For this episode, let's revisit the 47th podcast on the Corporate Strategy & Transformation study. As I mentioned in previous posts, the reason we spend so much time on visioning workshop is because if you ever take a senior role in strategy in any company, or if you ever serve as a corporate strategy consultant, running a visioning workshop or corporate strategy workshop, in general, is the skill you must have. And scenario planning is something used extensively in visioning workshops. In this ...
Jul 13, 2022•15 min
For this episode, let's revisit the 42nd podcast on the Corporate Strategy & Transformation study. What I noticed on this, and other studies is that the associates and business analysts are very competitive, in a way that is damaging to clients, to the firm and to their own careers. I am fine with consultants being competitive but I think they go about it the wrong way. You can be competitive and work long hours but you should not seem to be competitive when you are working long hours. I am not ...
Jul 11, 2022•14 min
For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we will talk about general professional values or etiquette that consultants should apply during an engagement. We specifically discuss things that consultants sometimes do on studies that may alienate the client. And rather than talking about every single thing you need to avoid, we will talk about some principles. And these principles apply across every issue. We also discuss how to address a situation where a consultant’s behavio...
Jul 06, 2022•16 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 256, an episode with an expert in business law and business ethics, J.S. Nelson. Get J.S’s book here: https://amzn.to/3ny1z9B Managing business ethics has always been a challenge for many organizations. As unethical business conduct rises, the struggle of implementing ethics and compliance programs in organizations also increases. Business ethics can make or break your business or career. But it can be used as a competitive advantage if managed correctly and ca...
Jul 04, 2022•1 hr 21 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 255, an episode with the CEO and managing partner at Velocity Group, Edward Sullivan. Get Edward’s book here: https://amzn.to/3HT2Hy4 In this episode, Edward discussed the best practices that leaders and companies do to address mental health issues and the real cause of the great resignation. He spoke about the gravity of work-life balance, care, and understanding as part of an employee retention strategy. For decades, we have avoided discussing the topic of me...
Jun 29, 2022•42 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 254, an episode with the Founder and visionary Managing Director of Bandelli & Associates, Dr. Adam C. Bandelli. Get Adam’s book here: https://amzn.to/3nhGgsC “It is very important for leaders to not only surround themselves with great talent but build really strong partnerships with their people.” - Adam Bandelli In this episode, Adam speaks about how reliance on technology has kept people technologically connected but has prevented them from building genuine ...
Jun 27, 2022•41 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 253, an episode with Emeritus Professor at UCLA Anderson, Richard Rumelt. Get Richard’s book here: https://amzn.to/3OrNfuK In this episode, Richard iterated the real meaning of strategy, which many companies today confuse with a list of their goals and ambitions. Strategy is problem-solving – a clever way of dealing with a challenge, opponent, or problem. It also involves selecting which battle you fight because you cannot fight them all. As a great strategist,...
Jun 22, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 252, an episode with a thought leader and global expert on infectious diseases and vaccine safety, Jan Bonhoeffer M.D. Get Jan’s book here: https://amzn.to/3y2x4hZ In this episode, Jan spoke about his medical career journey, working with different interesting organizations, and how he realized there was a missing piece: care. He spoke about how we often become so focused on solving a problem that we forget to give attention to what we care about – what gives us...
Jun 20, 2022•1 hr
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 251, an episode with a leading Yale expert and serial entrepreneur, Barry Nalebuff. Get Barry’s book here: https://amzn.to/3OiNiJs For thirty years, Barry has taught negotiation, innovation, strategy, and game theory at Yale School of Management, which led him to develop a new approach toward negotiation. This approach is vastly different from how most people think about negotiation, which usually involves having the best tactic to out-smart the other party and...
Jun 15, 2022•51 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 250, an episode with one of Silicon Valley’s most renowned business advisors and coaches, Tom Eddington. “There's always a challenge, and there's always an opportunity.” - Tom Eddington In this episode with Tom, we discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a multitude of issues today – not only for individuals but also for most organizations. One of the biggest problems that every organization has faced because of COVID is retaining employees. Over the la...
Jun 13, 2022•54 min
For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss how to identify a corporate strategy. It is actually very simple to know if a study qualifies as a corporate strategy study. Irrespective of what anyone tells you, if you go into a strategy study where the key question – or what we call an objective function – is known to you, then it is not a corporate strategy. This is because corporate strategy is not about knowing how to maximize an objective function. It is about cho...
Jun 08, 2022•14 min
For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we explain what it means to be a conceptual thinker and how to demonstrate this skill. If you work at any major consulting firm – and especially if you want to be promoted – you must prove you are a conceptual thinker. The only problem is that it is hard to define the word conceptual. In this podcast, we explain a similar problem experienced by a consultant on the Corporate Strategy & Transformation Study and how I helped them impro...
Jun 06, 2022•11 min
For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss how to communicate recommendations that are radical in nature. If the recommendations are presented too early, they are hypotheses with little data backing them and they can be easily challenged. If the recommendations are presented at the end, it shocks the client and there likely will be little agreement from the client. The solution is to present early but to present them as hypotheses. That seems easy, but this podcas...
Jun 01, 2022•14 min
For this episode, let's revisit one of Strategy Skills classics where we spoke about the approach and philosophy used by the study leadership team in a power sector corporate strategy study as they guide and mentor corporate leaders at the client. We discuss the four pillars on which our leadership philosophy is built and use practical examples to demonstrate how we help clients adopt these principles. The four pillars are: Sincere authenticity matters. Embrace – don’t hide – leadership flaws. F...
May 30, 2022•19 min
For this episode, let's revisit one of Strategy Skills classics where we discuss something that affects every consultant in the world: the issue of confidence – or even arrogance – and its role in getting results on a consulting engagement. We discuss the role that confidence plays in your career and look at what actually creates a competitive advantage in your career. We also look at an example that showcases the limited value of confidence in a consulting engagement. Click here to see the full...
May 25, 2022•17 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 244, an interview with globally recognized academic thought-leader on digital transformation and innovation management, Satish Nambisan. Get Satish's book here: https://amzn.to/3QpWQE3 In this episode, Satish spoke about real-world examples of companies that use digital technology as their unique competency to move and globalize faster. He defined “globalization” and “digital” in a broader perspective, and elaborated on their role in a company to thrive through...
May 23, 2022•55 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 243, an interview with a business coach and change leadership expert , Richard Hawkes. Get Richard's book here: https://amzn.to/3Oe5ljU In this session, Richard shared his experiences with building a consultancy, working shoulder to shoulder with leaders and teams to grow and scale all kinds of companies – in the US and in countries all over the world, but especially in Germany. He shared a little bit about how his worldview has changed throughout his journey f...
May 18, 2022•1 hr 22 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 242, an interview with the CEO of YSC Consulting, Eric Pliner. Get Eric's book here: https://amzn.to/3HpM1hf In this video, Eric shared his career journey, experience with adjusting to consulting, and how to become a successful consultant while maintaining a healthy life balance. He discussed the reasons why his company survived and thrived during the pandemic. As a CEO, he spoke about the top things that he looks for when promoting an employee and the red flag...
May 16, 2022•1 hr 10 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 241, an episode with scientist, inventor, writer, speaker, and entrepreneur, Alex Bäcker. Get Alex's book here: https://amzn.to/3HqNfZu In this episode, Alex spoke about the main ingredients of a successful life and the key to happiness. He discussed why he wrote his book, 101 Clues to a Happy Life, and shared how having children exponentially changed his life and perspective. Alex also elaborated on the role of sunlight in the prevention and treatment of COVID...
May 11, 2022•53 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 240, an episode with best-selling author, lawyer, and art historian, Amy Herman. Get Amy's book here: https://amzn.to/3tCU9oV In this episode, Amy spoke about how art can renew our sense of vision and approach to problem solving. This method proves that everyone sees and interprets things differently, which shows that we need to become better communicators to solve our problems. She stressed that effective communication has a renewed significance now because we...
May 09, 2022•50 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 239, an episode with a renowned food journalist, Dan Saladino. Get Dan's book here: https://amzn.to/3NR1JV2 In this episode, Dan talks us through a very interesting topic: food extinction. He elaborated on the value of food diversity through factual examples and stories, and he explained the risks of homogeneity or genetic uniformity of crops, livestock, poultry, or other food supply, which adds more vulnerability to preserving these resources during a crisis. ...
May 04, 2022•1 hr
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 238, an episode with a sought-after strategist and advisor, Kian Gohar. Get Kian’s book here: https://amzn.to/3mOXe1y Many organizations have been caught flat-footed by disruptive changes – especially in the pandemic era – which has forced a lot of businesses to rethink their priorities to stay competitive in the post-pandemic world. Having the ability to identify trends that allow organizations to leverage potential threats and changes in the future will turn ...
May 02, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 237, an episode with workplace loneliness experts and thought leaders, Ryan Jenkins and Steven Van Cohen. Get Ryan's book here: https://amzn.to/3xtoIi3 In this episode, Ryan and Steven discuss a vital, sensitive, and very interesting topic: loneliness. Oftentimes, loneliness and emotional pain is taken lightly compared to physical pain. But physiologically, the effect is nearly the same. The conversation revolved around answering why do we feel lonely and how w...
Apr 27, 2022•52 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 236, an episode with the CEO of Meetup, David Siegel. Get David's book: https://amzn.to/39miGHV In this episode, David talks us through his epic journey of becoming and remaining the CEO of Meetup in spite of the challenges that the organization faced and, later on, conquered. He also spoke about Investopedia – which he was the CEO of prior to joining Meetup. David also highlighted and elaborated on what a community is, how it works, and the value that it bring...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 235, an episode with Ravin Jesuthasan, a global thought leader and best-selling author, and John Boudreau, a Professor Emeritus of Management and Organization at the University of Southern California. Get John's book here: https://amzn.to/3xQARyT In this episode, John and Ravin lay out the core principles of work operating systems, and their views about the future of work and jobs that are rapidly evolving through the emergence of alternative work arrangements,...
Apr 20, 2022•56 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 234, an episode with a highly regarded economist and best-selling author, John A. List. Get John's book here: https://amzn.to/3MSCuAD In this episode, John defined scaling – an overused yet often confused word in the startup world today – and elaborated the term. He also spoke about the voltage effect and how it relates to scaling. The discussion revolved around the five vital signs that every scalable idea must possess to avoid voltage drops and gave numerous ...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 233, an episode with a highly regarded leadership well-being coach, relationship expert, author, and speaker, Susan MacKenty Brady. Get Susan's Book here: https://amzn.to/3xlNu3q In this episode, Susan articulated the upside of the global pandemic, specifically the norms about how women manage, lead, communicate, and show up. She also discussed the definition of diversity and inclusiveness and the signs that companies are embracing it versus drifting away from ...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 232, an episode with best-selling author and Customer and Employee Experience Strategist, Dr. Natalie Petouhoff. Get Natalie's book here: https://amzn.to/3O5lSqo In this episode, Natalie spoke about the need for empathy today and the shift we need to make from focusing on company-centric business strategies to creating employee and customer-centric experiences. She also discussed the importance of customer feedback and how Amazon has used it to thrive. Listenin...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 231, an episode with the Chairman of The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Ravi Venkatesan. Get Ravi's book here: https://amzn.to/3NUJOga In this episode, Ravi shared how he started believing in himself and his capabilities, which led to where he is today. He also spoke about the opportunities laying around challenges and the preparations we need to navigate these changes. The conversation revolved around the importance of perspective and mi...
Apr 06, 2022•53 min
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 230, an episode with best-selling author and dynamic keynote speaker, Don Schmincke. In this episode, Don spoke about the counterintuitive insights of successful companies, why some organizations have a lack of performance, and the challenges that CEOs today need to address. He also shared his journey and discovery of Biological Leadership and how it relates to the leadership that organizations apply today. Don has been accused by a NY press agency of providing...
Apr 04, 2022•56 min
