New Releases on StrategyTraining.com
This week’s releases focus on the issues that consistently derail teams and organizations: failed IT projects, consulting practices that stall, and leaders who execute well but never set direction. Each program distills the lessons from real engagements where the stakes were high and the margin for error was very small.
What you’ll find is tools and approaches tested in practice, frameworks that help you redirect client conversations, secure a seat at the table, and avoid the traps that cause even well-designed strategies to fail.
Here are new resources available for members:
For Strategy Control Room Advanced Members
New IT, Digital, AI, and Cloud Center-of-Excellence – Final Update (163 SLIDES).
Most IT projects fail, not because of bad technology, but because of poor thinking. This Center-of-Excellence shows you exactly why projects go off track and how to prevent it.
For Insider Members
These new training episodes were released.
Why Am I Not a Visionary - Episode 3 of 4
Even consistent execution at the highest standard can leave you stalled. This program examines the pivotal shift from being a reliable operator to becoming a leader with a clear, compelling vision. One who shapes direction rather than simply delivering on it.
Episode title: How to be visionary...if you must be
Building a Consulting Practice. Level II – Episode 9 of TBD
Level II moves beyond the fundamentals of establishing or rebuilding a consulting business to focus on the advanced discipline of turning everyday engagements into engines of sustained growth.
Through real-world examples, including an operations strategy project that evolved into an entirely new consulting practice, you’ll learn how to:
- Redirect client discussions from transactional tasks toward high-value, strategic issues.
- Identify opportunities even when no obvious “problem” is on the table.
- Position yourself as a trusted advisor with a seat at the most critical conversations.
This is consulting at its highest level, where strategic thinking is applied in operational contexts, discussions are triangulated toward your strengths, and growth is designed to outlast any single engagement. Together with Level I and programs such as Partnership Memoir, Rebuilding a Consulting Practice, and How to Sell >$10MM Consulting Studies. The Andrew Program, this series offers a complete roadmap for building a resilient, high-impact consulting practice.
Episode title: The Proposal. Background Section - I
The Bill Matassoni Show, Season 3 (Part 2 - Nicholas Gertler) – Episode 4 of 15
In this episode, Bill Matassoni engages in a deep strategic dialogue with Nicholas Gertler, a former McKinsey colleague, on how to redesign systems to create value for all stakeholders. Moving beyond traditional advertising and sales approaches, they explore the role of storytelling and influence as levers to reshape industries, organizations, and relationships.
Filmed at the iconic Philip Johnson Glass House, the conversation challenges leaders to reconsider how value is defined, created, and sustained, and how their own work can drive meaningful, long-term change. The series, now followed by senior leaders from many parts of the world, offers practical tools to broaden perspective and uncover opportunities often missed by others.
Episode title: Thin Line of Humility and Expertise
For Legacy Members
Legacy members gain access to all Insider content, plus these exclusive episodes:
What Most Product Managers Get Wrong - Episode 3 of 3
Too many product teams fixate on detailed plans and cross-functional coordination, yet overlook the single question that should precede everything else. This episode reveals the critical step that must come first, and why getting it right sets the foundation for all subsequent decisions.
Episode title: Bringing it all together
Networking to Build a New Business - Episode 1 of 1
Most advisors unknowingly leave the bulk of the value they create on the table. This program challenges you to ask: are you simply advising, or are you building a business model that lets you own the upside?
Episode title: It was, is and will forever be about the business model
Billable Hours Are the Worst Form of Wealth Creation - Episode 1 of 3
Building client trust may come easily, but keeping it, scaling it, and doing it without burning out is a different game entirely. This program asks whether you’re really building a business, or just trading time for money.
Episode title: You are in the lowest yielding wealth model
Earning a Seat in the Core Group - Episode 1 of 4
Many professionals focus on how to get into the inner circle of decision-makers. But the real question is... what will you do once you’re there, especially if your goals don’t align with the company’s priorities?
Episode title: Why work in an area being de-prioritized
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Subject line: Legacy Question
Strategy Skills Podcast (ranked among the top 5–10 career podcasts in many countries)
These episodes are now available on iTunes, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms.
Bain Senior Partner Sarah Elk on Doing Agile Right (Strategy Skills classics) - with Sarah Elk
Sarah Elk is a Senior Partner at Bain & Company and Americas leader of their AI, Insights, and Solutions practice. She brings a clear, pragmatic lens to why so many large-scale change efforts fail to stick. Drawing on decades of advising multinational organizations, she diagnoses the structural and behavioral traps that cause transformations to stall, and shares the disciplines that make change durable.
Sarah emphasizes that transformation is not a one-off program but an enduring capability that must be “led from the top and embedded in the culture.” She cautions against outsourcing responsibility to a program office:
“If the CEO is not leading it and the leadership team isn’t engaged in the change, you might get something done, but it will erode quickly.”
Key Insights from the Conversation:
Clarity on Non-Negotiables
Many failed transformations lack a shared definition of the “non-negotiables” in the new operating model. Without them, execution becomes fragmented.
“You have to be crystal clear on what’s standard and what’s flexible.”
Outcomes Over Activity
Successful change efforts are anchored to measurable business results, not just activity metrics or generic benchmarks.
“It’s not about hitting 80 percent of a checklist. It’s about whether you’ve moved the needle on the outcomes you care about.”
Leadership Alignment Is a Continuous Process
Alignment requires ongoing dialogue, joint problem-solving, and confronting decisions that challenge entrenched interests.
“You need the leadership team acting as one, every week, every month, not just at the kickoff.”
Manage Change Fatigue
Overloading the organization erodes momentum. Sequencing initiatives and celebrating visible early wins tied to strategy helps sustain energy.
“People get tired. You have to show progress and give them space to breathe.”
Governance, Incentives, and Talent Must Evolve Together
Elk warns that without parallel changes to systems and structures, “behavior will revert to what it was before.”
The discussion reframes transformation from a high-profile event into a muscle organizations must build and maintain. For executives seeking change that endures beyond the initial push, Elk offers a blueprint grounded in operational rigor, leadership accountability, and cultural realism.
Listen to the episode here (you can also watch or read the transcript).
Former Submarine Commander L. David Marquet on How Leaders Make Better Decisions - with L. David Marquet
L. David Marquet, former nuclear submarine commander and author of Leadership Is Language, shares a precise, operational approach to leadership, one that replaces command-and-control with a language designed for clarity, ownership, and adaptability. Drawing on his experience turning the USS Santa Fe from one of the worst-performing submarines in the fleet to one of the best, David shows how seemingly small shifts in language can radically improve decision-making, learning speed, and execution.
David rejects the traditional leader–follower model in favor of a leader–leader framework, where decision rights are pushed “to the people closest to the information.” He explains how questions, statements, and the timing of communication directly shape whether teams think critically or default to compliance.
“What we say and when we say it changes what people do. Language is a leadership technology.”
Key Takeaways:
Replace Permission with Intent
Moving from “Can I…?” to “I intend to…” changes accountability and ownership:
“When people tell me what they intend to do, they’re already owning the decision.”
Protect Redwork and Bluework
David distinguishes between redwork (doing) and bluework (thinking/planning) and stresses keeping them separate:
“Mixing them degrades both. You want focused doing and focused thinking.”
Sequence for Thinking, Not Speed
Meetings often reward quick answers over thoughtful ones. Asking the most junior person to speak first helps reduce conformity bias.
Use Language to Invite Dissent
Adding uncertainty, “I’m not sure, but…,”creates psychological safety and surfaces crucial information that might otherwise stay hidden.
Leaders Design Systems, Not Just Give Answers
The leader’s job is to build communication structures that distribute thinking and enable faster adaptation in changing conditions.
This episode is practical and helpful for leaders who want to operationalize empowerment without losing control. By deliberately changing how they speak and listen, executives can create teams that are more resilient, accountable, and high-performing.
Listen to the episode here (you can also watch or read the transcript).
Stanford’s Robert E. Siegel on Navigating the Toughest Leadership Trade-Offs - with Robert E. Siegel
Robert E. Siegel, Stanford Graduate School of Business professor, venture capitalist, and former executive, shares the leadership lessons he learned working with Intel’s legendary CEO, Andy Grove, and other amazing leaders, and how to thrive in today’s era of conflicting pressures. Robert actually worked closely with Andy, including on Andy's book, "Only the Paranoid Survive."
In this in-depth conversation, we explore the concept of the systems leader, someone who can innovate while delivering results, balance global and local priorities, and combine decisiveness with humility. Drawing from his work with leading CEOs, his investing career, and his experiences in fast-moving industries, Robert explains how leaders can adapt and stay relevant, even as AI, economic shifts, and political uncertainty reshape the business world.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
How Andy Grove influenced Robert’s approach to leadership and decision-making
Why the most effective leaders do well in environments of “cross-pressures”
Practical steps for staying relevant as technology and AI transform industries
The importance of balancing execution with long-term vision
Stories from Robert’s career as an operator, investor, and Stanford professor
About Robert Siegel:
Robert is a Lecturer in Management at Stanford GSB, a venture capitalist, and a board member for multiple technology companies. His work blends academic research with real-world experience, guiding executives at the highest level.
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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