May 19–May 25, 2025 releases on StrategyTraining.com

Clients remember one thing long after the consulting project ends:

How much they trusted you.

And that changes everything.

Every client relationship starts the same way. But the best ones evolve into something more.

The goal from the very first project is not only to deliver results. It is to build a long-term relationship that naturally leads to more work and long-term partnership.

A relationship where you are not trying to sell more work.

Instead, client is drawing you into the issues.

That is when things shift.

You are not pitching anymore. You are partnering.

You are not chasing projects. You are being invited into them.

And those projects?

They can be anything from smaller strategy or operations work to change management or digital initiatives.

Or, if that is what you are aiming for, even large-scale transformations and turnarounds, the type we covered in our 200+ videos Corporate Strategy & Transformation study program within the Strategy Training app.

The scope expands when trust is built.

Clients do not need another consultant. They need someone they trust enough to invite in.

Members who fully engage with StrategyTraining.com change the course of their careers and lives.

And, over time, some long-term members and clients send us letters of appreciation, like the one Michael received this month.

There are three membership levels you should pay attention to. They are as follows:

Our reading library:

Strategy Control Room Advanced (SCRA) members gain access to our internal knowledge management system, including studies, proposals, Centers of Excellence, advanced books not available anywhere else, flip charts, slides from video programs, notes from The Consulting Offer, and more.

Our video/audio training library:

Insider membership is designed for long-term clients who want to deliver meaningful impact while accelerating their careers.

Legacy members receive everything in Insider, plus access to additional advanced programs and personalized guidance.

As you probably know, we add additional training and resources weekly. New training episodes and resources are now live and available on iOS, Android, Apple TV, and ROKU.

Here is what is new this week:

For Strategy Control Room Advanced Members

You’ll receive this exclusive update:

Sunday

New IT, Digital, AI, and Cloud Center-of-Excellence – Update 7 (125 SLIDES) of TBD

For Insider Members

These new training episodes are being released this week.

Friday
The MasterPlan Advanced – Episode 30 of TBD
The MasterPlan Advanced builds on the most transformative career strategy work we’ve done to date. Based on Michael’s and Kris’s personal experiences and decades of coaching senior executives, it covers how to move from well-off to wealthy, across career, relationships, investing, health, and more. This is the next step for members who are working toward building a richer, more fulfilling life, not only a career that looks successful to people around.
Episode title: Creating a Viable Business Model

Saturday
Why Am I Not Happy? How Can I Be Happy? – Episode 7 of 14
Practical insights to help you recognize the patterns that are draining your energy and how to stop them. Members can submit questions for the next 7 days to shape future episodes/related programs.
Episode title: The Trap of Finding Happiness Alone

Sunday
(NEW) Building a Consulting Practice. Level II – Episode 1 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 an elite organization, Level 2 takes you into the advanced art of turning routine client work into an engine for long-term growth.

This is not about surface techniques or standard operations work. 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: Know the, Usually, Boring Context

For Legacy Members

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

Friday
A Mid-Life Strategy Update – Episode 44 of TBD
What if your health, relationships, wealth, and life’s work all demanded urgent attention at the same time? In this real-time program, Michael shares the exact strategies he’s using to rebuild every major area of his life. It’s rare to get this level of access. Even rarer to see it in real time.
Episode title: The Root Cause of an Issue is Rarely Known, Acknowledged, or Even Discussed

Saturday
I Don't Know If This Is What I Want to Do - Episode 4 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: The Most Important Decision You Need to Make 2.0

Sunday
(New) Communicating Details - Episode 1 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: A Common Problem

Insiders can move to Legacy anytime and back to Insider without losing Insider status. Just 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

We also released these free resources:

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

Monday
From Ditch Digger to 9-Figure CEO: Building a Business That Runs Without You - with Ken Rusk

In this episode, Kris speaks with Ken Rusk, nine-figure CEO and bestselling author of Blue Collar Cash, on building and scaling a successful business.

Key insights:

- True growth comes from empowering entrepreneurial employees and building autonomous teams aligned with the company’s mission and motivated to perform.
- Rusk’s approach emphasizes the alignment of personal goals and corporate objectives, using a system of “timed pathways” where employees publicly commit to and pursue personal milestones, creating accountability and shared momentum.
- Strategic reinvestment in marketing, reputation, and customer experience fueled steady expansion, while maintaining a clear long-term vision kept the organization resilient during challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.
- His leadership philosophy centers on building decision-makers, not just making decisions, and staying focused on time as the most valuable asset, balancing business success with personal well-being, family, and purpose.
- Rusk’s recent move to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) reflects his commitment to sharing long-term value and ensuring that the team that built the company benefits from its future growth.

Rusk’s message is that sustainable business success stems from developing others, aligning incentives, and ensuring that leaders stay focused on the long view, both in business and in life.

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

Wednesday
Founding Partner of DCM Insights on What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently – with Matthew Dixon

In this episode, Kris speaks with Matthew Dixon, founding partner of DCM Insights and bestselling author, about his latest research on business development in professional services. Drawing on a global study of 3,000 partners, Dixon outlines five distinct sales profiles and highlights the “Activator” as the only approach consistently linked to higher revenue performance.

Key insights:

- Traditional models of client loyalty are eroding, with fewer clients returning automatically to the same firm.
- Top performers distinguish themselves by proactively delivering value, leveraging internal and external networks, and consistently committing time to business development.
- Effective firms drive adoption of these behaviors not through mandates, but by enabling teams with tools, mentorship, and a culture of collaboration.
- Technology, including AI and network management tools, reduces the time required to execute these strategies, but success ultimately relies on human relationships and judgment.

Dixon’s upcoming book, The Activator Advantage, provides a practical guide for partners and leaders seeking to future-proof client engagement strategies in a more competitive and fast-changing market.

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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