The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving - podcast cover

The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

FirmsConsulting.com & StrategyTraining.comwww.firmsconsulting.com
CEOs and business leaders, management consulting senior partners, ground-breaking professors, thought-provoking writers and journalists, record-setting athletes and coaches, and award-winning actors and celebrities discuss the key issues facing the business world and broader society. Get free access to our newsletter, Monday Morning at 8 am, along with sample episodes from our training programs on www.strategytraining.com. Go to https://www.firmsconsulting.com/promo.

Episodes

364: How confident must I be to lead the workshop? (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit one of the classics by Strategy Skills, where we cover a topic about understanding the readiness and level of confidence required to go out there and lead. 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.firmscon...

Jul 19, 202322 min

363: What is corporate strategy? (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit one of the classics by Strategy Skills where we discuss the most important concepts you need to understand in order to advance your career. Be reminded about what is Corporate Strategy and how is it different from the other types of strategies. 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 ...

Jul 17, 202313 min

362: What is a conceptual thinker? (Strategy Skills classics)

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...

Jul 12, 202311 min

361: Former McKinsey Consultant Darryl Stickel — Building Trust With Consulting Clients, Testing Trust Deficit Within Your Team, Sharpening Trust as a Skill, The Most Effective Levers You Can Pull To Build Trust

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 361, an interview with the author of Building Trust: Exceptional Leadership in an Uncertain World , Darryl Stickel. In his book, Darryl outlines his groundbreaking Trust Unlimited blueprint for building trust. Stickel moves away from the traditional approach of influencing people’s willingness to trust—the con artist’s tactic—to employing one or more of ten levers, which leaders can “pull” to close the gap between how much they are trusted and how much they sho...

Jul 10, 202352 min

361: Why you should read Bill Matassoni's memoir (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit one of the classics by Strategy Skills where we discuss why everyone should read Bill Matassoni's book, MARKETING SAVES THE WORLD. Every now and then, someone comes along and makes the subject of management both fun and insightful. That’s what Bill Matassoni has done in his memoir—a combination of compelling stories and contrarian substance—that covers his forty-year career selling what he calls “ephemeral things.” In addition to the memoir, Bill plays host to a s...

Jul 05, 202318 min

360: Columbia University’s Steven Cohen, Environmentally sustainable growth

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 360, an interview with the author of Environmentally Sustainable Growth: A Pragmatic Approach , Steven Cohen. In this book, Steven explores the causes of environmental degradation and examines what sustainability looks like in practice and outlines realistic paths toward a renewable resource–based economy, demonstrating that, in many respects, the shift to sustainability is already underway. Steven describes a range of public policy and infrastructure initiativ...

Jul 03, 202349 min

359: Ex senior McKinsey Partner and worldwide strategy practice co-leader, Kevin P. Coyne (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic with Kevin P. Coyne, founder of Coyne Scientific. He is the former Director and co-leader of both McKinsey’s Worldwide Strategy Practice and CEO transitions practice, and the host of The Consulting Offer II Kevin attended the Harvard Business School after his junior year of college. He simultaneously graduated from both Rice University and Harvard in 1978 and joined McKinsey as the youngest associate ever and one of the youngest principal...

Jun 28, 202339 min

358: Workshop structure, process and outcome (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from week 4 of the Corporate Strategy & Transformation study. The previous podcasts discussed each of the elements which together comprise the visioning workshop. This podcast discusses the workshop structure, how we ran it, and the overall outcome. Click here to see the full study and here to see the merger study and market entry study. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/pr...

Jun 26, 202318 min

357: Philosopher Ivo Brughmans — Paradoxical Leadership, Management Consulting, Polarities, Dilemmas, The Metaphor of the Bus, Being Driven from Inside

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 357, an interview with the author of Paradoxical Leadership: How to Make Complexity an Advantage , Ivo Brughmans. Paradoxical Leadership reveals how to transform divisive dilemmas into creative solutions and paralyzing polarization into a constructive dialogue. Ivo Brughmans studied philosophy, international politics, and business management. He worked for twenty-five years for a global management consulting firm, supporting organizations in redesigning and tra...

Jun 21, 202359 min

356: Former Bain & Company Director Michael Farmer — Differences Between McKinsey, Bain and BCG, Strategy Consulting, Helping Ad Agencies and Their Clients Navigate the Changes in the Media Landscape, Transformation of a Creative Ad Agency (Huge)

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 356, an interview with the author of Madison Avenue Makeover: The Transformation of Huge and the Redefinition of the Ad Agency Business, Michael Farmer. He also wrote the award-winning Madison Avenue Manslaughter, an inside view of fee-cutting clients, profit-hungry owners, and declining ad agencies (Third Edition, 2019). In this episode, Michael speaks about the time he worked for McKinsey, Bain, and BCG, and the differences between the three consulting firms....

Jun 19, 20231 hr 4 min

355: McKinsey senior partner, Kate Smaje. Winning in the age of digital and AI

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 355, an interview with the author of REWIRED: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI, Kate Smaje. The book REWIRED delivers a road-tested, how-to manual that Mckinsey consultants use to help companies build the capabilities to outcompete in the age of digital and AI. It reveals the learnings from large companies around the globe for succeeding at the six core elements of a digital transformation—strategy, talent, operating model, techno...

Jun 14, 202348 min

354: Former Microsoft executive & CEO of Snowflake, Bob Muglia. The future of AI

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 354, an interview with the author of The Datapreneurs: The Promise of AI and the Creators Building Our Future, Bob Muglia. In this book, Bob helps us understand how innovation in data and information technology has led us to AI—and how this technology must shape our future. Bob Muglia is a data technology investor and business executive, former CEO of Snowflake, and past president of Microsoft's Server and Tools Division. As a leader, Bob focuses on how innovat...

Jun 12, 202347 min

353: Management skills analysis challenges (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from the power sector corporate strategy study. A stream of our consultants is assessing the management skills of senior EI managers and executives to manage the transformation process. This process has not gone well. A senior manager of EI felt the management skills assessment was designed to present him in a poor light. He, therefore, complained to the unions and is considering legal action against EI. This is not good, but fairly commo...

Jun 07, 202314 min

352: Corporate strategy analysis process (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from the power sector corporate strategy study. In this critical podcast, we focus on two things. First, we discuss the reason why corporate strategy studies rely so heavily on executive workshops. We explain why simply handing the perfect strategy to the client will never yield results, even if the client accepts it without any challenges. The workshop process plays a crucial role that cannot be easily replicated anywhere else in the stu...

Jun 05, 202315 min

351: Advanced predictive problem solving (Turquoise Eyes: A Novel about Problem Solving & Critical Thinking)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss advanced predictive problem solving. Turquoise Eyes started off the groundbreaking new genre developed by FIRMSconsulting that combines compelling narrative while teaching problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Set after a bank begins implementing a new retail banking strategy, we follow Teresa García Ramírez de Arroyo, a director-general in the Mexican government, who has received some disturbing news. A whistlebl...

May 31, 202326 min

350: Finalize the overall storyboard for the client (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss how to finalize the overall storyboard for the client. Watch the video version of this podcast here: https://youtu.be/7LXOL_KDZYQ Click here to see the full study and here to see the merger study and market entry study. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo...

May 29, 202322 min

349: Business unit strategy: Core & critical (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss the role of the business unit strategy stream within a corporate strategy study. Watch the video version of this podcast here: https://youtu.be/mSNDAvmXjzA Click here to see the full study and here to see the merger study and market entry study. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo...

May 24, 20237 min

348: Dr. Luana Marques (Harvard professor), How to transform anxiety into power

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 348, an interview with the author of Bold Move: A 3-Step Plan to Transform Anxiety into Power. Bold Move is Dr. Luana Marques’ unique, tried and tested method to get you out of your rut and give you the courage to create a more confident and meaningful life. Dr. Luana pinpoints the anxiety at the root of avoidance and shows you how to overcome it and achieve your goals. Dr. Luana Marques is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS) an...

May 22, 202358 min

347: How to start shifting to the career you've always wanted - Author program Q&A 7 (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? I...

May 17, 20236 min

346: How to write a book even if you're "too junior" - Author Program Q&A 6 (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? I...

May 15, 202311 min

345: Martin Reeves (Boston Consulting Group), The Imagination Machine

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 345, an interview with the Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, BCG’s think tank for new ideas in management and strategy. Martin has authored numerous books, including Your Strategy Needs a Strategy and The Imagination Machine , a handbook about how to systematically harness imagination to generate new ideas and transform businesses. Get Martin's book here: The Imagination Machine: How to Spark New Ideas and Create Your Company's Future. Martin Reeves and ...

May 10, 20231 hr 1 min

344: Should I wait to publish a solo book? Author Program Q&A 5 (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? I...

May 08, 202311 min

343: Is it expensive? Author Program Q&A 4 (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? I...

May 03, 202312 min

342: What is the ROI? Author Program Q&A 3 (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? I...

May 01, 202310 min

341: Ex McKinsey expert on war games, John Horn. How to read your competitors

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 341, an interview with the author of Inside the Competitor's Mindset , John Horn , where he shares proven techniques to help businesses think like the competition and understand why they act the way they do. Inside the Competitor’s Mindset presents a systematic approach to competitive intelligence that starts with three frameworks to get inside the competitor’s mindset, predict their reactions to your moves, and assess whether the competition is getting ready f...

Apr 26, 20231 hr

340: Is it a good time now or should I wait until I become more senior? Author Program Q&A 2. (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? I...

Apr 24, 20236 min

339: Is this good for my career at this point in time? Author Program Q&A 1. (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? I...

Apr 19, 20237 min

338: Yale's Ryan McAnnally-Linz, What makes a good life?

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 338, an interview with Ryan McAnnally-Linz, coauthor of Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most . This book provides readers with jumping-off points, road maps, and habits of reflection for figuring out where their lives hold meaning and where things need to change. The book draws from major world religions and from impressively truthful and courageous figures such as Jesus, Muhammad, the Buddha, Aristotle, Socrates, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai L...

Apr 17, 202355 min

337: How publishing a book fast-tracked me to partnership (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from a 10 episode program to help our clients and customers measurably, radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? I...

Apr 12, 202326 min

336: Initial logic and objective function (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from the Corporate Strategy & Transformation study. In this phase of the podcast series, we are focusing on week 4 when we are bringing the entire leadership team together to help them make one decision. The only decision they have to make is: "Should Empire International focus on the non-regulated non-core activities as they are now doing or refocus their efforts to support Empire Energy on their core regulated business: generating energ...

Apr 10, 202318 min