PodcastsBusinessThe Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

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The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving
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612 episodes

  • The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

    668: Private Equity Firm CEO, Rick Walker, on Power, Success and Getting Results (Strategy Skills classics)

    13/07/2026 | 1h 1 mins.
    For this episode, let's revisit a strategy skills classic interview with an experienced founder, leader, and thinker across a variety of domains, Rick Walker.
    In this episode, Rick walks us through his leadership journey, how he built his first company in his 20's, the lessons he learned across multiple domains, and how he was able to do multiple things successfully, simultaneously. He also shared his views about fear, pride, faith, religion, and ethics in relation to leadership and business.
    Rick Walker scaled his first company to 400 employees when he was 26, and simultaneously, as Chairman, scaled a 53-country international nonprofit from 800 to 2,100 team members, simultaneously while helping his hometown of Houston attract over $5 Billion in job-creation investments. Rick's volunteer service also includes stints as a Director of a college in the middle east and Chairman of a $250 Million charitable foundation. His 3:30 AM wake-up call helps fit everything in. 
    Rick hosts a podcast to help multi-domain leaders learn well - and has interviewed friends, who also happen to be world-class leaders, such as billionaires, musicians, members of the President's Cabinet, US Senate, US Congress, and great thinkers. The podcast is hosted inside a 13,000-square-foot mansion, which was the former party mansion of a Fortune 500 CEO, which Rick restored and uses for his family office, charitable events, and podcasts. 
    Rick lives in Houston with his wife and 3 girls, where he spends much of his time serving alongside the best team members in his commercial real estate private equity firm. 
    Claim your free gift:
    Free gift #1
    McKinsey & BCG winning resume
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/resumePDF
    Free gift #2
    Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/decisions
    Free gift #3
    Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/owntheroom
    Free gift #4
    Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/build
    Free gift #5
    The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/OverallApproach
    Free gift #6
    Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients:
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/gift
  • The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

    667: The Experience Economy Is Selling You Belonging

    08/07/2026 | 24 mins.
    People will save for four years, eat less, and travel across the world to watch their team play. Kris and Michael walk through Berlin during the World Cup and ask what that spending really buys.
    This is the first episode of the Walking Masterclass. Filmed in Berlin a few hours from the Switzerland and Canada match, the conversation moves from the cost of the World Cup to the experience economy, tribal economics, and the human need to belong. Kris and Michael discuss why people spend to be part of a tribe, why travel often works as an escape from the life you built, and why the two most important decisions you make are whether you marry and whom you marry.
    Claim your free gift:
    Free gift #1
    McKinsey & BCG winning resume
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/resumePDF
    Free gift #2
    Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/decisions
    Free gift #3
    Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/owntheroom
    Free gift #4
    Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/build
    Free gift #5
    The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/OverallApproach
    Free gift #6
    Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients:
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/gift
  • The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

    666: How to Overcome Career Frustrations with New York University's Dr. Tessa West (Strategy Skills classics)

    06/07/2026 | 1h 4 mins.
    For this episode, let's revisit a strategy skills classic interview with the author of Job Therapy: Finding Work That Works for You, Dr. Tessa West. In her book, Dr. Tessa West helps you figure out the real reason you're unhappy and shows you how to find a new position in which you'll thrive, whether in a different role, company, or new industry altogether.
    Dr. Tessa West is Professor of Psychology at New York University, where she is a leading expert on the science of social relationships. Her academic research and writing for the media focuses on how to improve communication between employees, bosses, and hiring professionals across workplace settings.  She has over 100 academic publications and is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal. Her work has been covered by Scientific American, the New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, CNN, CNBC, ABC World News, TIME, Bloomberg, HBR, Fast Company, and the US Supreme Court. Her first book Jerks at Work published to rave reviews.
    Get Dr. Tessa's book here: https://rb.gy/e1iwmg
    Claim your free gift:
    Free gift #1
    McKinsey & BCG winning resume
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/resumePDF
    Free gift #2
    Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/decisions
    Free gift #3
    Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/owntheroom
    Free gift #4
    Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/build
    Free gift #5
    The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/OverallApproach
    Free gift #6
    Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients:
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/gift
  • The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

    665: Google's Laura Mae Martin on How to Be Productive (Strategy Skills classics)

    01/07/2026 | 54 mins.
    For this episode, let's revisit a strategy skills classic interview with the author of Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing, Laura Mae Martin. In her book, Laura shows how to thrive no matter where you're working, giving concrete steps that help you focus on your priorities and keep good systems, routines, and tactics in place. Uptime explains how to make technology work for you and make "feeling on top of it" your new normal. It's a blueprint for operating at the highest levels of productivity while enhancing your own personal well-being.
    Laura Mae Martin is the Executive Productivity Advisor in the Office of the CEO at Google. She coaches Google's top executives on the best ways to manage their time and energy and sends out a weekly productivity newsletter that reaches tens of thousands of employees. During her 13-year tenure at Google, she has worked in sales, product operations, event planning, and now executive coaching. Laura holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lives in Charlotte, NC, with her husband and three children.
    Get Laura's book, Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing, here: https://rb.gy/nu5qr6


    Claim your free gift:
    Free gift #1
    McKinsey & BCG winning resume
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/resumePDF
    Free gift #2
    Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/decisions
    Free gift #3
    Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/owntheroom
    Free gift #4
    Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/build
    Free gift #5
    The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/OverallApproach
    Free gift #6
    Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients:
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/gift
  • The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

    664: Negotiations in B2B Sales and Day to Day Leadership Situations with Andres Lares (Strategy Skills classics)

    29/06/2026 | 52 mins.
    For this episode, let's revisit a strategy skills classic interview with the co-author of Persuade: The 4-Step Process to Influence People and Decisions, Andres Lares. This book delivers a concise and insightful take on how to transform your ability to persuade others regardless of the setting. Persuade is perfect for executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and other business leaders who negotiate or influence regularly. It is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to improve their persuasion or deal-making abilities.
    Andres Lares is the Managing Partner at Shapiro Negotiations Institute. Lares' expertise ranges from coaching live negotiations for sports clients, including the Cleveland Browns, Brooklyn Nets, and more, to developing online content for facilitating real estate, advisory, media, banking, and pharmaceutical programs. He is a guest lecturer on negotiation and influencing at various universities, including Ohio University, and annually teaches a sports negotiation course at Johns Hopkins University. Lares is a recognized contributor to numerous national media outlets, including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Selling Power, Sales and Marketing Management, Training Mag, and many more. He is quoted in Forbes, Business Insider, Fast Company, MarketWatch, and Huffington Post. 
    Get Andres's book, Persuade: The 4-Step Process to Influence People and Decisions, here: https://www.shapironegotiations.com/resources/books/persuade/
    Claim your free gift:
    Free gift #1
    McKinsey & BCG winning resume
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/resumePDF
    Free gift #2
    Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/decisions
    Free gift #3
    Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/owntheroom
    Free gift #4
    Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/build
    Free gift #5
    The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/OverallApproach
    Free gift #6
    Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients:
    www.FIRMSconsulting.com/gift
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About The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving
CEOs and business leaders, management consulting senior partners, ground-breaking professors, thought-provoking writers and journalists, record-setting athletes and coaches, and award-winning actors and celebrities discuss the key issues facing the business world and broader society. Get free access to our newsletter, Monday Morning at 8 am, along with sample episodes from our training programs on www.strategytraining.com. Go to https://www.firmsconsulting.com/promo.
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