major corporate environments.

Get Bree's book here: https://shorturl.at/NMyys

Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously)

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss one important thing every consulting case study must produce.

Subscribe to FIRMSconsulting's YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Quang Pham went from being a 10-year-old refugee airlifted out of Vietnam to becoming a Marine pilot, and the CEO of a NASDAQ-listed biotech company. In this conversation, he shares the exact lessons that guided each transition.

Key insight:

• On decision-making: "As a young officer, we were taught to make decisions… there's not enough time to consult with everybody. You gotta make a decision to keep moving and then adjust along the way." This became his foundational leadership principle across sectors.
  
  

• On capital discipline: "In the private sector and entrepreneurial world, resources are scarce… you have to treat it with the utmost respect and spend it wisely." Military spending habits do not translate to startups.
  
  

• On performance and promotion: "You work hard, but you have to produce results." Early in his corporate career, he assumed promotions would come automatically. They did not.
  
  

• On defining success: "You have to follow and pursue what makes you happy. Not what your family or your culture or society wants." As a Vietnamese refugee, choosing the military was going against all cultural expectations.
  
  

• On raising capital without pedigree: "I lacked the skills to present to venture capitalists… so I spent a lot of time at Toastmasters picking up new speaking skills." Within 90 days of leaving his corporate job, he secured venture funding as a first-time CEO.
  
  

• On pitch strategy: "You have to get to the key points… in the first seven or ten minutes, if not sooner." Investors have limited attention. He focused his pitch on buyer, payment frequency, and execution, not theoretical market size.
  
  

• On cold outreach: "It was just three sentences. Who I was, what my company did, something about our common [background]." This approach led to two successful VC rounds.
  
  

• On leadership transitions: "I knew that I had the skills and the backing and that the baton had to be passed… the company flourished and I was then just a shareholder." Founders must be willing to step aside to scale.
  
  

• On AI and decision-making: "There is somebody making decisions for AI, the decision to use AI, the decision to pay for AI… at the end of the day, we still need entrepreneurs and leaders."
  
  

This episode offers practical reflections for those navigating leadership transitions, capital formation, and decision-making in complex, resource-constrained settings.

Get Quang's new book here: https://quangxpham.com/

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Rich Hagberg, often referred to as "Silicon Valley's CEO Whisperer, psychologist and co-author of Founders Keepers, has advised over 1,000 executives and founders. In this conversation, he outlines why most startup leaders fail, and what the data reveals about those who succeed. Some key insights include:

"Founders, overwhelmingly, are visionary evangelists… but they're not particularly good at execution." Hagberg's research shows that unsuccessful founders often score low on execution and relationship-building. They resist structure, delay key hires, and react impulsively under stress.

"You can change your behavior to some degree, but it's very hard to change your fundamental personality." Hagberg encourages founders to identify three to four behaviors they can realistically improve, such as delegation, feedback seeking, and stress management.

"You need to go from being a doer to a facilitator of doing." Scalable leadership requires building teams that complement the founder's own gaps and letting go of tasks that dilute impact.

"Startups are almost a Darwinian survival of the fittest… the unsuccessful ones are more impulsive and reactive." Stress and poor self-regulation directly impact team trust and decision quality. Founders who succeed tend to manage energy deliberately and maintain self-awareness.

"If we had to zero in on one thing that is the biggest differentiator, it's adaptability. You never have permanent product-market fit." Hagberg shares why openness to feedback and reflection is often more predictive of long-term success than IQ or charisma.

"I realized I was creating a culture that reflected my strengths and weaknesses. If I was going to make the company better, I had to grow as a leader."

This conversation is for founders, investors, and operators who want to understand the behavioral patterns that quietly shape success or failure in startups. It delivers clear, evidence-based insights into what it takes to lead effectively as complexity scales.

Get Rich's new book here: https://shorturl.at/YsQcl

Founders, Keepers: Why Founders Are Built to Fail, and What it Takes to Succeed

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Michael Chad Hoeppner, CEO of GK Training and adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, brings a deeply practical lens to one of the most undervalued professional skills: spoken communication. With roots in professional acting and over two decades coaching executives, Hoeppner challenges conventional wisdom, arguing that most communication advice is either vague ("slow down") or abstract ("just be confident"), and fails to address the real issue: communication is physical.

In this episode, he shares specific, kinesthetic methods that help clients speak more clearly under pressure. From using Lego blocks to build well-structured thoughts, to timing answers with a wiffle ball in political debate prep, Hoeppner demonstrates that improving communication is not about talent, it's about training behavior.

"Speaking is movement. We put air into action—that's what talking is. And you can learn to do it a lot, lot better."

1. Delivery is Undervalued, but Often Drives Perception
   "Most coaching hyper-focuses on content and completely neglects delivery," Hoeppner explains. Yet "delivery really, really determines much of the impression your audience makes about you."
2. Rambling, Fillers, and Anxiety Are Physical, Not Mental, Problems
   He critiques typical advice like "don't say um" as "thought suppression" and instead teaches clients to physically anchor themselves. One client stopped chronic blushing mid-session by simply learning to ground her feet.
3. Tools Like Lego Blocks Make Structure Tangible
   "Pick up a Lego block, say your first idea, and put it down in silence. That pause gives your brain time to think," Hoeppner shares. These physical anchors help clients avoid word salad and clarify complex thinking.
4. Founders with Growth Mindsets Improve Fast
   "They're not held back by ego. They care deeply, they want to improve now, and that means they practice," he says. In contrast, those with fixed mindsets ("I'm just a bad speaker") often plateau.
5. AI Will Make Delivery the Strategic Differentiator
   As language models democratize content, he argues, "delivery, how you say it, will matter more than ever."

The episode closes with a powerful call to reframe communication not as a soft skill, but a trainable, high-leverage behavior, one that can transform not just boardrooms and keynotes, but daily leadership and presence.

Get Michael's new book here: https://dontsayum.com/

Learn more about Michael here: https://gktraining.com/michael-chad-hoeppner/

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

James Kimmel, Jr., lawyer, Yale psychiatry lecturer, and author of The Science of Revenge, joins us in the Strategy Skills podcast to explore the neuroscience and behavioral dynamics of revenge. Drawing on law, psychiatry, and over two decades of research, Kimmel offers a sobering view: revenge is not a form of justice, it's a "pleasure-seeking behavior" that operates like an addiction, fueled by unresolved pain.

He opens the conversation with a deeply personal story: as a teenager, after years of bullying, he chased down his aggressors with a loaded revolver. In a pivotal moment, he recalls, "The cost of getting the revenge I wanted was far more than I was willing to pay." That flash of insight redirected his life and seeded a lifelong investigation into how grievance, retribution, and healing operate in the human mind.

Key insights from the discussion include:

• Revenge Mimics Addiction in the Brain
  Kimmel explains that "your brain on revenge looks like your brain on drugs." The cycle begins when a grievance activates the brain's pain network, followed by a surge of dopamine in the reward system. Over time, the craving for retaliation can become compulsive, forming habits akin to substance abuse.
• Grievance Retention Impairs Judgment
  Unchecked rumination can degrade executive function. "If that prefrontal cortex does not stop you," Kimmel warns, "and you really crave it… it doesn't matter how many laws there are." This impaired self-control is what allows otherwise rational individuals to commit extreme acts of violence.
• Social Exclusion Can Be a Form of Revenge
  "If you're ending a relationship not for present harm, but to punish someone for a past wrong, that's retaliation," he explains. Even subtle acts like ghosting or ostracism can activate the same pain circuitry in the brain as physical harm.
• Forgiveness Interrupts the Revenge Cycle
  Neuroscience shows that imagining forgiveness "shuts down the brain's pain network, silences addiction circuits, and reactivates executive control." Kimmel calls forgiveness a "human superpower… It doesn't just cover up the pain like revenge does, it takes the pain away altogether."
• Revenge Can Be Prevented, Like a Heart Attack
  Kimmel proposes a new public health framework: treat revenge attacks like cardiac events. "There are warning signs," he says, grievance fixation, revenge fantasies, acquiring weapons, and they demand the same level of emergency attention.
• Legal Systems Often Deliver Revenge, Not Justice
  Kimmel reflects on his time as a litigator: "Lawyers get paid to sell revenge under the brand name 'justice.'" He urges professionals to be aware of how sanctioned systems can enable and normalize compulsive retribution.

For leaders in high-stakes environments, the message is clear: understanding the mechanics of grievance and retaliation isn't just psychological, it's strategic. Kimmel's work offers actionable frameworks to recognize revenge-seeking before it becomes destructive, and calls for a deeper integration of neuroscience into how we define justice, manage risk, and lead with compassion.

Get The Science of Revenge here: https://www.jameskimmeljr.com/

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

In this episode, I spoke with two highly respected global brand leaders, Katherine Melchior Ray and Nataly Kelly, whose experience spans executive roles at Nike, Louis Vuitton, HubSpot, Zappi, and more.

Our discussion centered on their latest book, Brand Global, Adapt Local, but more broadly, we explored the evolving demands of building and sustaining global brands in a world defined by cultural complexity, rapid technological change, and shifting consumer expectations.

A few themes stood out:

1. Consistency is not enough.
Nataly Kelly shared:

"I used to believe that branding required absolute consistency and very little flexibility. But when I began to work in global marketing, I realized that there is adaptability that's required to really succeed."

Successful global brands, in her view, hold tightly to a clear core while flexibly adapting how they show up across markets.

2. Cultural blind spots have real consequences.
Katherine Melchior Ray reflected on an early leadership experience at Nike:

"The common refrain was, for women's shoes… 'shrink it and pink it.'"

She underscored the importance of cultural sensitivity, noting:

"Listen with your eyes. Because in many cultures, people communicate with nonverbal forms of communication."

3. Strategy and judgment cannot be delegated to machines.
As the use of AI accelerates, Nataly cautioned:

"You can't outsource your strategy… Judgment and strategy are the two things that I think humans will start to realize [must stay human]."

4. Trust is built over time, not through messaging alone.
Katherine observed:

"At the end of the day, a brand is all about a promise. People support brands that they trust."

5. Human connection remains central.
As Katherine succinctly put it:

"The more we rely on technology, the more we must double down on our humanity."

If you're involved in shaping brand strategy, whether globally or locally, this discussion offers valuable perspective.

Get Brand Global, Adapt Local here: https://shorturl.at/f4EnF

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Leslie Grandy, a seasoned executive who has led global product teams at Apple, Amazon, Best Buy, and T-Mobile, shares a deeply practical perspective on how leaders can activate creativity across functions, not just in design or strategy.

Drawing from her early years in the film industry and later executive roles in technology, Grandy explains how she developed three capabilities that proved critical in high-performance product environments:

"You've got to grind it out… and you have to have that intrinsic motivation to continue, even when it looks like failure is obvious."

"You have to be resilient and flexible… because you have so many people depending on the outcome."

"If I haven't seen the problem before, it doesn't seem daunting to me… It seems fun."

These capabilities (grit, adaptability, and creative problem solving) formed the foundation of her success in ambiguous, fast-moving, and high-stakes environments.

Grandy also speaks directly to what supports and undermines creative velocity inside organizations. She notes that the most adaptive cultures don't reserve creativity for a few select teams:

"They expect every role is going to show up with that same creative intention… that the status quo doesn't seep into the lower ranks."

But she also warns:

"Status quo as a cultural norm is dangerous."
"Consensus-driven thinking is equally problematic for creative velocity."

Her insights on Steve Jobs provide a rare look inside Apple's leadership culture. When asked about her interview with him, she explains:

"Your interview will be five minutes or it'll be 60 minutes. It's up to Steve."
"I didn't come in there acting like I was an equal… I just came in there with a confidence that I could answer whatever he asked."

When her team added preset engraving suggestions to iPods to help customers complete purchases, Jobs reacted immediately:

"He saw it, and within a day, it was pulled down."
"He had such a finite view of his brand… there were no blurry edges around the brand."

Grandy's new book, Creative Velocity, argues that creativity is not a fixed trait, but a capability that can be developed with intention. 

She addresses how leaders should approach generative AI, not just as an efficiency tool, but as a creative partner:

"What's really transformative… is doing the exact opposite of prompt engineering."
"It's not about speed to answer. It's about using that time to evolve a thought into different tributaries of thought."

This episode raises a critical question for senior leaders:

"Are you designing your organization to perform or to invent?"

Get Leslie's book here: https://rb.gy/d5zr69

Creative Velocity: Propelling Breakthrough Ideas in the Age of Generative AI

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

In this wide-ranging and direct conversation, Bill George, former Medtronic CEO and Harvard Business School professor, offers a disciplined framework for leading in conditions of persistent volatility. Drawing from decades of leadership experience and research, George emphasizes that leadership today is no longer about managing processes, it is about confronting ambiguity, enabling experimentation, and sustaining purpose across shifting conditions.

Five themes stand out:

1. Opportunity Must Be Created, Not Awaited. George argues that emerging leaders should not wait for promotions or formal permission. Instead, they should identify unaddressed problems, volunteer to lead, and deliver results without demanding titles. Career growth, he suggests, is a function of action, not seniority.
   
   

2. Innovation Begins at the Front Lines. Whether referencing his early decision to cancel a Medtronic pacemaker program that lacked patient benefit, or urging leaders to spend less time in conference rooms and more with customers and staff, George insists that enduring breakthroughs stem from direct observation and empathy, not from internal data analysis alone.
   
   

3. Risk Tolerance Determines Strategic Renewal. George contrasts firms that institutionalize risk such as Medtronic's venture incubation model, with those that allow internal resistance to block change. Innovation, he asserts, must be structurally protected from corporate inertia, and leaders should be judged on the courage to champion unpopular ideas that later prove transformative.
   
   

4. Culture Must Reward Learning Over Defensiveness. Drawing parallels between U.S., European, and Japanese innovation cultures, George critiques over-regulated, failure-averse systems that suppress experimentation. True progress, he says, requires the willingness to learn through trial, adaptation, and even initial failure.
   
   

5. AI Is a Strategic Imperative, Not a Cost Play. Rather than using AI to drive out labor costs, George advocates for using it to rethink business models entirely, supporting frontline autonomy, enabling new services, and unlocking unmet needs. He cautions leaders against adopting a defensive posture and urges them to fund experiments that explore the true potential of the technology.
   
   

Throughout, George offers a leadership mindset anchored in authenticity, courage, and customer-centric design. His advice is clear: future leaders must raise their hands, operate at the edge, and move fast before the window of relevance closes.

Get Bill's book here: https://shorturl.at/3iHRb

True North, Emerging Leader Edition: Leading Authentically in Today's Workplace

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Laura Ries, globally recognized marketing strategist and author of The Strategic Enemy, outlines a category-first approach to brand building. As she explains, "while people talk in brands, they really think in categories. The category is king." Her core message: focus, contrast, and clarity determine whether a brand leads or disappears.

The conversation emphasizes why narrowing focus creates strength, when to launch a new brand name rather than extend an old one, and how visible, repeatable signals, what Ries calls a "visual hammer", turn a positioning into dominance. She draws on vivid examples: Kodak's misstep in naming its first digital cameras, Toyota's use of Lexus to enter the luxury market, Subaru's turnaround through all-wheel-drive focus, and Target's positioning as "cheap chic" against Walmart.

Strategic takeaways for leaders include:

• Define and own a category. "The power is in owning a singular idea, and the even more powerful thing is to dominate and own a category."
  
  

• Choose a strategic enemy. As Ries argues, "the mind understands opposition faster than superiority." Standing against something clarifies what you stand for.
  
  

• Use new names for new categories. Legacy names can trap perception in the old category.
  
  

• Deploy the visual hammer. A simple, memorable image or symbol cements positioning more powerfully than words alone.
  
  

• Keep the message simple and repeat it. Brands like BMW ("The Ultimate Driving Machine") and Chick-fil-A ("Eat More Chicken") succeeded through decades of repetition, not campaign churn.
  
  

• Invest in leadership visibility. Well-known figures, from Anna Wintour at Vogue to Elon Musk at Tesla, can embody and amplify brand positioning.
  
  

• Treat AI as a tool, not a substitute. Ries uses it for research synthesis but insists, "there's a great human element that is still incredibly valuable."
  
  

For executives shaping brand portfolios or launching new products, this discussion offers a disciplined playbook: narrow the focus, name carefully, define the enemy, and repeat until the position is instinctive in customers' minds.

📚 Get Laura's book, The Strategic Enemy, here: https://shorturl.at/PUuwc

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Central banks in major economies have repeatedly misread inflation trends by relying on models that omit a fundamental economic lever: the money supply. In this episode, economist Steve Hanke offers a detailed critique of prevailing post-Keynesian frameworks and the policy missteps that have followed. Drawing on historical and current data, Hanke underscores the predictive power of the quantity theory of money, a model largely excluded from central bank thinking, and explains how ignoring this leads to erroneous inflation forecasts and misguided interventions.

The discussion outlines how inflation, often attributed to exogenous shocks such as supply chain disruptions or geopolitical events, is more reliably explained by changes in the money supply. Hanke presents evidence that inflation today is the result of decisions made one to two years prior, making it critical to focus on monetary trends rather than short-term data fluctuations. He further contrasts U.S. and Chinese monetary responses, highlighting how both under- and over-corrections in money supply growth have resulted in either recessionary pressures or deflation.

Key insights from the episode include:

- The quantity theory of money remains one of the most reliable frameworks for anticipating inflation, yet is absent from mainstream economic models used by central banks.

- Inflation is always a monetary phenomenon, rising or falling primarily in response to shifts in the money supply, not due to external shocks, which only affect relative prices.

- U.S. monetary policy is currently on a path toward recession, not inflation, due to anemic money supply growth since 2022, a trend Hanke predicts will continue unless reversed.

- Regime uncertainty, policy volatility that undermines business investment, amplifies economic stagnation. Drawing parallels to the New Deal era, Hanke warns that unclear or shifting fiscal and regulatory rules will delay recovery even further.

- Most of the money in circulation is created by commercial banks, not central banks. Post-2008 regulations have constrained these institutions, diminishing their role in supporting economic growth.

Taken together, these points call for a recalibration of macroeconomic policy, placing money supply at the center of analysis and re-empowering commercial banks to function as essential components of the financial system. For senior leaders navigating strategic decisions, the episode provides a timely and data-grounded lens on the structural drivers shaping inflation, recession risks, and economic stability.

Get Steve's book here: https://shorturl.at/t5uDw

Making Money Work: How to Rewrite the Rules of Our Financial System

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

In this episode, finance professor and author, Alex Edmans, offers a rigorous examination of the narratives surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in corporate strategy. Drawing on his critique of widely cited studies, including those from McKinsey and BlackRock, Edmans illustrates how flawed data interpretations and confirmation bias contribute to the persistence of questionable claims. He warns against relying on correlation-based research that lacks causal rigor, especially when such findings are used to justify high-stakes decisions in boardrooms and policy circles.

Edmans identifies three recurring issues in the current DEI discourse: cherry-picked performance metrics that ignore long-term shareholder value; reverse causality, where strong performance leads to more diversity, not the other way around; and omitted variable bias, such as industry effects that confound diversity claims. He also critiques the narrow definition of diversity, which often reduces individuals to surface-level demographic traits while ignoring cognitive and experiential variation that may be more relevant to performance.

The conversation extends beyond DEI to explore the structural incentives within academia, consulting, and media that reward oversimplified narratives. Edmans notes that when ideas become dominant, dissenters face not only reputational risk but also institutional hurdles that discourage honest debate. The result is a professional ecosystem in which flawed research is amplified and poorly contextualized advice is recycled across geographies and sectors without regard for applicability.

Other key themes include:

• The difference between demographic and cognitive diversity in strategic decision-making

• The dangers of universalizing business practices without accounting for local context

• Why flawed performance metrics (e.g., EBITDA) misrepresent firm success

• How misaligned incentives distort executive behavior and perpetuate ineffective initiatives

• The role of institutional culture in suppressing dissent and reinforcing groupthink

For senior leaders navigating complex decisions, Edmans' commentary offers a timely reminder: even widely accepted practices warrant scrutiny. In environments where performance is difficult to measure and cause-effect relationships are opaque, intellectual discipline, not ideological alignment, is essential.

Learn more about Alex Edmans here: https://alexedmans.com/

Get Alex's book here:

May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics, and Studies Exploit Our Biases—And What We Can Do about It.  https://maycontainlies.com/

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

In this episode, Tim Koller, co-author of Valuation and a leading authority on corporate finance, offers a substantive examination of capital allocation decisions under real-world constraints. The discussion moves beyond theory to explore how CEOs and CFOs should approach resource deployment in mature, capital-rich companies—where investment opportunities are limited not due to lack of ambition but due to economic reality.

Key insights include:

- Share Buybacks as Rational Policy: Many firms undertaking significant buybacks—particularly in tech, life sciences, and consumer products—do so because they generate more cash than they can reinvest profitably. Koller argues that, in such cases, returning excess capital to shareholders is not a sign of strategic failure but of disciplined decision-making.

- The Fallacy of Diversification Without Advantage: Koller highlights repeated failures by capital-rich companies that expand into unrelated sectors to deploy cash, citing historical missteps in energy, utilities, and industrials. He emphasizes the need to assess whether the firm has a genuine competitive advantage before moving beyond its core business.

- Granular Leadership in Resource Allocation: Effective CEOs are directly engaged with capital allocation at the business-unit level. Delegating such decisions without maintaining enterprise-wide oversight often leads to underinvestment in high-return growth areas and misaligned incentives at the divisional level.

- The Perils of Uniform Cost-Cutting Mandates: Broad directives to improve margins often result in cuts to product development and customer experience—leading to long-term degradation despite short-term financial gains. Koller stresses the importance of distinguishing between cost efficiencies that enhance value and those that erode it.

- Timing and Judgment in Capital Deployment: In cyclical, capital-intensive sectors such as chemicals and energy, building capacity in sync with competitors can destroy value. Koller calls for contrarian timing, grounded in independent analysis, even when boards and markets are predisposed to follow the cycle.

Additional themes include the underuse of postmortems in capital projects, the misalignment between project planners and operators, and the distinction between executional and experimental failure. Throughout, Koller reiterates that sound capital allocation depends not only on financial modeling, but also on institutional learning, leadership judgment, and clarity of strategic intent.

This conversation offers practical, senior-level guidance for executives, board members, and investors who must navigate capital planning amid structural constraints, investor pressures, and organizational complexity.

Get Tim's book here: https://shorturl.at/nk7Z9

Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

In a world that often rewards taking, James Turk believes the most powerful leaders are the ones who give clarity, opportunity, second chances, and their full attention.

In this episode, I speak with James Turk, who is an executive coach, CEO of The Turk Group, and author of The Giving Game, about what it truly means to become the kind of leader others want to follow. 

We explore:

• Why most new leaders struggle and how to set them up for success from day one

• The difference between "getting" and "giving" leadership and why it changes everything

• Why he nearly didn't make the phone call that launched his business

• How to lead through imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and personal doubt

• What to do when your definition of success starts to shift and how to build a business that matches it

• How giving away the spotlight can strengthen your brand, your business, and your people

James also shares the personal story behind The Giving Game, and how his childhood experiences gave him a lifelong belief in second chances and in the power of helping others see what they're capable of.

Whether you're an experienced CEO, a first-time manager, or a consultant striking out on your own, this conversation will challenge how you lead and who you choose to become in the process.

Get James' book here: https://shorturl.at/c5oRT

The Giving Game: Becoming The Leader That Others Want To Follow

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

What if cultural relevance isn't just a marketing strategy but a business imperative?

In this episode, I speak with Hernan Tagliani, a multicultural marketing expert, award-winning strategist for Fortune 500 companies, and author of The Hispanic Market for Corporate America and Multicultural Mainstream, that explains how brands can drive lasting growth by truly understanding and serving Hispanic consumers.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Hernan shares how he rebuilt his career from the ground up after moving to the U.S., started his agency with a single client, and went on to lead multicultural strategy for some of the world's most recognizable brands. His approach? Culture before language. Data before assumptions. And storytelling that builds trust, not just transactions.

We explore:

• Why many brands are missing out on long-term growth by overlooking multicultural strategy

• The biggest myths corporate leaders still believe about U.S. Hispanic consumers

• Why translating a campaign isn't enough and how "transcreation" builds loyalty across generations

• How Hernan helped a national brand go from pilot campaign to national success by earning trust first

• What it takes to create a brand that reflects, and respects, the communities it serves

• How AI and digital media are reshaping what it means to be culturally relevant in real time

Hernan also shares personal insights on leadership, reinvention, and why taking risks, even when it's uncomfortable, is key to becoming a purpose-driven entrepreneur.

Whether you're building a brand, scaling a business, or trying to connect with today's fastest-growing consumer segment, this episode offers practical strategies and a powerful reframe on what it means to lead with culture, not just campaigns.

Get Hernan's book here: https://rb.gy/jjvvs4

Multicultural Mainstream: The Power of Hispanics In Consumer Marketing

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Your company's next breakthrough isn't about doing more, but doing less with purpose.

In this episode, I speak with Bill Canady, CEO of two major industrial companies (OTC Industrial Technologies and Arrowhead Engineered Products), a former U.S. Navy officer, and author of From Panic to Profit, about the operating system he's used to turn around billion-dollar businesses and lead through uncertainty.

Bill brings a rare blend of military discipline, private equity strategy, and grounded human leadership. With more than 3,600 employees and $1.5 billion in revenue under his care, he shares what really drives growth, and why focus, not frenzy, is the secret to long-term results.

We talk about:

• How Bill used 80/20 thinking to stabilize a struggling company during the pandemic

• Why "doing everything" is the death of momentum and how to identify your critical few

• The real reason most teams fail to deliver (hint: it's not effort)

• How AI is helping leaders focus on what matters and where human judgment still matters most

• Why you may need to say no to good ideas to unlock great outcomes

• The leadership triangle: visionary, operator, and prophet, and how to build teams that thrive

Bill also shares personal reflections on learning through failure, navigating high-stakes decisions, and how he's applying his own advice as a continuous learner and leader of leaders.

Whether you're in a turnaround, scaling up, or simply trying to get more focused in your business or career, this episode offers both strategic clarity and deeply practical tools for creating profitable, people-centered growth.

Bill Canady is the CEO of both OTC Industrial Technologies and Arrowhead Engineered Products (AEP). With over 30 years of experience, he specializes in driving organizational growth, cutting costs, and boosting profitability. At OTC, he led a 43% increase in revenue and an 80% rise in earnings, with annual sales now exceeding $1 billion. At AEP, he oversees more than 3,600 employees and $1.5 billion in sales. A U.S. Navy veteran, Bill holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Business Administration from Elmhurst University. His Profitable Growth Operating System (PGOS) has helped countless organizations overcome challenges and seize new growth opportunities.

Get Bill's book here: https://rb.gy/3a4mou

From Panic to Profit: Uncover Value, Boost Revenue, and Grow Your Business with the 80/20 Principle

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

What if the key to innovation isn't a process, but a mindset that travels across boundaries, disciplines, and decades?

From international development to McKinsey to leading AI strategy at Microsoft, Dean Carignan has built his career at the intersection of systems, people, and impact. Now, as co-author of The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft, he's helping organizations rethink how real innovation happens, not just in startups or labs, but in legacy institutions and global companies.

In this episode, Dean shares lessons from two decades at Microsoft, where he's worked across Xbox, Office, cognitive services, and AI research. He also reflects on why innovation is ultimately about people, not products, and how leaders can create space for meaningful change, even inside complex organizations.

We explore:

• How Dean moved from solving global problems at the World Bank to driving change inside one of the world's largest tech companies

• The power of being a "boundary crosser" and why innovation happens in the in-between

• Why mission often outperforms money as a motivator, especially in hiring for impact

• The overlooked value of storytelling in innovation (and how case studies bring ideas to life)

• How AI is transforming not only productivity, but the very nature of scientific discovery

• Why learning to build with agents may be the most valuable skill of the next decade

Dean also shares practical examples of how he uses AI today, from research to writing to daily decision-making, and why "thinking about thinking" is the leadership advantage most people overlook.

Whether you're guiding a team through change, building a new product, or trying to stay ahead of the AI curve, this conversation offers a grounded, human-centered approach to innovation in a time of exponential possibility.

Dean Carignan's career spans international economic development, startup ventures, and strategic roles in technology. He is an alumnus of Georgetown University and INSEAD, he was a charter member of McKinsey & Company's advanced technology practice.

During his 20 years at Microsoft, he has guided new businesses, including the early internet division, Xbox, and multiple Al efforts through the critical growth phases to their first billion dollars in revenue.

Most recently, Dean has focused on leading AI innovations within Microsoft Research and the Office of the Chief Scientist. His intrapreneurial spirit, deep institutional knowledge, and expansive internal network made the behind-the-scenes perspective of The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft

Get Dean's book here: https://www.innovationatmicrosoft.com/

The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

In this episode, Kris speaks with Matthew Dixon, founding partner of DCM Insights and bestselling author, about his latest research on business development in professional services. Drawing on a global study of 3,000 partners, Dixon outlines five distinct sales profiles and highlights the "Activator" as the only approach consistently linked to higher revenue performance.

Key insights:

- Traditional models of client loyalty are eroding, with fewer clients returning automatically to the same firm.
- Top performers distinguish themselves by proactively delivering value, leveraging internal and external networks, and consistently committing time to business development.
- Effective firms drive adoption of these behaviors not through mandates, but by enabling teams with tools, mentorship, and a culture of collaboration.
- Technology, including AI and network management tools, reduces the time required to execute these strategies, but success ultimately relies on human relationships and judgment.

Dixon's upcoming book, The Activator Advantage, provides a practical guide for partners and leaders seeking to future-proof client engagement strategies in a more competitive and fast-changing market.

Matthew Dixon is the Founding Partner of DCM Insights. Matthew is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and a WSJ bestselling author, with his books translated in a dozen languages.

Get Matthew's book here: https://rb.gy/a6ygc7

The Activator Advantage: What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

In this episode, Kris speaks with Ken Rusk, nine-figure CEO and bestselling author of Blue Collar Cash, on building and scaling a successful business.

Key insights:

- True growth comes from empowering entrepreneurial employees and building autonomous teams aligned with the company's mission and motivated to perform.
- Rusk's approach emphasizes the alignment of personal goals and corporate objectives, using a system of "timed pathways" where employees publicly commit to and pursue personal milestones, creating accountability and shared momentum.
- Strategic reinvestment in marketing, reputation, and customer experience fueled steady expansion, while maintaining a clear long-term vision kept the organization resilient during challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.
- His leadership philosophy centers on building decision-makers, not just making decisions, and staying focused on time as the most valuable asset, balancing business success with personal well-being, family, and purpose.
- Rusk's recent move to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) reflects his commitment to sharing long-term value and ensuring that the team that built the company benefits from its future growth.

Rusk's message is that sustainable business success stems from developing others, aligning incentives, and ensuring that leaders stay focused on the long view, both in business and in life.

Get Ken's book here: https://www.kenrusk.com/blue-collar-cash/

Blue-Collar Cash: Love Your Work, Secure Your Future, and Find Happiness for Life

Here are some free gifts for you:

 Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

What if the key to driving real innovation isn't genius, but orchestration?

Innovation is often seen as the domain of visionaries or tech geniuses. But in this episode, JoAnn Garbin, former Director of Innovation at Microsoft Cloud and co-author of The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft, shows that true innovation is a craft: one grounded in discipline, collaboration, and conscious leadership.

JoAnn brings a rare lens to the conversation — an engineer with a background in philosophy and performance, a systems thinker who has lived through startup exits, corporate reinvention, and a life-altering cancer diagnosis. Her approach to leadership, creativity, and risk is grounded not in theory but in lived experience.

We talk about:

• How real innovation happens inside complex, slow-moving organizations

• Why orchestration, not brilliance, is the most underrated leadership skill

• The critical role of community and trust in long-term innovation success

• How to build political capital without becoming "political"

• What cancer taught her about control, clarity, and letting go

• The mindset shift that makes innovation more accessible (and less magical)

JoAnn also shares how she navigates uncertainty with structured frameworks, how she invests in her learning every day, and why innovation, especially in an AI-powered future, must be inclusive, sustainable, and human-centered.

Whether you're leading change, launching something new, or trying to stay relevant in a fast-shifting world, this episode will expand how you think about creativity, courage, and what it really means to build something that lasts.

JoAnn Garbin is a former Director of Innovation in Microsoft's cloud business. She is the founder of Regenerous Labs, where she focuses on building practical solutions across industries that integrate sustainability and innovation.

Get JoAnn's book here: https://www.innovationatmicrosoft.com/

The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard, founder of LANcity, author of The Accidental Network, and widely known as the "father of the cable modem", shares the story of how broadband was built and the lessons it offers for today's leaders navigating AI and emerging technologies.

Arriving in the U.S. with $750 in savings, Yassini-Fard envisioned carrying "voice, data and video… over one cable instead of two" at a time when few believed homes would ever need to be connected. Over nine years, with just 13 employees and seven consultants, he built a working product, proved its reliability, and persuaded the cable industry to adopt it. By 1996, his team had driven device costs from $8,000 down to under $300 and helped create DOCSIS, the global broadband standard, released royalty-free to speed adoption.

Reflecting on today's tech landscape, he cautions: "It's not just really money… you need more than that. It's a proven prototype and a product that actually does the talking." Valuations without execution, he warns, will accelerate failure.

Key lessons include:

• Prototype before scale: Capital is wasted without demonstrable performance in real environments.
  
  

• Treat infrastructure as strategy: Broadband enabled Silicon Valley, Netflix, telehealth, and remote work; leaders must model today's energy, compute, and connectivity constraints when sizing AI opportunities.
  
  

• Open standards matter: Royalty-free interoperability can turn a niche idea into an industry platform.
  
  

• Execution trumps valuation: LANcity beat Motorola and Intel with disciplined engineering, resilient supply chains, and relentless customer trials.
  
  

• Anchor to customer economics: Early users became advocates because the modem delivered day-to-day value.
  
  

Looking forward, Yassini-Fard stresses that AI and robotics will stall without addressing power and infrastructure: "For some of these AI companies to be successful, they need gigawatts of power… it takes 10 years to build a nuclear reactor that gives you one." He highlights quantum computing and network management as the next frontiers, and calls for workforce retraining in mathematics, physics, and the skilled trades that sustain digital systems.

For executives evaluating platform bets or emerging technologies, this conversation offers a grounded blueprint: start with the prototype, model the infrastructure honestly, choose standards deliberately, and align capital with execution discipline.

📚 Get Rouzbeh's book, The Accidental Network, here: https://shorturl.at/rUB1T

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: www.firmsconsulting.com/build

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo