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Case Interview Preparation & Management Consulting | Strategy | Critical Thinking

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Now displaying: Category: Interviews
Nov 12, 2025

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we discuss why candidates fail profit cases.

 

Most candidates would tackle a McKinsey profitability case by presenting a revenue-cost framework and offer options to lower costs and increase revenue. The reality is that such a framework and explanation shows a deep misunderstanding of business and business strategy. In this podcast, we present the correct way to understand profitability cases which require candidates to understand the growth and cost of growth needs of shareholders. This logic never fails to impress interviewers.

 

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

Sep 29, 2025

In this episode, Krista White, coauthor of Culture Design and cofounder of Culture Design Lab explains how leaders can treat culture as a strategic lever rather than an HR initiative. 

1. Culture is inseparable from strategy

Krista stresses that culture cannot be treated as background. It determines whether strategic plans survive contact with execution.

“We were noticing that there was a gap in people knowing how to connect culture with strategy. Our hope is that this book serves as a practical guide.”

Leaders who design culture deliberately create alignment and resilience. Those who ignore it risk drift and underperformance.

2. Leadership presence remains essential

Digital tools cannot replace visible leadership.

“Everyone should be able to get five minutes with you. The CEO should not be a high on a hill person who is not reachable.”

Walking the floor and observing frontline conditions show employees what leadership values.

3. Rituals make values real

Rituals translate values into behavior. “The rituals that stick are the ones tied directly to your business model and purpose not borrowed from another industry.”

4. Resistance is part of the process

Cultural change often meets skepticism. Krista advises leaders to treat adoption like marketing.

“Think of it like marketing. You need many touches before someone clicks buy. Culture change requires consistency and repetition.”

Consistency reduces resistance.

5. Context shapes culture

Best practices cannot be copied blindly.

“I used to think there was one right way for culture to look. I learned it is industry and context dependent.”

The principle is to design culture that fits your strategy and market position.

6. Leadership lessons that endure

Krista learned two lessons from her father James White that remain relevant for executives

  • Discipline and preparation: “Practice makes perfect.”

  • Balance and resilience: Never sacrificing family relationships even under pressure.

7. A broader leadership mission

Krista frames her work around freedom and engagement.

“My why is to do my part in creating a freer and more joyful world for everyone. For me that is through storytelling.”

Organizations perform best when employees can bring their full selves to work.

 

📚 Get 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

 

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

Jun 25, 2025

In this reflective conversation, psychologist and author Dr. Bob Rosen examines the unspoken attachments that often shape executive behavior, frequently without conscious awareness. His framework, drawn from decades of work with leaders navigating volatility and pressure, identifies recurring psychological patterns that can impair decision-making, reduce well-being, and diminish long-term effectiveness.

 

Rosen outlines the dominant attachments that affect leadership behavior, each is rooted in fear, and each manifests in distinct and sometimes destructive ways. The discussion offers five key insights for senior professionals:

 

  1. Attachment to Success Can Drive Burnout, Not Fulfillment. When external validation becomes the metric for self-worth, leaders risk defining their identity by performance alone. As Rosen notes, “Who you are drives what you do, not what you do defines who you are.” The antidote, he argues, is cultivating an internal orientation of abundance, recognizing that self-worth is not conditional.
  2. Unexamined Attachments Are Often Reinforced by Organizational Systems. Rosen points out that performance-based compensation and cultural norms can unintentionally reward self-absorption or control-seeking behavior in leaders, thereby entrenching these attachments further. Shifting these dynamics requires institutional as well as personal change.
  3. Emotional Maturity Is Measured by the Capacity to Sit with Discomfort. Many attachments serve to mask fear—through overwork, consumerism, perfectionism, or self-isolation. Leaders must develop the capacity to experience discomfort without anesthetizing it through compulsive behavior, a discipline Rosen describes as essential to long-term growth.
  4. Aging Offers Strategic and Personal Opportunity, If Leaders Reframe It. Rosen challenges internalized ageism and presents aging as a stage of potential, not decline. He advocates for embracing imperfection, accepting physical limits, and consciously transitioning into roles of service, wisdom-sharing, and inner peace. “You choose,” he states, “to walk a path of regret or a path of gratitude.”
  5. Self-Awareness Is a Precondition for Organizational Leadership. Rosen recommends a structured four-part process for identifying and softening attachments: awareness and acceptance, diagnosis of the underlying fear, vision of an aspirational alternative, and aligned daily action. This framework, he notes, should be viewed not as a retreat from strategy, but as a foundation for sustaining it.

 

The episode ultimately frames leadership not as a mastery of tasks, but as a form of inner clarity that shapes every external result. For executives in fast-moving environments, this conversation provides a disciplined yet humane approach to personal development, grounded in realism, not rhetoric.

 

Learn more about Bob Rosen here: https://www.bobrosen.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

Dec 4, 2024

Welcome to an interview with John Rossman who 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

Dec 2, 2024

Welcome to 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

Nov 27, 2024

Welcome to 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

Nov 25, 2024

Welcome to 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

Nov 20, 2024

Welcome to 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

Nov 18, 2024

Welcome to 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

Nov 13, 2024

Welcome to 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

Nov 11, 2024

Welcome to 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

Nov 6, 2024

Welcome to 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

Nov 4, 2024

Welcome to 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

Oct 30, 2024

Welcome to 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

Oct 28, 2024

Welcome to 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

Oct 23, 2024

Welcome to an interview with the author of Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve, Alison Fragale. In her book, Alison addresses the recurring questions from high powered and early career women alike: How do women thread the needle of kindness and competence in the workplace? How can women earn credit for their accomplishments, negotiate better, and navigate complex office politics without losing the goodwill of their peers?

 

Alison Fragale is the Mary Farley Ames Lee Distinguished Scholar of Organizational Behavior at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School. As a research psychologist, award-winning professor, international keynote speaker, and author, she is on a mission to help others — especially women — use behavioral science to work and live better. Her scholarship has been published in the most prestigious academic journals in her field and featured in prominent media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Financial Times, Boston Globe, and Inc. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three children, who are all named after professional athletes. For more information, visit AlisonFragale.com.

 

Get Alison’s book here: https://shorturl.at/uPfaJ

Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve

 

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

Oct 21, 2024

Welcome to an interview with Mitch Warner, a bestselling author and Arbinger managing partner. 

 

In this episode, we dive deep into the critical topic of self-deception and its profound impact on leadership and personal effectiveness. Mitch shares powerful insights on how self-deception can undermine our relationships and professional success, often without us even realizing it. He explains the concept of self-betrayal and how it leads to a distorted view of ourselves and others, creating unnecessary conflicts and reducing our influence as leaders. Mitch shares a valuable advice on how to rebuild trust in relationships damaged by self-deception and how to not let it happen again.

 

Mitch is the co-author of Arbinger’s latest bestseller, The Outward Mindset. He writes frequently on the practical effects of mindset at the individual and organizational levels as well as the role of leadership in transforming organizational culture and results. He is an expert on mindset and culture change, leadership, strategy, performance management, organizational turnaround, and conflict resolution. 

 

Mitch is a sought-after speaker to organizations across a range of industries, bringing his practical experience to bear for leaders of corporations, governments, and organizations across the globe. Specific clients include NASA, Citrix, Aflac, the U.S. Army and Air Force, the Treasury Executive Institute, and Intermountain Healthcare. Mitch carries his first-hand perspective as a proven leader into his speeches and facilitation, dynamically bringing Arbinger’s concepts and tools to life through his powerful stories and hands-on experience. His audiences leave inspired to improve and equipped with a practical roadmap to effect immediate change. 

 

In his role as managing partner, Mitch directs the development of Arbinger’s intellectual property, training and consulting programs, and highly customized large-scale organizational change initiatives. He has been instrumental in Arbinger’s rapid growth, including its expanding international presence in nearly 30 countries. 

 

Mitch received his B.A. in philosophy and is a licensed nursing administrator. Trained in fine art at the Art Students League and the National Academy, he spends much of his free time painting. His work hangs in organizations nationwide.

 

Visit Arbinger Institute here: https://arbinger.com/

 

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Oct 16, 2024

Welcome to an interview with a seasoned business strategist and operator respected for his pivotal role in Amazon’s early days, John Rossman. In John’s book, Think Like Amazon, he provides 50 ½ answers drawn from his experience as an Amazon executive―and shows today’s business leaders how to think like Amazon, strategize like Bezos, and beat the competition like nobody’s business.

 

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 emphasizes practical applications of Amazon’s Leadership Principles to foster innovation, drive growth, and navigate digital disruption effectively.

 

Get John’s book, Think Like Amazon: 50 1/2 Ideas to Become a Digital Leader, here: https://shorturl.at/zyUHR

 

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

 

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Oct 14, 2024

Welcome to an interview with Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff, HBS professors and the hosts of 'Think Big, Buy Small' podcast. 

 

In this episode, we discuss current market trends related to entrepreneurship through acquisition. We also touch on the demographic trend of baby boomers retiring and needing to sell their businesses, and its impact on buying and selling businesses. Most importantly, Richard and Royce share their advice on how to find the right business to buy, the key considerations and how to evaluate businesses, common buyer errors, and the challenges of buying from baby boomers.

 

Think Big, Buy Small is a new podcast from Harvard Business School that explores this innovative approach to entrepreneurship: acquisition entrepreneurship. The show is an extension of their courses on small firms, including “Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition,” which has been taken by thousands of MBA students, and their highly-regarded book, HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business: Think Big, Buy Small, Own Your Own Company, which has sold more than 65,000 copies.

 

Richard S. Ruback is a Baker Foundation Professor and the Willard Prescott Smith Professor of Corporate Finance, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School.  Over the last 15 years, he and Royce Yudkoff have been developing and teaching a second year course titled “The Financial Management of Smaller Firms” and a field course called “Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition”.  Ruback and Yudkoff’s book, HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business was published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2017. The book is a practical roadmap through the steps required to find, evaluate, negotiate, and finance the acquisition of a smaller firm.

 

Ruback earned his Ph.D. in business administration at the University of Rochester in 1980 and taught at MIT's Sloan School before joining the HBS faculty as a visiting professor in 1987. He was appointed associate professor in 1988 and full professor in 1989. Ruback has served as an editor for the Journal of Financial Economics and is the author of numerous articles on corporate finance and valuation.

 

Royce Yudkoff is the MBA Class of 1975 Professor of Management Practice of Entrepreneurial Management at the Harvard Business School and a General Partner and co-founder of ABRY Partners, LLC in Boston, MA. Alongside Professor Richard Ruback, Royce currently co-teaches a second year case course titled “The Financial Management of Smaller Firms” and a field course called “Entrepreneurship through Acquisition”. These courses focus on how to acquire, finance, and operate your own smaller firm.

 

As was mentioned above, Ruback and Yudkoff’s book, HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business, was published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2017.  The book is a practical roadmap through the steps required to find, evaluate, negotiate, and finance the acquisition of a smaller firm.

 

In 1989, Royce co-founded ABRY Partners, a private equity firm focused on the media, communications and business and information services markets. Since 1989 the firm has completed over $27 billion of leveraged transactions and other private equity investments involving approximately 450 properties. Over this period Royce has also served on numerous private and public corporate boards.

 

Royce graduated from the Harvard Business School in 1980 as a Baker Scholar and is an honors graduate of Dartmouth College.

 

Get a copy of HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business: Think Big, Buy Small, Own Your Own Companyhttps://rb.gy/2omnrh

 

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Oct 9, 2024

Welcome to an interview with the author of Beyond the Hammer: A Fresh Approach to Leadership, Culture, and Building High Performance Teams, Brian Gottlieb. In his book, Brian shares his straightforward business ideology of having a clear strategy, inspiring teams, providing best-in-class training, using metrics for empowerment, and executing with consistency. Beyond the Hammer provides five foundational pillars of leadership and an actionable path to weaving these pillars into any business, giving leaders and managers the power to build teams that perform at a high level, consistently.

 

Brian Gottlieb is an inspirational business leader who founded a home services business in 2009 on a plastic folding table with $3,000. Twelve years later when he sold the family of businesses he created, they had diversified products, expanded across multiple states, grown to 600 employees, and neared $1 billion in lifetime sales. INC 5000 recognized the organization as one of the fastest-growing companies in America.

 

Get Brian’s new book here: https://rb.gy/f4gq2v

Beyond the Hammer: A Fresh Approach to Leadership, Culture, and Building High Performance Teams

 

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Oct 7, 2024

Welcome to an interview with the author of Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion, Anne Chow. In her book, Anne shows us how we can all learn to leverage inclusion far beyond DEI to elevate our work, workforce, and workplace. Lead Bigger offers a no-nonsense approach to leading outside of traditional parameters that challenges us all to “lead bigger” by seeking a broader impact, embracing the whole of your team beyond the workplace, and engaging in self-reflection.

 

As the former CEO of AT&T Business, Anne Chow was the first woman and first woman of color to hold the position of CEO at AT&T in 2019, overseeing more than 35,000 employees who collectively served 3 million business customers worldwide during her time there. She is currently the Lead Director on the board of Franklin Covey, serves on the board of 3M and CSX, and teaches at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. You can listen to Anne on Harvard Business Review’s Race at WorkWFAA and MSNBC.

 

Get Anne’s new book here: https://rb.gy/965ygk

Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion

 

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Oct 2, 2024

Welcome to an interview with Marshall Goldsmith, a world-renowned executive coach and leadership thinker.

 

In this episode, Marshall offers invaluable advice for aspiring leaders and coaches, emphasizing the importance of maintaining an adult-to-adult relationship in coaching scenarios. His focus on measurable results has made him a trusted advisor to some of the world's top CEOs and leaders. He also gave us a glimpse of marshallgoldsmith.ai, an Al Avatar that is infused with Marshall’s knowledge, experience, nuances and voice to answer management-related questions leaders have.

 

Whether you're a seasoned executive or an aspiring leader, this episode offers practical wisdom and inspiration from one of the best in the business world.

 

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is the only two time Thinkers50 #1 leadership thinker in the world. He has been recognized as the #1 executive coach in the world for over a decade. He is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of books that have sold over 3 million copies including What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, MOJO, Triggers and The Earned Life. He is the only living author who has 2 books recognized by Amazon.com as the Best Leader and Success books of all time. He has over 1.5 million followers on LinkedIn alone.

 

Learn more about Marshall here: https://marshallgoldsmith.com/

 

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Sep 23, 2024

Welcome to an interview with Ben Orlin, a math teacher turned full-time writer who's on a mission to make mathematics engaging and accessible to all and the author of the book Math for English Majors: A Human Take on the Universal Language.

 

In this episode, Ben offers insights into his teaching and writing journey, the challenges in teaching math, the unexpected success of his first book "Math with Bad Drawings," and how he balances teaching with his writing career. He also touches on the broader implications of mathematical thinking in various fields, from business to everyday life.

 

Whether you're a math enthusiast, an educator, or someone who's always found math intimidating, this conversation will give you a fresh perspective on the beauty and relevance of mathematics in our world.

 

Ben Orlin is a math teacher who can't draw. His book Math with Bad Drawings (2018) has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide, and has since been followed by Change is the Only Constant (2019), Math Games with Bad Drawings (2022), and most recently, Math for English Majors (Sept 2024). His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Popular Science, Slate, Vox, and The Los Angeles Times; he himself has appeared in the lines to ice cream stores everywhere. BBC star and leading mathematician Hannah Fry once described him as "terribly bad at drawing" before kindly adding “he’s also fantastically clever and charming.”

 

Get Ben’s new book here: https://rb.gy/ode008

 

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Sep 2, 2024

Welcome to an interview with Dr. Sam Adeyemi (Ah Day yeh me), a global speaker, strategic leadership expert, minister, and author who has influenced millions of people on success and leadership through radio, television, conferences, and information products for more than 25 years. 

 

Atlanta-based Dr. Sam Adeyemi leads leaders. He shifts mindsets to help leaders see possibilities and become those possibilities. More than 3 million CEOs and high performing individuals follow Dr. Sam on top social media sites. He holds a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership from Virginia's Regent University, and is author of the book "Dear Leader: Your Flagship Guide to Successful Leadership." He and his wife, Nike (say Nee keh) have three children and founded Daystar Christian Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. More than 45,000 alumni have graduated from Dr. Sam's leadership school. 

 

As a global conference speaker, Sam has addressed audiences in the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, South Africa, Nigeria, India, and several other countries. In 2015 and 2017, he spoke at the Global Leadership Summit, a global conference attended by over 400,000 leaders in 130+ countries.

 

Get Dear Leader here: https://rb.gy/cin0ng

 

Here are some free gifts for you:

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Aug 28, 2024

Welcome to an interview with Deborah Ancona, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management.

 

In this episode, we explore "family ghosts," a rarely discussed topic that significantly impacts professional growth, behavior, and attitudes toward work. We discuss how to achieve your greatest potential as a leader by recognizing your own "family ghosts" and determining which ones to embrace or leave behind.

 

Deborah Ancona is a distinguished Professor of Management and Founder of the MIT Leadership Center. Deborah specializes in studying, teaching, and consulting in the areas of individual leadership, team effectiveness, and organizational transformation. Her new work centers on how Family Ghosts end up in the Executive Suite.

 

Deborah is also the coauthor of X-Teams: How to Build Teams That Lead, Innovate, and Succeed, a classic book on teams and collaboration. This work demonstrates how an externally focused team model is key to driving innovation and ensuring your organization's success.

 

Get X-Teams here: https://rb.gy/jyzhwq

 

Here are some free gifts for you:

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

 

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