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

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.

617: Inc 5000 fastest growing company on Psychology behind leadership influence and human behavior (with MichaelAaron Flicker) 01/07/2026

617: Inc 5000 fastest growing company on Psychology behind leadership influence and human behavior (with MichaelAaron Flicker) Michael explains that people often struggle because “adding and adding must be more effective,” yet humans are “more confident when just one advantage is presented.” He shares that Five Guys succeeded because they “only do burgers and fries” and that “if you say you are best at one thing most of all, they’re more likely to believe that.” He emphasizes that “buyers…have a top force-ranked prioritization of the most important thing,” and focusing on the thing you are “best in the world at” is “more believable and more memorable.” On pricing, he notes that “thinking is to humans like swimming is to cats. They can do it. They just prefer not to,” and the brain “uses twenty percent of the calories in your body.” He explains that humans rely on shortcuts and that price is “a relativity game.” He describes how Red Bull “broke the comparison” by avoiding the soda can format and launched at “two dollars and fifty cents” instead of one dollar. He explains left-digit bias: “Forty-nine ninety-nine is going to be a much more attractive price than fifty dollars,” and that ending in a seven “feels much more specific.” He describes how indulgent framing changed behavior: “sweet sizzling plant-based beans and crispy shallots” increased selection “twenty-five percent more,” while “light and low carb” suppressed it. He states that appealing to the emotional side “will always feel more indulgent and will always be more appealing,” and that consulting services should focus on “what does the buyer really want” and how to communicate emotionally, not only rationally. On scarcity, he shows that breaking enjoyment boosts desire. Pumpkin Spice Latte sells because “they decided to make it for a limited time only,” and the shorter deadline in a voucher study produced a “four and a half times increase.” He warns that in professional services “you have to be careful that it’s still believable.” Time scarcity rarely works; instead, “we only have three seats left in this class” or “we only have room for two more clients to onboard this quarter.” Michael explains that nostalgia reduces price sensitivity, noting people were willing to pay “three times more” when feeling nostalgic. He says social connectedness lowers price concerns: “there will be less pricing sensitivity when there’s higher social connectedness.” He points out that many consultants think this is about likability, but “that’s not actually what the science says is happening.” He introduces the publicity principle — “if someone revealed what you were doing, would you be ashamed or embarrassed by it?” — and the grandma principle: “if you had to tell your grandmother the way you landed that big account,” would you feel proud? On humor, he explains that humor creates “higher attention,” “higher positive emotions,” and “higher purchase intent,” but jokes must reinforce the brand or they become “the vampire effect.” He shares the pratfall effect: a small blunder “makes you even more likable,” showing that “a little bit of a blunder can make you a little bit more likable.” He highlights powerful examples such as “good things come to those who wait,” “we’re number two so we have to try harder,” and “the taste you hate twice a day.” He explains that concrete ideas outperform abstract ones. People remembered “rusty engine” and “white horse” far more than “impossible amount” or “subtle fault.” He says consultants should avoid abstract language and “draw a picture in people’s minds” so ideas are “much more easily remembered.” Michael emphasizes that “every word matters.” He shares how Patagonian tooth fish became Chilean sea bass and saw a “thirty fold increase,” and how one verb changed perceived car-crash speed from “forty point five miles per hour” to “thirty one point eight.” He notes buyers are “light users of our industry” and that consultants may be “choosing words that leave a totally different impression.” He explains the illusion of effort: showing effort raises perceived quality. Participants rated a poem higher when told it took “eighteen hours” instead of four. He warns consultants that AI can lower perceived effort unless they “show your effort that went into using AI.” Get MichaelAaron’s book, Hacking the Human Mind, here: Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39640295

616: NYU Stern’s Prof on How AI Is Rewriting the Future of Work (with Ben Zweig) 01/05/2026

616: NYU Stern’s Prof on How AI Is Rewriting the Future of Work (with Ben Zweig) When most executives discuss AI, they focus on automation. Dr. Ben Zweig, NYU Stern professor and CEO of Revelio Labs, explains why the real disruption isn’t machines replacing people, it’s our failure to rethink how work is structured. “Labor markets are not as sophisticated as capital markets,” Ben explains. “We allocate capital efficiently, but not labor. That’s a huge weakness in how our economy operates.” In this conversation, we explore: Why every company must learn job architecture, seeing jobs not as titles, but as bundles of tasks that must constantly evolve. The three factors that determine whether AI causes unemployment: How quickly firms adopt new tech How individuals adapt their skills How flexibly jobs can transform Why middle managers now sit at the center of organizational adaptation. “The top can’t really affect this meaningfully, it happens through line managers.” Zweig challenges the old idea of “delegation.” Instead, he calls for reconfiguration, a manager’s ability to reshape work as technology shifts. “Don’t tell people how to do things. Tell them what needs to be done, and they’ll surprise you with their ingenuity.” - General Patton, quoted by Ben Zweig We also discuss the human skills that will rise in value: empathy, coordination, and the uniquely human ability to orchestrate complex systems. “AI can execute tasks, but it doesn’t yet coordinate them,” he says. “That orchestration, what we call management, is still deeply human.” For young professionals, his advice is both practical and hopeful: “Manage a project from start to finish. Build something end-to-end. That’s how you train orchestration.” Ben also shares how Revelio Labs uses large language models to build a scientific understanding of labor markets, and why “AI is only called AI until you understand it, then it’s just math.” Get Ben's book here: Job Architecture: Building a Language for Workforce Intelligence. Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39611335

615: $12B Investment Firm CEO on Saving the American Dream (with Mark Matson) 12/31/2025

615: $12B Investment Firm CEO on Saving the American Dream (with Mark Matson) In this conversation, Mark explains that “we often build our lives on things we are certain about that simply are not true.” He describes how “we don’t actually see the world… we see screens of how we think the world is.” He explains that these screens create “a double paradox” shaping what we think is safe, what we think is risky, and how we choose to act. Mark describes the difference between someone who sees a large employer as stability versus an entrepreneur who sees it as danger, saying “which screen is right? Well, it depends on which screen is going to give you more power in life.” He talks about choosing the entrepreneurial screen because “I detested the idea of being a piece of a cog in a major machine.” He explains how a “victim type screen” once took over his thinking when he was diagnosed with osteonecrosis: “I was catastrophizing… I went into a very negative spiral.” He recalls seeing children receiving chemotherapy and realizing “Mark, you are really self-absorbed… You don’t get to live a life without pain and challenge.” That shift, “Why me?” to “Why not me?”, transformed everything for him. Mark also talks about the mindset required to reinvent yourself: “No matter what I succeeded in in the past entitles me to win in the future.” He shares that he must “redo it every three years or reimagine it and transform it,” because “if I’m not transforming my business, other people are going to be working to transform my business out of it.” He discusses fear and avoidance: “You can be afraid of having the conversation… but what you cannot do is ignore it.” He explains how ignoring problems is the beginning of decline. Mark then explores how his business model evolved when he realized that people with millions of dollars were still “miserable, always afraid… always complaining” while others with far less were happy. This led him to see that money alone is not the source of well-being. He dismantles the three ideas he was taught early in his career: “stock picking,” “market timing,” and “track record investing”, calling them “completely bankrupt.” He explains that “the market is very efficient, very random,” and that “stock picking, market timing and track record investing didn’t work.” Mark describes how identity and mission changed for him over time, how screens shape action, and how transformation requires confronting fear, discarding false certainty, and letting go of entitlement. He closes by saying he hopes never to retire because “stopping is one of the worst things you can do for your future.” He explains that purpose, planning, and creating are what allow people to thrive. Get Mark’s book here: Experiencing The American Dream: How to Invest Your Time, Energy, and Money to Create an Extraordinary Life Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39565495

614: Why Executive Leaders Feel Lonely 12/29/2025

613: Microsoft CTO on AI, Human Agency and the Future of Work 12/25/2025

613: Microsoft CTO on AI, Human Agency and the Future of Work Technology is reshaping the world at a pace few people, inside or outside the industry, expected. But every so often, you meet someone who has not only witnessed the major waves of technological change, but helped build them. In this conversation, Marcus Fontoura, Technical Fellow and Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, CTO for Azure Core, walks us through the story of AI, what leaders are getting wrong, and how to develop the one thing that will matter more than any model or algorithm: human agency. Marcus has lived through every major inflection point: early search, the rise of cloud computing, and now large-scale AI systems. One of the first things he challenges is the popular narrative that we are heading toward an AI apocalypse, or an AI utopia. Both extremes, he explains, miss the point: “My approach was more like, let me just explain what the technology is and what it does… it’s basically a prediction system.” Marcus offers a clear explanation of modern AI. He compares today’s large models to a system that has: “Read nonstop for fifty thousand years… with near perfect memory.” But this doesn't make AI a mastermind. It makes it a stochastic parrot, extraordinarily capable, but not self-directed. He also emphasizes that while AI will automate the mechanical layers of work, it will amplify, not replace, the leaders who know how to think: “If your job is typing in a spreadsheet… then I would feel scared. But if you have the knowledge and experience to really add value, I wouldn’t feel scared.” His point is: the danger isn’t AI. The danger is becoming someone who only performs tasks AI can do. We also cover the uncomfortable but increasingly visible trend: people relying on AI so heavily that they lose their independent critical-thinking muscles. Marcus acknowledges the risk: “That is a little bit concerning… we will see good uses of technology and uses we don’t want to happen.” He stresses that organizations must raise the bar for juniors, not lower it, and that AI helps experts more than novices: “More experienced folks already know what to expect… junior employees may not know what is correct or incorrect.” This is one of the most important insights in the entire episode: AI accelerates expertise; it does not create it. On hallucinations, Marcus is exceptionally candid: “The more we use it, the more you have techniques to avoid it… but we have to double-check those things.” On leaders fearing displacement: “Use AI in a way that amplifies your skills… automate the mechanical tasks and focus on what only humans can do.” And on what truly matters in this moment of technological upheaval: “Technology shouldn’t influence us. We should influence what we want to see in our society.” And he gave a useful explanation of the names of ChatGPT models: “When you say that bigger AI models, when you move from ChatGPT three to four, four to five, basically these models have more parameters. So this means that you read a lot more, but also you memorize a lot more.” This conversation is a reminder that the most important focus should not be AI, it’s the leader using AI with judgment, clarity, and agency. Get Marcus's book, Human Agency in a Digital World, here: Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39533170

612: How to Have More Hope with Dr. Julia Garcia 12/22/2025

612: How to Have More Hope with Dr. Julia Garcia In this episode, Dr. Julia Garcia explains why hope is a habit and why it is critical for us to remove what blocks hope. She describes what happens inside teams when leaders lose hope, including “the culture that creates, the burnout that leads to, the discouragement and defeat.” Julia shows how unprocessed emotions drain leaders even when they appear high-functioning. “If we emotionally feel disconnected, we’re going to start looking elsewhere or we’re going to end up in a place of hopelessness where maybe we completely shut down in our career and now we’re just a robot.” One of the most memorable insights is the use of the word “maybe” to interrupt destructive thought cycles. She explains: “Maybe your next idea is the one that’s going to change the game for you.” “Maybe that failure wasn’t a failure. It was a setup.” “Maybe you have everything you need right now.” Julia also demonstrates how holding unspoken emotions limits our capacity. “We can function by holding all these things in emotionally… but we actually aren’t discovering what we’re truly capable of because we’re not fully available.” Julia shares her own experiences with failure and rebuilding: “None of this was a waste. I can repurpose this.” and “Maybe I can learn from this. Maybe I can come back stronger.” We also discuss AI. Julia warns: “AI is increasing productivity, but it is decreasing the personal humanity.” and “We need people in our problem solving. We need people in our products.” She closes with the central message of her book: “Hope is a habit… it is the single greatest predictor of success and health.” Get Dr. Julia's book, The 5 Habits of Hope, here: Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39493675

611: Former U.S. Intelligence Officer on AI, Leadership, and Thinking Like a Spy (with Anthony Vinci) 12/17/2025

611: Former U.S. Intelligence Officer on AI, Leadership, and Thinking Like a Spy (with Anthony Vinci) In this conversation, Anthony Vinci explains that “AI is going to be able to do more and more of what people do.” He describes a future where “AI is going to get better and better at doing what people do,” and highlights that leaders must understand “how do you figure out what AI is good at and then implement it to do that” and “how do you manage your workforce so that they are able to partner with that AI.” He warns that leaders often “overestimate what AI can do and underestimate it at the same time,” and stresses the importance of “getting that balance right.” As he shared, “sometimes they can sense that, oh, AI can do anything,” while others say “it will never do that,” and both assumptions can mislead decision making. He offers direct guidance for staying relevant: “The number one thing I would recommend is literally to just go use AI for thirty minutes a day.” He urges leaders to “push the envelope” and “see where the holes are, what it won’t do.” Vinci describes how workflow—not just technology—defines whether AI succeeds. Implementation requires understanding “the process and the workflow,” recognizing that AI adoption “is going to be small parts,” and building “those pieces over time.” He explains the subtle dangers of influence, noting that AI can “change your mind” without you realizing it. The threat is not dramatic deepfakes but “what if it just changes one word?” or “an adjective and makes something seem slightly different.” To stay resilient, he urges people to “think like a spy,” recognize that “there might be a bad actor on the other side,” and build habits of “triangulating information.” He emphasizes cognitive agility: “We still need to learn to do it so that you can think about mathematics and understand mathematics,” and he connects this to thinking and writing in an AI-driven world. Even with powerful tools, “you’re still going to have to keep yourself sharp.” Vinci closes by discussing perspective, explaining how “living abroad” showed him how much people assume about how the world works. He encourages listeners to embrace the belief that “maybe this assumption that you have in life is wrong,” because “the difference between being okay or good at something you do and being great is this ability to take a step back and question whatever you see in the world.” Get Anthony's book, The Fourth Intelligence Revolution, here: Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39423170

610: Cas Holman on Play, Creativity, and the Future of Work 12/15/2025

610: Cas Holman on Play, Creativity, and the Future of Work When was the last time you played, really played? For Cas Holman, founder and chief designer of Heroes Will Rise and star of Netflix’s Abstract: The Art of Design, play isn’t childish. It’s the foundation of human creativity, resilience, and connection. She worked with LEGO, Disney Imagineering, and the LEGO Foundation and on a mission to help adults rediscover what children know instinctively: that play is how we learn, adapt, and feel alive. “Play isn’t what happens after work,” Cas explains. “It’s how we manage uncertainty. It’s how we cope, experiment, and find our way through the unknown.” In this conversation, Cas reframes play not as a distraction from productivity but as the engine of it. She explains why play is essential for innovation, executive presence, and emotional agility, and how suppressing it has drained creativity from our professional lives. “Playful thinking lets us reframe success,” she says. “It makes us flexible enough to keep moving when things don’t go according to plan.” We discuss: Why free play (activities that are intrinsically motivated, freely chosen, and personally directed) is the most powerful form of creative renewal. How reframing success turns frustration into discovery: “You came to play basketball, the ball’s flat, the court’s full, so what? Invent a new game.” Why curiosity and uncertainty are not threats to be managed, but conditions for growth. How “breaking” systems or routines can reveal how they actually work. And how adults can learn to release judgment, the internal critic that says “I should know the answer” instead of “let’s find out.” Cas’s insights are strikingly relevant to the age of AI. As technology automates more of what we do, she reminds us that what matters most is how we create, not how efficiently we delegate creation. “We’re outsourcing the wrong things,” she says. “Creativity wasn’t the problem that needed fixing. It’s what makes us feel alive.” Get Cas' book, Playful, here: Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39407935

609: UCLA Professor and MD on How Gravity Shapes Your Health and Mind 12/10/2025

609: UCLA Professor and MD on How Gravity Shapes Your Health and Mind Dr. Brennan Spiegel, Director of Health Services Research at Cedars-Sinai and Professor of Medicine and Public Health at UCLA, author of the book Pull, explains why illness is often a failure to manage gravity. He describes how our relationship with gravity defines strength, balance, digestion, mental stability, and emotional health. Take the Gravotype Quiz at to identify how your body manages gravity. Key Insights and Action Steps — Dr. Brennan Spiegel “Every single cell of your body evolved from this force of gravity. Physics came first, and biology came second.” Illness arises when we fail to manage gravity. Every organ, tendon, and cell depends on that relationship. “When you stand up straight and lift your diaphragm, it pulls up this sack of potatoes that we all have in our belly. When you open up the gut, it opens up digestion.” Posture determines how well the gut, diaphragm, and circulation function. Sitting compresses digestion and lowers energy. “Your balance and relationship to gravity is a predictor of how long you’re going to live.” Balance, grip strength, and posture are measurable indicators of longevity. “The inner ear is like a gyroscope constantly keeping track of your position in relation to gravity.” The nervous system continuously measures gravity. Inner-ear disturbances can create dizziness, anxiety, and panic. “When you’re depressed, you can’t get up out of bed. Your body is slumped over. It’s almost like there’s so much gravity pulling on your body, it’s like you’re in a black hole.” Depression mirrors an excessive gravitational load. Emotional heaviness is a physical experience of being pulled down. “Strong negative emotional experiences can permanently change the way the brain forms… the mind has learned to be pulled down emotionally, physically, socially.” Childhood trauma reshapes how the brain perceives gravity, making the body feel heavier and slower to rise. “The feet are a gravity management surface… only five percent of the body’s surface area but holding one hundred percent of the weight.” Feet are the interface between body and planet. Strengthening them restores alignment and balance. “Your relationship to the planet, both latitudinally and altitudinally, will determine your health.” Altitude, light, and environment influence serotonin, immunity, and microbiome function. “Serotonin itself is a gravity management substance.” Serotonin regulates mood and physical stability, linking emotional and gravitational balance. “When it’s stimulated, it activates the rest and digest phase and helps release serotonin.” The vagus nerve is the primary connection between body and mind, calming the system and improving serotonin flow. “I pretended I was on a bigger planet… I became stronger and stood up straighter.” Carrying additional resistance through weighted movement improves posture, strength, and metabolism. “When we lay down to sleep, we give our body a break… the blood easily flows into our brain and flushes out amyloid.” Sleep restores gravitational equilibrium and supports brain recovery. “Gravity doesn’t change, but your relationship to gravity does.” Long-term health depends on strengthening that relationship physically, mentally, and emotionally. Action Items from Dr. Brennan Spiegel 1. Identify your gravotype. Take the 16-question quiz at to learn which of the eight gravotypes you belong to and how your body manages gravity. 2. Build gravity fortitude. Strengthen the muscles and bones that keep you upright — especially your back, core, and legs. “When you stand up straight and lift your diaphragm, it pulls up the gut and opens digestion.” 3. Stand tall and move often. Avoid long hours of sitting. Use a standing desk or take frequent standing breaks. Sitting compresses the abdomen, slows digestion, and reduces serotonin. 4. Strengthen the diaphragm and posture daily. Practice standing with shoulders back and chin level to engage the diaphragm and improve breathing and gut function. 5. Train your balance. Test and improve balance by standing on one leg, walking heel-to-toe, or using a balance board. “Your balance and relationship to gravity is a predictor of how long you’re going to live.” 6. Practice grip and hanging strength. Hang from a bar daily. Aim for 30 seconds, then increase gradually toward 2 minutes. Even short “dead hangs” improve shoulder, spine, and nervous-system alignment. 7. Use light weighted resistance. Try a weighted vest or light ankle weights while walking or doing chores. “I pretended I was on a bigger planet… I became stronger and stood up straighter.” 8. Walk, run, or train barefoot or in minimalist shoes (safely). Let the feet feel the ground to activate stabilizing muscles. “When you ground your foot, everything else pulls up straight from there.” 9. Reconnect with the ground. Spend time standing or walking on natural surfaces (grass, sand, earth) when possible. 10. Stay hydrated. Keep enough fluid in your body to “pump blood and oxygen up into the brain.” Dehydration weakens gravity tolerance and causes dizziness or fatigue. 11. Regulate the nervous system. Do slow, controlled breathing through pursed lips to stimulate the vagus nerve and calm the body. “Slow meditative breathing activates the rest-and-digest phase.” 12. Consider gentle vagus-nerve stimulation. Use only safe methods such as breathing, humming, or medical devices under supervision. Avoid carotid massage unless advised by a doctor. 13. Strengthen vestibular and proprioceptive awareness. Engage activities that challenge coordination: yoga, dance, gymnastics, tai chi, or balance training. 14. Manage mental gravity. Notice emotional heaviness as a physical sensation; practice posture, breathing, and grounding to counteract “mental black holes.” 15. Use awe and nature to elevate mood. Spend time in nature, watch sunsets, or listen to music that evokes awe. “Feeling part of something greater than yourself elevates mood and serotonin.” 16. Increase natural serotonin. Seek sunlight, exercise outdoors, connect socially, and reduce processed foods. Serotonin helps both mood and muscle tone to “fight gravity physically and mentally.” 17. Optimize sleep for gravitational recovery. Sleep 7–8 hours flat or slightly inclined if you have reflux. Avoid heavy meals within 2 hours of sleep. Limit screens before bed. “When we lay down to sleep, we give our body a break… the blood easily flows into our brain.” 18. Manage reflux and digestion. If prone to reflux, raise the head of the bed about 10 degrees or use a wedge pillow. Sleep on your left side to reduce acid reaching the esophagus. 19. Support circulation through movement. Use your muscles as pumps, walk regularly, stretch calves, and move legs during travel or desk work to prevent stagnation. 20. Avoid chronic compression. Reduce time bent over laptops or phones; keep screens at eye level to protect diaphragm and digestion. 21. Engage with natural environments. Nature exposure increases serotonin and improves gravity resilience. “Being in green spaces is mood-elevating because that’s what we evolved with.” 22. Monitor environment and altitude. If you live or work at high altitude, be mindful of mood or sleep changes and adjust oxygen exposure and sunlight time. 23. Balance convenience with movement. Spiegel warns that modern comfort, constant sitting, processed food, artificial environments, represents “our species losing the battle against gravity.” 24. Reframe health. Adopt the mindset that “gravity doesn’t change, but your relationship to gravity does.” Everything, from mood to digestion, is part of managing that relationship. Get Brennan's book, Pull, here: Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39332440

608: Harvard Professor and former CEO of Medtronic, Bill George, on How Leaders Should Manage Challenging Times 12/08/2025

608: Harvard Professor and former CEO of Medtronic, Bill George, on How Leaders Should Manage Challenging Times Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic and Harvard Business School Executive Fellow, explains how leaders can stay grounded, principled, and effective in chaotic times. “It’s a world of chaos and it requires a very different kind of leader than in more stable times.” The skills that once mattered (process control, long-term plans) are now secondary to courage, self-awareness, and moral clarity. George says most executives still lead comfortably “inside the walls” but fear the external world (media, public scrutiny, and rapid change). “Today, if you’re a leader, you are a public figure. You have to face that reality.” Leadership now starts with knowing your True North, your values and principles. “When everything’s going your way, you start to think you’re better than you are. When you lose, you learn your weaknesses.” He warns: “The people who will struggle are those faking it to make it. They’re trying to impress the outside world but aren’t grounded inside.” Purpose, not position, defines identity. “A CEO once said, ‘Without a title, I’m nothing.’ You won’t hold that title forever. Who are you then?” True fulfillment comes from alignment between personal purpose and work. “Every business has a deep sense of purpose if it’s well run. The ones that only make money, like GE, go away.” He lists five traits of leaders who thrive in crisis: Face reality. Stay true to values. Adapt strategies fast. Engage your team. Go on offense when others retreat. Each requires courage. “You can’t teach courage in a classroom. It has to come from within.” He urges humility: “Leadership is all about relationships, it’s a two-way street.” His turning point came when he stopped “building a résumé” and started building people. He defines authentic leadership as growth through feedback: “I never walk into a classroom unless I’m going to learn from everyone there.” And he closes with the core message: “You don’t have to be CEO. If you can do great work and help others, you’ll feel fulfilled. Leaders make the difference between success and failure.” Key Insights (Verbatim Quotes) 1. Chaos demands a new kind of leader. “It’s a world of chaos and it requires a very different kind of leader than in more stable times.” 2. Authenticity starts with grounding. “Our true north is our principles, our beliefs, and our values all rolled into one.” 3. Titles are temporary. “I am not the CEO of Best Buy. …That’s the title I hold. I won’t hold that forever.” 4. Courage separates real leaders. “You can’t teach courage in a classroom. It has to come from within.” 5. Purpose drives resilience. “Every business has a deep sense of purpose if it’s well run.” 6. Leadership is relational. “I was building a résumé, not relationships. Leadership is all about relationships.” 7. Fear destroys authenticity. “A lot of people are living in fear. That’s no way to live your life.” 8. Great leaders empower others. “You want everyone on your team to be better than you are at what they do.” 9. Growth never ends. “Anyone who’s authentic knows they have to continue to grow as a human being.” 10. True success is internal. “You’ll never have enough power, fame, or money. You find fulfillment within.” Action Items “Face reality, starting with yourself.” Look in the mirror and ask, “Maybe I’m creating this negative culture. What did I do wrong?” “Stay true to your purpose and your values.” Never abandon principles when pressure rises. “Adapt your strategies and tactics.” What worked yesterday may not work today. “Get your team involved.” Say, “Hey guys, we’ve got a real problem. What ideas do you have to keep it going?” “Go on offense when everyone else is pulling back.” Make bold moves when others retreat. “Have the courage to look yourself in the mirror.” Courage starts with self-reflection. Ask, “What’s the worst case? What do I have to lose?” and move forward without fear. “If one door closes, maybe another one’s going to open that I never even saw.” “Know who you are.” Reflect on your life story, relationships, and crucibles that shaped you. “Don’t get caught up in titles or money.” Remember, “Without a title I’m nothing” leads nowhere. “Find a congruence between your purpose and the organization’s purpose.” “Every business has a deep sense of purpose if it’s well run.” Identify how yours helps people. “Get away from toxic leaders.” If they drive you down, take credit for your work, or never support you, move on. “Work for people you feel really good about working with.” “Learn all aspects of the business and how to integrate them creatively.” “Pull together a cross-disciplinary team” and act as the integrator. “Have everyone on your team be better than you are at what they do.” “Be the glue.” Integrate experts to solve tough problems. “Care about your people first.” They must know you care before they’ll perform. “Get everyone into their sweet spot” — where they use all their skills and are highly motivated. “Align everyone around purpose and goals.” “Challenge people to reach their full potential.” Say, “I know you can do better. Let’s take your game to the next level.” “Get out there and be with the people.” Don’t hide behind PowerPoints. “Help your people do better.” Work beside them. “Believe in someone who doesn’t believe in themselves.” Tell them, “You have this potential. Go for it.” “Find someone who believes in you.” A mentor, boss, or spouse who sees your potential. “As a leader, be that person who believes in others.” “Face your blind spots.” Ask people who care about you for honest feedback. “If you get feedback from people that care about you, take it in.” “Stop building a résumé and start building relationships.” “Take time for people. Ask, ‘How are you doing today? What challenges are you facing?’” “Leadership is all about relationships — it’s a two-way street.” “Tell the truth — the good, the bad, and the ugly.” “Stay away from blame.” Take responsibility instead of pointing fingers. “Be transparent.” Don’t hide problems; fix them. “Never fake it to make it.” “Keep growing as a human being.” “Take feedback and adapt.” Growth requires awareness of impact on others. “Believe in yourself even if you fail.” Failure is learning. “Spend time reflecting on your purpose and the person you are becoming.” “Help other people reach their full potential.” “Measure success by how many people you help every day.” “Remember: leadership is about who you are, not what title you hold.” Get Bills book, True North, here: Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39320935

607: Raj Sisodia on Conscious Capitalism and How Business Can Heal the World 12/03/2025

607: Raj Sisodia on Conscious Capitalism and How Business Can Heal the World Raj Sisodia has spent his life asking one question: Can business make people’s lives better instead of draining them? He holds a PhD in Marketing and Business Policy from Columbia University, co-founded Conscious Capitalism with John Mackey, the founder of Whole Foods Market, and has advised global companies from Tata Group to AT&T. But his path started in a factory in Bombay, earning a hundred dollars a month, before he built one of the most influential ideas in modern business thinking. “I didn’t like biology, so I became an engineer. I didn’t like finance, so I became a marketing professor. But business turned out to be about head and wallet — nothing about heart or spirit.” That realization led him to study companies that people love working for and trust buying from. The result became Conscious Capitalism — a way of running a business that joins purpose, profit, and care. “Profit is the oxygen that keeps you alive. But no human lives just to make red blood cells. In the same way, no company should live just to make profit.” Raj’s research showed that companies built on four simple pillars — Purpose, Stakeholders, Conscious Leadership, and Caring Culture — outperformed the S&P 500 by nine to one over a decade. They made more money precisely because they cared more. When he met Bob Chapman, a manufacturing CEO from Missouri, Raj saw these ideas come alive. Chapman bought a failing plant, promised no layoffs, and told workers they would figure it out together. Men who had once been laid off without warning wept as they told Raj their lives had changed. “I had sixty dollars in the bank and a new baby. That job saved my family.” From that came the book Everybody Matters. Chapman told him, “Leadership is the stewardship of the lives entrusted to us.” Raj calls such companies healing organizations — places that reduce suffering and bring more joy into the world. Now, with artificial intelligence reshaping work, Raj argues that AI will amplify our intentions: “A knife in a surgeon’s hand saves lives. The same knife in another hand can end one. AI is the same — it depends on who we are when we use it.” He believes the leaders who thrive will be those who bring consciousness to technology, not fear. 💡 Insights and Actions Define a higher purpose. Ask, “Why do we exist beyond making money?” Make everyone win. Measure success by how you touch the lives of people. Use AI with awareness. Let it amplify compassion, not just efficiency. Lead with care. “Leadership is stewardship of lives.” Grow to serve, not to consume. “When business heals, people and profits both rise.” “You cannot have a healing organization without a leader who heals themselves first.” When capitalism grows a conscience, it outperforms the old model and gives people back their dignity at work. Get Raj's book, Conscious Capitalism, here: Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39248585

606: CEO Readiness: How Boards Decide Who Gets the Top Job 12/01/2025

606: CEO Readiness: How Boards Decide Who Gets the Top Job Byron Loflin, Global Head of Board Advisory at Nasdaq and co-author of CEO Ready, explained on the Strategy Skills Podcast why many talented executives never make it to the top. “ Because you perform well isn’t going to automatically get you the job.” Boards are looking for more than results. They look for humility, curiosity, and authentic relationships across stakeholders. Byron shared a personal lesson from riding with Ronald Reagan before he was president: “He was genuinely interested in others. And that surprised me. I didn’t get the sense that he was a pompous or aristocratic kind of person. He was genuinely interested in identifying what are you interested in? What makes you tick?” He also warned that unchecked ego is one of the biggest risks to leadership: “Ego is a powerful motivator when it’s focused properly. But when it becomes dominant in one’s personality and drives inappropriate types of responses to the needs of others… Ego can become a significant problem.” To counter ego, he recommended building close, truth-telling relationships. This is what Byron said about conversations with his children: “I listen to them very closely when they speak to me and I invite them to speak truth into my life.” And he reminded us that succession is political: “Surprise is the enemy. Structure is your friend.” Finally, boards now expect leaders to be fluent in technology and disruption: “The expectation of management delivering understanding on the relevancy of AI to your organization with the emphasis on relevancy.” Actions you can take now Seek feedback aggressively. Create a circle of truth-tellers: colleagues, mentors, even family, who will tell you the truth. Check your ego daily. Build humility into routines by asking: “Am I genuinely interested in others, or focused only on myself?” Engage all seven stakeholders. Byron identified investors, employees, vendors, customers, communities, regulators, and the environment as decisive. Map your relationships and strengthen the weakest link. Signal reliability to boards. Remove surprises. Show discipline in how you work and how you communicate. Become AI-fluent. Don’t chase every trend. Focus on the relevancy of AI and digital disruption to your business and be prepared to explain it clearly. Get Byron's book, CEO Ready, here: Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39219125

605: Harvard Economist John Campbell on How to Stop Losing Money to a Broken Financial System 11/26/2025

605: Harvard Economist John Campbell on How to Stop Losing Money to a Broken Financial System John Campbell, Professor of Economics at Harvard University and co-author of Fixed, joined the Strategy Skills Podcast to explain why the financial system often works against ordinary investors and how to make better personal-finance decisions. After decades studying markets and investor behavior, Campbell saw a pattern: even educated, high-income earners routinely make avoidable mistakes in housing, saving, and investing. “Once I started looking at how people actually behave, I became more and more aware of how pervasive mistakes are, people are just leaving money on the table.” Those mistakes compound over time, widening inequality. “It’s what economists call a cross-subsidy, from the poor to the rich. My co-author Tarun and I feel that this is really outrageous and we should be concerned about it.” Five Key Insights 1. Financial Mistakes Compound Inequality Campbell’s research shows that even when borrowers start on equal terms, inaction and misunderstanding drive divergence. “Black borrowers are paying maybe as much as half a percentage point more on average than white borrowers… and that’s just because they haven’t refinanced.” Behavioral gaps like failing to refinance when rates fall transfer wealth upward. 2. Housing Choices Are Often Poorly Understood Many treat property as guaranteed wealth rather than a productive asset. “It’s a huge mistake to buy a bigger house than you need, or even more so to buy a place and then let it sit empty… you’re effectively buying an asset and then throwing away the dividend on that asset.” Unused or oversized housing drains capital that could compound elsewhere. 3. Early-Career Risk-Taking Is Underrated “Most people, when they’re young, have a very large hidden asset, their earning power. For most people, that earning power is far safer than the stock market.” Because human capital is relatively stable, young investors can afford higher equity exposure and should taper risk only as retirement approaches. 4. Target-Date Funds Don’t Go Far Enough “Most target date funds are not aggressive enough early in life, and they taper down the risk taking too gradually.” Campbell argues these default products should adjust risk more sharply and reflect each investor’s actual wealth trajectory. 5. Complexity Creates Confusion and Inequality “This profusion of accounts leads to confusion. People throw up their hands. And the access to these accounts is unequal.” The U.S. system’s overlapping account types favor large employers and the financially literate, leaving others behind. Actions You Can Take Now 1. Maximize any employer match immediately. “Certainly any kind of employer match, you want to maximize that right away.” 2. Save aggressively through tax-favored accounts. “You should be saving aggressively and you should be maximizing your use of tax-favored accounts.” 3. Manage your mortgage strategically. “Managing your mortgage is also a very important thing for people in the middle class and upper middle class.” 4. Consider adjustable-rate mortgages as efficient leverage if you can manage the risk. “The cheapest way to lever that portfolio and be involved in risky markets actually in many cases is to use an adjustable-rate mortgage… a cheap way to take leverage.” 5. Use home equity as flexible credit. “Home equity is a valuable source of credit.” 6. In retirement, spend your assets, don’t hoard them. “Many people hang on to their financial assets too long and are too reluctant to tap home equity. The right way to manage retirement is a mix of annuities and reverse-mortgage borrowing… so that you can enjoy it.” 7. Avoid oversized or idle property. “If you buy an asset and then throw away the dividend, you should not expect it to deliver a high return.” 8. Take more financial risk when young; scale back later. Treat your earning power as your built-in “safe asset.” 9. Build an emergency fund before investing. “It should be a priority to have an emergency fund in a safe and liquid form so that you stay out of high-cost debt.” 10. Support simpler, fairer financial design. “We think the financial system is very important for the market economy and the unpopularity of finance is really bad. We’re trying to save the financial industry for itself.” Get John’s book, Fixed, here: Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39178745

604: How Design Thinking Rebuilt IBM and Reached 400,000 Employees 11/24/2025

603: A $3.6B CEO on the “Poverty of Dignity” in Corporate America 11/19/2025

602: Harvard’s Scott Levy on His Path from Investment Banking to Public Education and Leading in Uncertain Times 11/17/2025

601: Former CNN and NBC News Anchor Lynn Smith on Building Authentic Presence and Excellent Communication 11/12/2025

601: Former CNN and NBC News Anchor Lynn Smith on Building Authentic Presence and Excellent Communication Lynn Smith, former national news anchor for NBC News, MSNBC, and CNN Headline New, and now executive communication coach, reframes public speaking as an internal leadership skill, not a performance. She identifies the recurring obstacle as the “brain bully”, the inner critic that turns preparation into paralysis, and shows leaders how to retrain it so that clarity, calm, and connection become repeatable outcomes. This episode translates decades of live television experience into actionable communication tools for high-stakes settings—from boardrooms to keynotes to broadcast media. Key takeaways: Name and neutralize the “brain bully.” “It’s that inner saboteur saying, ‘You’re not good enough’ or ‘What if you say the wrong thing?’” Smith explains. She traces these patterns back to early experiences and teaches clients to “control–alt–delete our prehistoric code” so fear no longer drives performance. People don’t want perfection, they want resiliency. Recalling a keynote where she froze on stage, Smith says, “I had to stop and tell the audience, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m failing at this.’” That failure became the basis for her coaching framework. “People don’t want perfection, they want resiliency. They want to see people overcome.” Replace over-scripting with intentional structure. “Executives spend hours memorizing, but the result is robotic. The big revelation is… it has nothing to do with your prep; it has everything to do with your mental game.” Instead, she recommends bullet-pointing key ideas for authenticity and flow. Drill down, don’t dumb down. Smith’s “Goldilocks effect” balances preparation, “not too much, not too little”, so communication stays sharp and digestible: “If you communicate everything, you communicate nothing.” Make voice and presence technical. Drawing from broadcast training, Smith advises projecting “from your diaphragm, not your chest,” and using “the power of enunciation” and pauses to improve recall and connection. Manage energy deliberately. “Everything is energy,” she notes. High-frequency energy, calm, clear, positive, creates magnetism. “When you’re vibrating at the level you want others to meet you at, people lean in.” Model resilience for the next generation. Her children’s book Just Keep Going distills the same mindset for young readers: that fear and failure are not endpoints, but steps toward growth. For executives preparing keynotes, investor meetings, or media appearances, this conversation provides a research-informed playbook to quiet the inner critic, align mindset and message, and lead with authentic, repeatable presence. Get Lynn's book, Just Keep Going, here: Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Acton, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/39005225

600: Jamie Dimon & CEOs Are Rethinking Capitalism – Here’s What That Means for You 11/10/2025

600: Jamie Dimon & CEOs Are Rethinking Capitalism – Here’s What That Means for You Is capitalism still working, or is it due for an upgrade? In this must-watch episode, authors Seth Levine and Elizabeth McBride discuss insights from their book Capital Evolution, sharing what they learned from interviewing top CEOs, including Jamie Dimon, Dan Schulman (PayPal), Peter Stavros (KKR), and others who are helping to reshape the social contract of business. They explore: Why Jamie Dimon led 200 top CEOs to declare that companies should serve more than just shareholders. “If you ask Jamie Dimon, are you a capitalist? Because we asked him that, he said, I’m a rapacious capitalist.” – Seth Levine Why the old model of shareholder primacy is failing How economic mobility has collapsed: “50 years ago, if you were born in the bottom 25th percentile of wealth, you had about a 25% chance of dying in the top 25th... Today, it's about 5%.” Why ownership, not just wages, is key to the next phase of capitalism: “Ownership is a key to this new future that we see.” How businesses, not just governments, must now lead on economic reform: “We believe in this current environment that businesses have the largest power and some responsibility to reshape the norms.” 🎙️ Featuring stories from PayPal, KKR, Apollo, and others, this conversation is packed with ideas for business leaders, investors, and citizens alike. 📘 Pre-order the book: 🎥 Hosted by Kris Safarova at StrategyTraining.com Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Acton, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/38976385

599: Joy at Work in the Age of AI: The Pain Is Optional (with Bree Groff) 11/05/2025

598: From Gas Station Cashier to Billion-Dollar CEO with Shirin Behzadi 11/03/2025

597: McKinsey Senior Partner, Vik Malhotra, on What Distinguishes the Best Leaders 10/27/2025

597: McKinsey Senior Partner, Vik Malhotra, on What Distinguishes the Best Leaders Vik Malhotra, McKinsey senior partner and coauthor of CEO Excellence and A CEO for All Seasons, examines the strategic pressures that now define the CEO role: a “30- to 40-year tech revolution,” intensifying geopolitics, shifting consumer behavior, and demographic change. As he notes, “every business at some level is a tech business,” and this multipolar, fast-changing environment places a premium on leaders who can “thread the needle” between paradoxes, short-term delivery versus long-term reinvention, legacy versus disruption, and analysis versus decisiveness. The conversation connects these macrotrends to practical leadership mechanics, how to set direction, allocate scarce resources, and design institutions that can learn, adapt, and scale without losing their core. Key strategic insights and takeaways Set an audacious, persistent north star. “The very best leaders set bold, some might say audacious, aspirations early in their tenure,” Malhotra explains. Through downturns and market noise, they “persevere” and repeat a few priorities “until the organization internalizes them.” Consistency, not novelty, creates credibility and followership. Treat resource allocation as a hard choice. “Capital, expense, and talent, it’s a zero-sum game,” he recalls from his interview with Jamie Dimon. Great CEOs “starve something” to fund their boldest bets and resist spreading resources “like peanut butter.” Make culture operational and selective. Effective leaders focus on one or two levers that reinforce strategy, Satya Nadella’s emphasis on a growth mindset at Microsoft being a prime example. They design rituals, incentives, and role modeling that embed new behavior. Build a star team, not a team of stars. As one CEO told Malhotra, “This is not about a team of stars, it’s about a star team.” Complementary strengths, mutual accountability, and candor matter more than individual brilliance. Institutionalize continuous learning and reinvention. Exceptional leaders avoid the “sophomore slump.” They systematize learning—internally by seeking dissent and externally by “looking around corners.” “You can never be complacent,” Jamie Dimon told him. “You’ve got to keep pushing forward.” Operate as a technology-native company. “Every company is a tech company,” Malhotra insists. Technology must be business-led, embedded in cross-functional product teams, and scaled deliberately beyond experimentation, especially in AI. Anticipate nonmarket shocks. Leading teams now run geopolitical and demographic scenarios “to understand how the company might have to pivot.” This preparedness extends to smaller firms “thrust into geopolitics” for the first time. Distinguish between experimentation and bet-the-company decisions. Leaders should allow “rapid, cheap failure” to learn quickly, but apply exhaustive risk management to the few “truly consequential, bet-the-company” decisions. Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/38792425

596: Ex-Siemens & Alcoa CEO Klaus Kleinfeld on AI, Energy & Leading at the Highest Level 10/22/2025

595: What AI Can’t Replace: Former design lead at IDEO on Safe Danger, Trust, and the Future of Work 10/20/2025

595: What AI Can’t Replace: Former design lead at IDEO on Safe Danger, Trust, and the Future of Work In this week’s Strategy Skills episode, we spoke with Ben Swire, author of Safe Danger and former leader at IDEO. His thesis is trust and psychological safety aren’t byproducts. They’re designable conditions. And when designed correctly, they create room for calculated risk, creativity, and deeper collaboration. Below are a few insights that stood out: 1. Experiential culture > Instructional culture “There’s a difference between handing someone bullet points on how to build trust and giving them a space to practice it.” Swire’s workshops deliberately use low-stakes emotional challenges to normalize openness and risk-taking. The result: teams that critique, challenge, and share more effectively. 2. The right environment for growth is neither ‘safe’ nor ‘dangerous’, it’s both “Safe danger is the space where people feel secure enough to step outside their comfort zones.” This is about systematically building tolerance for uncertainty, while preserving respect and inclusion. 3. AI makes human insight more, not less, valuable “AI converges. Humans diverge. That’s where value creation happens.” The strategic challenge for leaders is to identify which human capabilities (empathy, contradiction, surprise) will grow in relevance as AI adoption expands. 4. Most resistance to AI is cultural, not technical About 15% of executives Ben sees reject AI outright. But those who fail to define the human contribution clearly are still at risk. “If you want to preserve jobs, don’t argue with AI. Focus on what people can do that AI can’t.” 5. What actually builds durable teams “Teams that feel safe take more risks, make fewer mistakes, and outperform others. There’s strong data behind this.” This conversation is relevant if you’re leading transformation, team design, or trying to calibrate your culture for the post-AI workplace. 📚 Get Ben’s book, Safe Danger, here: Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/38639430

594: $2 Billion NYC Real Estate Broker on the Strategy of Homeownership 10/15/2025

594: $2 Billion NYC Real Estate Broker on the Strategy of Homeownership Scott Harris, a New York City real estate broker with more than $2 billion in career sales and author of The Pursuit of Home, reframes buying and selling property as an emotional journey—“a place where life is happening for you”—that requires the same discipline leaders apply to strategy, systems, and people. Drawing on two decades of high-volume practice, he shows how clarity, structure, and empathy turn one of life’s biggest financial decisions into a more deliberate, rewarding process. Key insights and practical lessons: Hire with intent. “Take the time to hire a real estate agent that speaks their language… so they feel seen and heard.” The right agent is not a transaction cost but a guide to psychological clarity. Use offers as diagnostics. “When you make an offer… your body says, ‘Oh my God, I’m so nervous. I love this place.’ That’s the truth.” Even small commitments reveal what a buyer truly values. Design systems around strengths. Harris explains how scaling from solo agent to top-producing team required separating client-facing judgment from operations, codifying SOPs, and hiring for execution. Lead through service during downturns. In crises such as COVID-19, Harris focused on community logistics and donation drives rather than retreating, actions that “added tons of value” and built long-term trust. Read the market, not the myth. Buyers err by “negotiating as if real estate were their industry,” while sellers overvalue personal attachment. Both sides win with rigorous market framing and honest prep. Match investments to capacity. Real estate, Harris reminds, “is not a get-rich-quick scheme.” Choose asset types (short-term rentals, LP stakes, or diversified funds) based on desired involvement and risk. Protect personal capacity. Sustained performance comes from “daily meditation, consistent exercise, and the accountability of a coach.” For executives managing high-stakes transactions or scaling service businesses, this conversation offers a pragmatic playbook: clarify who adds value, create low-risk tests that expose real preferences, and build repeatable systems that keep human judgment at the center of growth. 📚 Get Scott’s book, The Pursuit of Home, here: Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/38589345

593: New York Times Bestselling Author on How to Overcome Fear & Build Emotional Resilience (with Jim Murphy) 10/13/2025

593: New York Times Bestselling Author on How to Overcome Fear & Build Emotional Resilience (with Jim Murphy) In this episode, Jim Murphy, New York Times bestselling author, shares how leaders can build resilience, reframe fear, and operate at their highest level under pressure. His approach blends performance psychology, neuroscience, and spiritual discipline. 1. Identity Beyond Roles Murphy emphasizes the risk of anchoring identity in professional roles or achievements: “When I lost baseball due to injury, I felt like I lost everything. My whole identity was wrapped up in that role.” For executives and consultants, this is a reminder: leadership requires identity that outlasts titles, deals, or short-term wins. Anchoring in deeper values creates long-term stability. 2. Fear as a Performance Constraint Murphy defines fear as “a byproduct of self-centeredness.” The executive cost is high: constant comparison, judgment, and anxiety undermine decision-making. He identifies three key obstacles to peak performance: Excessive, scattered thoughts Negative or judgmental self-talk Concern with others’ opinions “When you’re at your very best … there’s no concern for self. You’re totally caught up in the moment.” This mirrors what elite consultants and CEOs must practice: focus on the work, not the ego. 3. Rewiring Fear and Trauma Murphy reframes fear and phobias: “Phobias are your subconscious working perfectly to protect you.” Through structured methods and neuroplasticity, leaders can “rewire” how they respond to past failures and pressure. “You can have a phobia for 50 years, and it can be gone in less than an hour.” For executives, the takeaway is clear: performance limits are rarely permanent, they can be retrained. 4. Freedom Through Surrender and Detachment Murphy shares a practical mantra he learned from an athlete he trained: “I expect nothing. I can handle anything.” This principle strips away attachment to outcomes, freeing leaders to make bolder, less ego-driven decisions. As he puts it: “The most powerful thing anyone can do is surrender their little strength for the power that grows the grass and spins the earth.” For leaders, this translates into resilience, the ability to operate under uncertainty without fear of reputational or financial loss clouding judgment. 5. The Best Possible Life (and Career) Murphy notes: “The best possible life has one foot in joy and one foot in suffering. We can’t gain wisdom without going through hard things.” For high performers, this is a critical leadership principle: growth requires discomfort. A career without setbacks yields little wisdom. 6. Practical Tools Leaders Can Use Murphy provides several techniques executives can adopt immediately: Breath control: slowing to 5–6 breaths per minute to stabilize thought patterns under pressure. Structured reflection: gratitude, presence, and visualization as part of a daily routine. Ego discipline: exercises that reduce the need for external validation and increase clarity in communication. Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/38563370

592: London School of Economics Lecturer on AI, Strategy, and the Future of Marketing 10/08/2025

591: Founder and CEO of Xenopsi Ventures on Behavioral Science That Sells 10/06/2025

591: Founder and CEO of Xenopsi Ventures on Behavioral Science That Sells MichaelAaron Flicker, founder and CEO of Xenopsi Ventures and coauthor of Hacking the Human Mind, explains how applied behavioral science transforms insight into repeatable commercial advantage across brands, products, and customer experiences. Drawing from his experience building multiple Inc. 5000–recognized companies, Flicker illustrates how understanding “the unconscious biases that drive our actions” can make marketing, consulting, and organizational strategy more effective. The discussion links behavioral research to real-world business practice, naming, positioning, experience design, and sales behavior, so leaders can test small, evidence-based changes that have outsized impact on recall, adoption, and loyalty. Key insights include: Prioritize one persuasive benefit. “How could one firm be good at everything?” Flicker notes. Presenting a single, clear advantage is more believable than listing many. He cites the gold-dilution effect—the psychological finding that “people are more confident when just one advantage is presented.” Five Guys’ “burgers and fries” focus exemplifies this principle. Make messages concrete. “You could see it in your mind,” Flicker says of Steve Jobs’s famous iPod line, “1,000 songs in your pocket.” Studies show concrete imagery is four times more memorable than abstract phrasing, a lesson echoed by taglines like “Taste the Rainbow” and “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.” Design for the peak and the end. Experiences are remembered by their high point and final moment, not their average quality, the peak-end rule first documented by Daniel Kahneman. Memorable, low-cost touches, like the “popsicle hotline” at Los Angeles’s Magic Castle Hotel or Virgin’s post-checkout beach service, create disproportionate positive recall. Close the intention–action gap. People often fail to follow through on good intentions. Tying behavior to time, place, and social triggers—“be there for your daughter’s piano recital this July”—is more effective than abstract logic about long-term health or performance. Apply behavioral science ethically. “These are not tricks to change people,” Flicker emphasizes. “They’re pre-existing biases we all have.” Used responsibly, behavioral insights help customers make better decisions and strengthen brand trust. Focus on systems, not slogans. Flicker highlights organizational habits, 25- and 50-minute meetings, strong psychological safety, and delegation with accountability, as tools that sustain experimentation and growth. “Your most critical people have to feel they can say they’re not sure what to do,” he notes, describing curiosity and candor as the foundation of learning cultures. For executives in marketing, product, or consulting, this episode offers a practical playbook: choose one idea to own, communicate it concretely, engineer memorable moments, and test small behavioral interventions tied to measurable outcomes. The result is persuasion grounded in science—systematic, ethical, and repeatable. 📚 Get MichaelAaron’s book, Hacking the Human Mind, here: Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/38478480

590: Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author on What Good Leaders Can Learn From Bad Bosses 10/01/2025

590: Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author on What Good Leaders Can Learn From Bad Bosses Mita Mallick, Wall Street Journal–bestselling author and workplace strategist, examines how everyday managerial choices determine whether organizations are resilient, humane, and productive. Drawing on her leadership roles in marketing and human resources, as well as her lived experience as a woman of color in corporate America, she reframes common leadership breakdowns as design failures that can be prevented with the right structures. As she emphasizes, “There is power in being quiet.” Used deliberately, silence becomes a tool to pause, observe, and de-escalate rather than react impulsively. This episode delivers concrete practices senior leaders can apply now: Use silence deliberately. The “power of the pause” creates thinking space, defuses escalation, and strengthens negotiation outcomes. Leaders should model this and teach teams to signal reflection rather than defaulting to instant responses. Manage up with discipline. Mallick recommends structured, written briefings before talent reviews or board conversations so sponsors can “accurately tell your story” without relying on biased memory. Detect leadership drift early. She observes that leaders often falter when “external market stress, personal stress, and organizational pressure all collide.” Each executive should know their stress-trigger behaviors and plan for corrective action. Design role transitions intentionally. Promotion into people leadership requires coaching, clear expectations, and viable technical career paths for high-performing individual contributors. Replace ad hoc tolerance with governance. “We protect harmful leaders because they deliver results,” she warns. Leaders must enforce HR processes consistently rather than granting exceptions that damage culture. Teach rather than micromanage. Explaining rationale, setting standards, and investing in instruction yields lasting capability—“training sticks more than corrections.” Rebuild trust through apology and consistency. A sincere acknowledgment of mistakes paired with steady, visible actions restores credibility faster than one-time gestures. Create high-trust, low-drama operating norms. Clear rules for communication channels, urgency, and information-sharing reduce gossip and anxiety, replacing speculation with facts. For executives responsible for people, operations, or culture, this conversation provides a practical checklist: stop treating leadership problems as individual personality flaws, surface stress signals systematically, and convert empathy into repeatable management routines that protect both performance and retention. 📚 Get Mita’s book, The Devil Emails at Midnight, here: Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/38422455

589: CEO of FCLT Global and Former Senior Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company on Turning Investor Dialogue into Strategy 09/24/2025

589: CEO of FCLT Global and Former Senior Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company on Turning Investor Dialogue into Strategy Sarah Keohane Williamson, CEO of FCLT Global and coauthor of The CEO’s Guide to the Investment Galaxy, offers a disciplined primer for executives operating at the intersection of corporate strategy and capital markets. Drawing from her background in investment banking, government, consulting, and asset management, she explains why “investors are not a single audience,” how their incentives shape corporate outcomes, and what leaders must do differently to secure durable capital and strategic flexibility. Williamson pushes back on conventional wisdom about investor relations, replacing it with practical routines and priorities. She emphasizes a consulting-rooted discipline, “Start with the answer”, as a communications principle, and translates it into a concrete playbook for CEOs who cannot afford ambiguity when describing long-term bets. She underscores that “quarterly calls are important, but they’re often dominated by the sell side,” and CEOs should deliberately allocate their limited time toward building trust with long-term owners and anchor shareholders. Key takeaways include: Map the owners. “Who actually owns your company? Who makes the decisions about those shares?” Owner types—retail, index funds, active managers, hedge funds—differ in incentives and time horizons, and executives should treat that map as a strategic input. Build an investor strategy like a customer strategy. Decide which kinds of capital the company needs, why, and how to attract and retain those investors. Use a long-term roadmap. Make risky investments intelligible by explaining milestones that link short-term actions to enduring value, and “don’t be afraid to update the roadmap when the assumptions change.” Translate investor signals into operational choices. Avoid reflexive short-term fixes, like cutting R&D to meet a quarter, without measuring the long-term cost. Treat disclosure and dialogue as governance tools. Clarity about ownership, voting, and incentives reduces misalignment and reputational risk. Reframe consultancy input for execution. “The hard part is not the analysis, the hard part is making it happen inside the organization.” This episode equips CEOs, CFOs, and board members with a practical framework for raising capital, defending strategic bets, and managing shareholder composition. It reframes investor engagement from a compliance exercise into a core discipline of strategy and governance. 📚 Get Sarah’s book, The CEO's Guide to the Investment Galaxy, here: Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/38346375

588: Former CEO of Jamba Juice on Leading with Culture 09/22/2025

588: Former CEO of Jamba Juice on Leading with Culture James D. White, former CEO of Jamba Juice, current board chair, and coauthor of Culture Design, shares how culture becomes a management discipline rather than a slogan. Drawing on his eight-year turnaround of Jamba, service on more than 15 boards, and leadership toolkit, he explains how listening, rituals, and disciplined systems embed values into sustained performance. Key takeaways: Start with stakeholder listening. White began his turnaround with nearly 200 “start, stop, continue” inputs across employees, suppliers, and board members. “I always start by listening,” he says, because the people inside the company “actually know what’s required to make the company run better.” Make culture intentional. “Companies have culture by design or default.” Define what matters, create rituals that reinforce it, and remove practices that contradict stated values. Reduce the say–do gap. “The really important things from a leadership perspective is what we say versus what we do, and minimizing the say–do gap.” Simple rituals—forums, recognition, measurement—align words with actions. Invest in people individually. “People don’t care how much you know until they understand how much you care about them personally.” One-on-ones and role design that lean into strengths unlock discretionary effort. Demand transparency. White is direct: “I want bad news first.” Candor allows leaders to respond before problems multiply. Design mechanics, not just rhetoric. From anonymous feedback channels to departmental listening sessions, operating processes must “make it easier for our stores to deliver great products in the most efficient fashion.” Balance preservation and change. Protect what works—“fantastic products” and passionate employees—while reallocating resources. One example was adding steel-cut oatmeal for colder markets, paired with smoothies. Measure what matters. “Anything that matters, you always measure it.” White combines Gallup Q12 surveys, pulse checks, and qualitative indicators like recognition letters to monitor engagement. Clarify board vs. CEO roles. “The CEO is responsible for running the company… the board chair is a facilitator of the collective board.” A strong chair–CEO relationship unburdens management while channeling board expertise. Exit with care. Not every role fits every person: “You often… get to a place where you free up people’s future to go do something else. You do it with kindness and grace and thoughtfulness.” For executives facing turnaround, scaling challenges, or governance decisions, this episode offers a tested blueprint: start with listening, design culture deliberately, align actions with words, and lead with humanity. 📚 Get James’s book, Culture Design, here: Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: /episode/index/show/strategyskills/id/38303040

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