• 871: Myth of the Technology Strategy Study (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
    Jul 20 2026

    Readers in other sectors like financial services, energy, retail, automotive etc., make a massive mistake when looking at the technology strategy study training
    we have up on the site.

    They assume that the study will not train them about corporate strategy since it is about corporate strategy for technology company. That is major flaw.

    This podcast elaborates on some of these reasons:

    1. Every corporate strategy study must be done for a client in a sector. Therefore it is impossible to find corporate strategy training which is generic - that is, not specific to a sector.
    2. The thinking, techniques and training applied to one sector is designed to be applied to any sector.
    3. Even if you worked in financial services and we loaded the financial services strategy study shortly, a sector is so large, the study may not even touch the issues you want to learn - therefore focus on the techniques used versus trying to copy content across for your own studies. Do not get into the habit of simply copying analyses.

    Here are some free gifts for you:

    Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

    McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

    Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

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    5 mins
  • 870: Strategy Insight Ratio (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
    Jul 15 2026

    Young consultants make some very common mistakes when they start out, and I explain how to use the strategy insight ratio to correct these problems.

    Here are some free gifts for you:

    Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

    McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

    Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

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    11 mins
  • 869: Misunderstanding "Being Analytic" (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
    Jul 13 2026

    Aspiring and some young consultants tend to have a narrow outside-in view of management consulting. They make significant assumptions about why and how strategy studies are done, and try to replicate this assumed behavior. They think "being analytic" means analyzing things before every decision is made.

    Here are some free gifts for you:

    Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

    McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

    Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

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    11 mins
  • 868: How to Network with a Senior Partner (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
    Jul 6 2026

    Networking with a partner is counter-intuitive. It is much easier to network with a McKinsey / BCG partner for at least four reasons. First, partners always return emails. Second, partners are generally willing to take a call just to explore your profile. Third, partners are less hung up on things like degrees etc. since they look deeper at a profile. Fourth, partners are accessible with easy to find details. That said, the trick to networking with partners is to treat them as a peer. As soon as you place them on a pedestal, you will kill your networking chances.

    Here are some free gifts for you:

    Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

    McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

    Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

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    13 mins
  • 867: Be a professional, don't be a business person (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
    Jun 29 2026

    What is your understanding of the consulting culture or philosophy? What do you think defines and separates the top consulting firms from the others?

    For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we spoke about the real culture of consulting firms apart from what people think it is and what distinguishes great consulting firms from others.

    Here are some free gifts for you:

    Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

    McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

    Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

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    25 mins
  • 866: Sanity Checking Estimations in Cases (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
    Jun 24 2026

    Many candidates forget to sanity-check their calculations in a case. That is a bad idea. Without a sanity-check there is no way to meaningfully assess the accuracy of your answer. More important, how you perform the sanity check is the key. All sanity-checks must involve the reduction of the answer to a number that you can intuitively compare to your own experiences. Unless you do this, you can never defend your answer.

    Here are some free gifts for you:

    Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

    McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

    Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

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    7 mins
  • 865: Harsh Partners (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
    Jun 22 2026

    Being a young business analyst or associate on the receiving end of blunt and harsh feedback from a partner is a very jarring experience. However, it is also somewhat of a compliment. I never understand this very, very important point until my mentor, a senior partner, pointed this out to me when the managing partner gave me a very time about an initiative I was running. In hindsight, this was one of the most profound lessons I had in my consulting career, and the managing partner became a huge ally when I was up for partnership.

    Here are some free gifts for you:

    Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

    McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

    Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

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    25 mins
  • 864: What Michael Jordan Can Teach You About Strategy (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)
    Jun 8 2026

    Aspiring NBA stars make a classic mistake when trying to watch, analyze and replicate the reasons why someone like Michael Jordan was so successful. In this podcast I explain why aspiring management consultants and those in industry make the very same mistake when watching, analyzing and replicating the reasons why McKinsey and BCG are so successful.

    Here are some free gifts for you:

    Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

    McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

    Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

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    15 mins