The Blog
Long-form essays, field notes, and frameworks from the FIRMSconsulting team — published weekly.
All posts
Published weekly-
Four questions to be asked of any piece of work you are running this week
Porsche is cutting another 5,000 jobs after its sales cratered in China. Here is how we ran the analysis in Michael, our AI strategy system, and the four questions you can ask of any piece of work you are running this week.
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The Six Parts of a Problem Statement
Scenario planning was built around a constraint nobody questions: the human mind can only hold two uncertainties at once. Here is what strategy looks like when you remove that limit — plus the six parts of a problem statement most people get wrong before they do a single hour of work.
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The Lie Every Ambitious Person Believes About Balance
Work-life balance is a lie. A letter on why an extraordinary life comes from concentration, not balance — told through a couple’s lake house, a concert pianist who never seemed to miss, a study of 7,000 people, and the five balls you juggle, only one of which is rubber.
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They Left Elite Consulting Firms To Build Their Own. Here Are 9 Questions They Asked
Eight senior partners left the world’s most respected consulting firms to start their own boutique. Before writing a single proposal, they spent twelve hours answering nine questions most firms never bother to ask. Here is what they decided, and why it matters for your consulting career in 2026.
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Having insights doesn’t mean you are celebrated
Being right is not enough. When your value depends on other people believing what you see, having insights can become a dangerous position. A letter on identity, the Semmelweis reflex, and the price of carrying your insights into the world.
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The Rate-Limiting Step That Will Slow AI
The rollout of AI has a built-in, organic rate-limiting step that will naturally throttle its rollout, dramatically increase its cost of use, and, in the end, make that rollout far more thoughtful. The rate-limiting step that will slow AI. Everyone – from companies to cities to countries to individuals – is going all in on…
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When Someone Erases Everything They Know About You
A misread word nearly ended a years-long relationship. Why the most dangerous thing a leader can do is judge someone on a single frame instead of the whole film.
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Prompt Engineering Is the Self-Checkout of AI
Prompt engineering is not a skill to master. It is shadow work AI companies offload onto you. Good AI carries the burden — you shouldn’t have to.
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A perfect corporate sleight of hand becomes tougher with AI
Every expert who sells judgment is scored on results — except advice, outside or internal. Real accountability means being measured against banked value.
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They Complain and Envy You
A short letter on reinventing yourself: if your life isn’t working, why not rewrite it? On changing your identity, paying the price for a reimagined life, and why others complain and envy those who do the work.
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If You Are Not Growing, You Are Degrading
A letter on why the most successful leaders never stop investing in themselves. Through the stories of two exceptional clients, why building capability that stays with you for life beats any quick fix or shortcut.
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A Company Is Not Valued on Its Past. Neither Are We.
Most people cannot tell the difference between a bad decision and a bad outcome. Here is how to tell a real setback from a right decision that simply has not paid off yet — and how to rebuild momentum after a streak of them.