The Blog
Long-form essays, field notes, and frameworks from the FIRMSconsulting team — published weekly.
All posts
Published weekly-
Are you stuck in Roosevelt’s gray twilight?
Are You Stuck in Roosevelt’s … Gray Twilight? “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and…
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Globally Recognized Marketing Strategist Laura Ries on How to Build Brands That Dominate
Laura Ries, globally recognized marketing strategist and author of The Strategic Enemy, outlines a category-first approach to brand building. As she explains, “while people talk in brands, they really think in categories. The category is king.” Her core message: focus, contrast, and clarity determine whether a brand leads or disappears. The conversation emphasizes why narrowing focus…
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Digital Transformation Consulting: 3 Challenges Leaders Underestimate
Digital Transformation Consulting: 3 Challenges Leaders Underestimate I recently spoke with a senior technology leader at a global consulting firm, let’s call him “Raj” to protect his privacy, whose observations mirror what we’re seeing across large transformation programs. We discussed the critical challenges he and his peers are facing. Below, I distill the patterns we…
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Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard on Innovation and the Global Broadband Transformation
Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard, founder of LANcity, author of The Accidental Network, and widely known as the “father of the cable modem”, shares the story of how broadband was built and the lessons it offers for today’s leaders navigating AI and emerging technologies. Arriving in the U.S. with $750 in savings, Yassini-Fard envisioned carrying “voice, data and…
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Erin Coupe on Rituals for Success, Meditation, and Self-Leadership
Former Goldman Sachs executive Erin Coupe shares how she transformed her life and career by replacing routines with rituals, practicing meditation, and stepping into self-leadership. In this episode of the Strategy Skills Podcast, Kris Safarova and Erin dive deep into practical lessons for entrepreneurs, consultants, and online business owners who want more clarity, energy, and…
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ESSEC Business School Professor Srividya Jandhyala on How Geopolitics Shapes Corporate Strategy
Srividya Jandhyala, professor of management at ESSEC Business School and author of The Great Disruption, offers a clear framework for how geopolitics is reshaping corporate strategy. Her central thesis is direct: “The fundamental idea, ‘Where are you from?’—the nationality of the company—is the defining feature of the type of reactions you face from all stakeholders,…
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Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Succession: Greg Abel and 7 Lessons for Leaders
Buffett’s Biggest Leadership Decision, And What It Means for You Imagine the final moments of Warren Buffett’s May 3, 2025, 60th annual meeting. First of all, how many people have held 60 annual meetings for their company? Very few. So here we had the Oracle of Omaha, 94 years old, standing before about 40,000 shareholders…
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Dr. Colin Fisher on The Four Pillars of Elite Teams
In this rigorous and insight-rich episode, Dr. Colin Fisher, author of The Collective Edge, deconstructs high-performing teams using decades of organizational research and field-tested frameworks. If you lead, manage, or influence teams, the insights here can recalibrate how you build and guide collaboration. We explore four foundational elements (Composition, Goals, Tasks, and Norms) and dismantle…
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Venkat Atluri on How to Thrive in the Ecosystem Economy
Venkat Atluri, McKinsey senior partner and coauthor of The Ecosystem Economy: How to Lead in the New Age of Sectors Without Borders, explains how value creation is shifting from stand-alone enterprises to coordinated networks of collaborators. Drawing on two decades advising leaders in technology, media, and telecom, he outlines what makes ecosystem businesses distinct from…
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Josh Davis and Greg Prosmushkin on The Hidden Belief Blocking High Performers: “I’m Not Good Enough”
In this conversation with Josh Davis, PhD (psychology & neuroscience, Columbia University, NLP trainer) and Greg Prosmushkin (trial lawyer turned entrepreneur), we unpack: Why top leaders and consultants battle with imposter syndrome How invisible mental models shape every decision and client interaction Why strategy, frameworks, and technical skill aren’t enough if this belief goes unchallenged…
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You Don’t Outgrow the Fundamentals. You Refine Them
You Don’t Outgrow the Fundamentals. …You Refine Them. In consulting and in leadership, there is a danger of stopping practicing the fundamentals because we assume we’ve “moved beyond” them. Yet many major breakdowns I’ve seen come from a failure in the basics: unclear problem statements, weak structuring, sloppy synthesis, or poor communication. The higher you rise,…
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Former Accenture Partner Brad Englert on Career Growth Through Relationships
Brad Englert, former Accenture partner, IT strategist, CIO, and author, shares how building genuine relationships has been the cornerstone of his career success. From his early days in technology consulting to leading large-scale initiatives, Brad reveals the mindset and habits that helped him grow, earn trust, and thrive in a competitive corporate environment. In this…