The Blog
Long-form essays, field notes, and frameworks from the FIRMSconsulting team — published weekly.
All posts
Published weekly-
The first MasterPlan Annual (MasterPlan 365) session with the new group
Yesterday, we had the first MasterPlan Annual (MasterPlan 365) session with the new group. The first session is always interesting. At the beginning of the call, we explained two things we wanted to focus on. The first question was what was your trigger moment to enroll in the MasterPlan program? The second question was whether clients…
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The Invincible Brain with Johns Hopkins Professor Dr. Majid Fotuhi
Dr. Majid Fotuhi, neurologist, neuroscientist, and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University, has spent decades studying how the brain ages and what determines whether cognitive performance declines or strengthens over time. In this discussion, he challenges one of the most widely accepted assumptions about aging: that deterioration of memory and thinking is inevitable. The evidence,…
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Building Healthier Workplaces Through Attuned Leadership with Nidhi Tewari
Nidhi Tewari, a highly sought after wellbeing and work culture speaker who applies her experience as a licensed therapist to the work world, has spent more than a decade advising high-performing leaders on burnout, trauma, communication, and work culture. In this conversation, she brings a clinician’s precision to a topic many organizations still treat superficially:…
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Business Innovation and Strategic Growth Advisor, Lorraine Marchand, on Sustaining Growth Through Innovation
Lorraine Marchand, startup CEO, advisor to Johnson & Johnson, member of the Pharmaceutical Advisory Board at Columbia Business School, and faculty at Wharton, discusses how leaders can sustain growth through disciplined experimentation in an era shaped by AI and institutional risk aversion. Marchand’s perspective is grounded in a career that spans large corporations and entrepreneurial…
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How Overworked Leaders Can Find Peace Again (with Dr. Guy Winch)
Dr. Guy Winch explains why we must treat emotional injuries with the same urgency as physical ones. “We ruminate, we beat ourselves up, we criticize ourselves, we think we’re weak… and we end up compounding the emotional injury.” He introduces the idea of “emotional first aid” and why we need a psychological toolbox to stop…
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Ashley Herd, Former Head of HR North America at McKinsey, on What Effective Managers Actually Do
Ashley Herd, former Head of HR North America at McKinsey, joins this episode to discuss what effective leadership looks like in practice, especially in environments defined by speed, pressure, and increasing expectations around AI. Drawing on her experience training more than 250,000 managers, she introduces a simple but rigorous framework: pause, consider, act. In fast-moving…
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Northwestern Law Professor John McGinnis on Constitutional Stability in the Age of AI
John McGinnis, law professor at Northwestern University and author of Why Democracy Needs the Rich, examines constitutional design, democratic stability, and the accelerating force of artificial intelligence. Drawing on the Federalist Papers, Tocqueville, and public choice theory, he argues that a realistic understanding of politics is essential to preserving both liberty and effective state capacity.…
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BCG Henderson Institute Senior Director Adam Job on Growth and Strategy in Uncertain Times
Adam Job, Senior Director at the BCG Institute and leader of its strategy research, offers a clear-eyed examination of growth, uncertainty, and value creation in today’s business environment. Drawing on long-term empirical research, he explains why growth remains the primary driver of value over time, while also outlining why it has become structurally harder to…
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New York Times Bestselling Author and Navy Seal Advisor Daniel Coyle on Leadership, Psychological Safety, and Flourishing Teams
Daniel Coyle, New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code and adviser to organizations ranging from Navy SEALs to global technology companies, joins the Strategy Skills Podcast to explore what truly drives leadership, performance, and flourishing. Drawing on decades of research into elite performers and high-functioning cultures, Coyle explains why performance alone is not enough, and…
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From IQ to AQ: Agility as the New Leadership Advantage (with Liz Tran)
Liz Tran, former venture capital executive and author of AQ, examines why agility—not raw intelligence or experience—has become the defining capability for leaders operating amid persistent uncertainty. She introduces Agility Quotient (AQ) as the capacity to adapt thinking, identity, and decision-making when familiar structures no longer apply. Tran explains how traditional markers of success, from credentials to past wins,…
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Business Longevity Principles from Immigrant Entrepreneurs (with Neri Karra Sillaman)
Neri Karra Sillaman, entrepreneurship advisor at the University of Oxford and author of Pioneers: Eight Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs, discusses why immigrant-founded companies are disproportionately successful and tend to last longer than their counterparts. Drawing on her experience as a former child refugee and on research that began with her PhD, she…
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The MasterPlan Annual
The MasterPlan Annual 12-Month MasterPlan Design, Update & Implementation Program “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” – Henry David Thoreau Many high-achieving professionals reach a pivotal moment where they realize: Their impressive credentials do not equate to personal fulfillment or direction. They hold significant titles yet lack a strategic framework for the…