June 9 - June 15, 2025 releases on StrategyTraining.com

Most organizations don’t fail for lack of strategy. They fail because the strategy isn’t operationalized, because there is no structured way to align daily decisions with long-term objectives.

We just released a full study for the Strategy Control Room Advanced members: 207 slides, detailing how to build a Business Management Process (BMP) using the Balanced Scorecard and Plan-Do-Review (PDR) approach. It’s the same structure we’ve used with global clients to drive meaningful value that earns you trusted advisor reputation.

For Insider members, we continue our deep-dive series on building a consulting practice (Level II), managing promotions, and shaping a life that is not only successful but also has meaning and where you feel happy. As Albert Einstein said, "Do not strive to be successful. Strive to ensure that your life has meaning."

Legacy members receive additional training on communicating under pressure, navigating uncertainty in career direction, and finding sponsors, not by asking, but by becoming the kind of leader people want to support.

If you're focused on execution, leadership, and career acceleration, these new releases are directly relevant. They are designed to support important decisions, even under severe pressure.

Here’s what was released for StrategyTraining.com members:

For Strategy Control Room Advanced Members

A major update, a whole new study (207 slides released altogether), is available to the SCRA members.

Sunday
Balanced Scorecard Implementation - A major update to the SCRA. 207 SLIDES. Business Management Processes (BMP) remain an essential way to run a business. They cannot be ignored. So we released a full new study showing how we created a BMP using the Balanced ScoreCard (BSC) and the Plan-Do-Review (PDR) process. You will see the entire scorecard, KPIs, and development process, an effective way of translating strategy to action.

For Insider Members

These new training episodes were released.

Friday
The Real Reason You Are Not Being Promoted – Episode 14 of 18
This 18-part Insider program challenges the conventional wisdom of career growth, helping ambitious professionals rethink promotions, leadership roles, and long-term wealth creation.
Episode title: Action Next Step #9

Saturday
(NEW) Building a Consulting Practice. Level II – Episode 4 of TBD
Building a Consulting Practice (Level 2) picks up where Building a Consulting Practice (Level 1) left off. While Level 1 lays the foundational principles of setting up or rebuilding a consulting business, whether as an independent firm or as a practice within a major consulting firm, Level 2 takes you into the advanced art of turning routine client work into an engine for long-term growth.

Michael opens the door to rarely discussed skills: how to reframe client conversations away from low-value, transactional tasks and into high-impact, strategic engagements. How to uncover hidden opportunities even when no obvious “problem” exists, and how to position yourself as a trusted partner invited into the most critical issues, not as a vendor chasing projects.

Through the lens of a real-world operations strategy study, you will see how an unglamorous project became the seedbed for a completely new consulting practice. You’ll learn how to apply sharp strategic thinking in operational contexts, how to triangulate discussions toward your strengths, and how to scale a practice that thrives beyond any single engagement.

Level 1 teaches you the business of consulting. Level 2 shows you how to expand that business into a powerhouse. Together, in addition to a few other programs on StrategyTraining.com, such as Partnership. Memoir, Rebuilding a Consulting Practice, How to Build an Innovation Division, these programs provide a roadmap for consultants at every stage who are ready to master not just delivery, but sustainable, long-term growth.
Episode title: Second take on the issue

Sunday
Why Am I Not Happy? How Can I Be Happy? – Episode 10 of 14
Practical insights to help you recognize the patterns that are draining your energy and how to stop them.
Episode title: Memories are often wildly misleading

For Legacy Members

In addition to all Insider episodes, Legacy members receive these exclusive episodes:

Friday
Communicating Details - Episode 4 of 5
In every organization, there comes a moment when doing exactly what was agreed leads to frustration, disappointment or even blame. This program, Communicating Details, unpacks one of the most common but costly management traps: when plans are executed as approved, but shifting realities demand a different response.

Through the real-world case of one of our executive coaching clients, Michael explores why excessive upfront detail and rigid adherence to plans can backfire, even when managers explicitly sign off. You’ll learn the critical difference between following a plan and managing evolving priorities, why both employees and leaders share responsibility for context shifts, and how to apply a flexible problem-solving model that protects outcomes while maintaining trust.

This program equips consultants, managers, and senior leaders with the mindset and tools to navigate complex stakeholder dynamics, where communication, adaptability, and strategic judgment matter far more than simply “doing what was agreed.”
Episode title: So, how do you communicate?

Saturday
I Don't Know If This Is What I Want to Do - Episode 7 of 7
Many clients are not certain that the work they are currently doing, or the industry they are currently in, is in fact the space where they want to continue building their career. If this is your situation, what is the way to decide a way forward?
Episode title: Always be advancing and...

Sunday
(New) Why You're Unlikely to Get the Sponsor You Really Need - Episode 1 of 4
It is important to find the right sponsor, but what if the real power lies in becoming someone worth sponsoring? This program shows you why the path to sponsorship begins not with who you know, but with how visibly you create value.
Episode title: Focus on the correct question

Insiders can move to Legacy anytime and back to Insider without losing Insider status. Email us at team@firmsconsulting.com so we can manually restore your Insider status.

Ask Us a Question — Get Tailored Feedback

Legacy members are invited to submit one personal or professional question twice per month. We’ll respond with a custom answer recorded by a partner.

Deadlines: Submit by the 15th and 30th of each month
Format: One paragraph emailed to team@firmsconsulting.com
Include: Context and details so we can provide tailored guidance for your unique situation
Subject line: Legacy Question

Strategy Skills Podcast (top 5-10 for careers in many countries)

Monday
The Core Leader of McKinsey’s Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice on Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies - with Tim Koller

In this episode, our returning guest, Tim Koller, co-author of Valuation, the core leader of McKinsey’s Strategy and Corporate Finance practice, offers a substantive examination of capital allocation decisions under real-world constraints. The discussion moves beyond theory to explore how CEOs and CFOs should approach resource deployment in mature, capital-rich companies, where investment opportunities are limited not due to lack of ambition but due to economic reality.

Listen to the episode here (you can also watch or read the transcript).

Wednesday
Professor of Finance at London Business School on Why ESG and DEI Data May Contain Lies – with Alex Edmans

In this episode, our returning guest, a finance professor at London Business School and author, Alex Edmans, offers a rigorous examination of the narratives surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in corporate strategy. Drawing on his critique of widely cited studies, including those from McKinsey and BlackRock, Edmans illustrates how flawed data interpretations and confirmation bias contribute to the persistence of questionable claims. He warns against relying on correlation-based research that lacks causal rigor, especially when such findings are used to justify high-stakes decisions in boardrooms and policy circles.

Listen to the episode here (you can also watch or read the transcript).

Additionally, here are the recent releases on FIRMSconsulting / StrategyTraining.com / Kris Safarova YouTube Channels:

IT Strategy vs. Corporate Strategy: Microsoft - with Kris Safarova
Access here.

How to Build Consulting Storyboards in 3 Weeks (This is How McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte Do It) - with Kris Safarova
Access here.

How to Feel Comfortable on Camera - with Kris Safarova
Access here.

Management Consulting Storyboard | Storyboarding used by McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, PwC et al. - with Kris Safarova
Access here.

McKinsey’s Rise to Prominence Under Marvin Bower - with Kris Safarova
Access here.

The Systems Behind Sustained High Performance with ADHD - with Kris Safarova
Access here.

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