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

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 295, an episode with a highly regarded global executive, Daphne E. Jones. In this episode, Daphne shares her inspiring journey of overcoming criticism, judgment, racism, and doubt. She was told by her career counselor that Black girls don't successfully make it in college, but should instead go to secretary school. Today, Daphne is a corporate board member who ha...

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss about financial strategy. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here:  www.firmsconsulting.com/promo Subscribe to FIRMSconsulting's YouTube channel:  http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss scenario planning's common problems. Scenario planning / Scenario Analysis is a powerful tool in consulting. This is how to move from being a consultant to thinking and presenting like a partner. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here:  www.firmsconsulting.com/promo Subscribe to FIRMScons...

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from the Corporate Strategy & Transformation  study. This podcast is for those who have mastered all the basics on slide design and formatting. In this podcast, we discuss how to determine if your PowerPoint slides are influential on a study. Influential PowerPoint slides may not be the most beautiful pieces of work or even the ones with th...

Welcome to Strategy Skills Episode 291 with the first-ever Chief Design Officer and SVP of PepsiCo, the world's second-largest food and beverage company, Mauro Porcini. In this episode, Mauro talked about how his career started and how his love of what he is doing helped made PepsiCo what it is today. He also talked about the step-by-step process of designing and establishing a new culture in any...

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss value chain analysis. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here:  www.firmsconsulting.com/promo Subscribe to FIRMSconsulting's YouTube channel:  http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 289, an episode with Linda Yates, the founder and CEO of Mach49, the leading growth incubator for global businesses with clients including Goodyear, Hitachi, Intel, JetBlue, Nestlé Purina, Prudential and Shell.   In Linda's new book The Unicorn Within , she empowers large companies to beat startups at their own game—to build a pipeline and portfolio of new ventur...

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic from the Corporate Strategy & Transformation study, where we explain how benchmarking analysis, or what is also called best practice analysis, should be used for the top-down analysis and why they are so difficult to manage in a real study. Click  here  to see the full study and here to see the  merger study  and  market entry  study. Enjoy...

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss value chain mapping. We have seen many value chain mapping examples. We have seen good value chain mapping, bad value chain mapping, and incomplete value chain mapping. Ultimately, given the nature of how value chain mapping will work, it can and cannot do a few things. So if value chain mapping is presented to do things it...

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 286, an episode with a top-rated speaker, best-selling author, and consultant, Dr. Cindy McGovern. Get Cindy's book here: https://amzn.to/3Cys1ae   Most of us view "sales" as a pushy, manipulative, and one-sided thing. But really, "sales" is understanding what others need and trying to deliver on those needs. Regardless of the nature of work—whether you're sellin...

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 285, an episode with Ashish Kothari . In his book " Hardwi red for Happiness " Ashish outlines an easy-to-follow recipe that can help anyone increase joy, health, love, and meaning in their lives. His transformational approach is secular, interdisciplinary and integrates learnings and best practices across the fields of science and spirituality. Get Ashish's new...

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 284, an episode with CNBC's Senior Media & Tech Correspondent, Julia Boorstin . Get Julia 's Book here: https://amzn.to/3ekjT4Y   In this episode, Julia speaks about female leaders and their struggles in facing gender bias and "pattern matching" in largely male-dominated industries. She discusses the key commonalities of female leaders who thrived in spite of the...

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 283, an episode with an expert on organizational paradoxes, Wendy Smith. Get Wendy's Book here:   https://amzn.to/3fF1b8C   When faced with a tough decision-making situation, it is common for us to assess and select what we believe is the best deal and then move on. We tend to assume that we need to pick one option and eliminate the other. But what if we could ac...

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 282, an episode with a reporter for The Wall Street Journal , Sean McLain. Get Sean's book here .   This episode with Sean McLain revolves around the story of Carlos Ghosn , one of the world's most feared and admired business executives who had remarkable success, yet faced a catastrophic fall. He was accused of financial misconduct and arrested for a bevy of all...

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 281, an interview with a leadership coaching legend, David Noble.   Most leaders experience a lack of motivation to continue the things they once had a passion for. So, h ow do you rekindle the fire of motivation when it starts to die? The key is to know your "why" and assess if your reason is strong enough to continue the journey.   In this episode, David shares...

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 280, an episode with a renowned digital entrepreneur and founder of ENTRE institute, Jeff Lerner. Get Jeff's book here .   In this episode, Jeff discussed how he was able to build a multi-million dollar company from scratch and the key elements behind his success.   At the age of 18, Jeff started his first business after dropping out of high school and becoming a...

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 279, an episode with a practicing emergency physician at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Richard Winters. Get Dr. Richard's book here .   As a physician, Dr. Richard shares how he managed, adapted, and remained calm during times of covid. He discussed some of the best practices that can be adapted from the medical field into the space of business. We speak about leadership, adm...

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss what a strategy workshop will not give you at the end.   Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here:  www.firmsconsulting.com/promo   Subscribe to FIRMSconsulting's YouTube channel:  http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss one important thing every consulting case study must produce.   Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here:  www.firmsconsulting.com/promo   Subscribe to FIRMSconsulting's YouTube channel:  http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss one important thing you always need to present in all of your management consulting projects, a business case.   If you are not presenting a business case to a client, or a benefits case, I prefer the word benefits because it makes it clear you are looking for a benefit for a client, if you are not presenting a benefits cas...

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 275, an episode with Cassie Holmes, a professor at UCLA's Anderson School of Management and an award-winning teacher and researcher of time and happiness.   In society today, we generally equate productivity with the number of activities we do, regardless of the value it brings us and how it contributes to our well-being and happiness. We often feel "time-poor" f...

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 274, an episode with Bill George, former chairman and CEO of Medtronic and currently a professor at Harvard Business School. He has written two of the most enduring leadership classics of all time: Authentic Leadership and True North. Now, Bill has written a new book aimed at the next generation of leaders, the Emerging Leaders Edition of True North , coauthored...

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss consulting workshop best practices.   Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here:  www.firmsconsulting.com/promo   Subscribe to FIRMSconsulting's YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe

How can you resign from your job with dignity, compassion, and grace, without burning any bridges with your employer? For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we share simple principles to help you leave your role in a way that leaves a positive impression on your superiors, colleagues, and organization. Do you have a story about resigning? Tell us more with a comment below....

For this episode, let's revisit a Strategy Skills classic where we discuss the overall goal of every consulting interaction. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here:  www.firmsconsulting.com/promo