576: Bain Senior Partner Sarah Elk on Doing Agile Right (Strategy Skills classics)

576: Bain Senior Partner Sarah Elk on Doing Agile Right (Strategy Skills classics)

Sarah Elk, Senior Partner at Bain & Company and global leader of its operating model work, 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.

Elk 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 anchor 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 isn’t built in a single offsite; it 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.

Get Sarah’s book here: https://shorturl.at/Tyotz

Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos

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105: Advanced predictive problem solving (Turquoise Eyes: A Novel about Problem Solving & Critical Thinking)

105: Advanced predictive problem solving (Turquoise Eyes: A Novel about Problem Solving & Critical Thinking)

Turquoise Eyes started off the groundbreaking new genre developed by FIRMSconsulting that combines compelling narrative while teaching problem solving and critical thinking skills. Set after a bank begins implementing a new retail banking strategy, we follow Teresa García Ramírez de Arroyo, a director-general in the Mexican government, who has received some disturbing news. A whistleblower has emailed Teresa with troubling news about a mistake in the loan default calculations and reserve ratios. The numbers do not add up.   The Turquoise Eyes: A Novel about Problem Solving & Critical Thinking is available on Amazon.   Buy a copy by midnight EST June 10 2020 and receive 1-month complimentary access to the accompanying video course.   BUY THE BOOK HERE: https://amzn.to/3bzVa6g   To celebrate the launch week for Turquoise Eyes: A Novel about Problem Solving & Critical Thinking, until midnight EST June 10 2020 only, we offer this purchase gift to customers as our way of showing that we're truly thankful that you chose FIRMSconsulting. This is the 1st episode of the accompanying program. To Claim Your Complimentary 1 Month Access to the Accompanying Program:   1) BUY THE BOOK HERE: https://amzn.to/3bzVa6g 2) Reply to this email by midnight EST June 10 2020 with the following: Your Name Your receipt for the book (Kindle, paperback or hardcover) A Mention of Your Review for the above book If you've left a Review, please include a link - we'd love to read it and sincerely appreciate it. Even if you haven't left an Amazon review but only left Goodreads review, your training program 1 month access will still be sent to you! While we cannot require Amazon review to take advantage of our free gift to you, we would certainly appreciate your feedback and it will be a great way to support the book and FC. YOU CAN LEAVE A REVIEW FOR AMAZON HERE: https://amzn.to/3bzVa6g AND HERE FOR GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53252396-turquoise-eyes We look forward to hearing from you! Kris CEO, FIRMSconsulting   P.S. Please help us get the word out by sharing the purchase link with friends, family, and colleagues. This purchase gift is limited to the launch week only. Your friends can reach out to us about claiming their launch purchase gift at support@firmsconsulting.com. Thank you in advance!! Some links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/xQqufjwFm9E

26 Mai 202029min

104: How to resign from your job the right way

104: How to resign from your job the right way

How can you resign from your job with dignity, compassion, and grace, without burning any bridges with your employer? Here we share simple principles to help you leave your role in a way that leaves a positive impression with your superiors, colleagues, and organization. Do you have a story about resigning? Tell us more with a comment below. ---------- Get access to free training episodes: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/promo SUBSCRIBE TO FIRMSCONSULTING'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe CONNECT WITH FIRMSCONSULTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.youtube.com/user/firmsconsulting https://www.instagram.com/firmsconsulting/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/firmsconsulting/ https://www.facebook.com/Firmsconsulting/ https://twitter.com/firmsconsulting https://www.pinterest.com/firmsconsulting/ This video is all about how to resign, how to resign from a job, resignation, how to quit, quitting a job, quit a job, leaving on good terms, career, business career, career growth. #howtoresign #howtoresignfromajob #resignation

9 Mai 202018min

103: The secretive world of Samsung, the South Korean tech giant. Geoffrey Cain

103: The secretive world of Samsung, the South Korean tech giant. Geoffrey Cain

Strategy Skills Podcast 103: The secretive world of Samsung, the South Korean Tech Giant. With Geoffrey Cain Access advanced training episodes: http://www.firmsconsulting.com/promo An explosive expose of Samsung, one of the biggest and most secretive companies in the world, as the Korean juggernaut battles Apple and Sony to dominate the world of technology. Seen for decades in tech circles as a fast follower rather than an innovation leader, Samsung today has grown to become a market leader in the United States and around the globe. They have captured one quarter of the smartphone market and have been pushing the envelope on every front. In SAMSUNG RISING: The Inside Story of the South Korean Giant that Set Out to Beat Apple and Conquer Tech, Geoffrey Cain offers a penetrating look behind the curtains of the biggest company nobody in America knows. Forty years ago, Samsung was a rickety Korean agricultural conglomerate that produced sugar, paper, and fertilizer, located in a backward country with a third-world economy. However, with the rise of the PC revolution, Chairman Lee Byung-chul began a bold experiment: to make Samsung a major supplier of computer chips. The multimillion-dollar plan was incredibly risky but Lee, wowed by a young Steve Jobs, who sat down with the Chairman to offer his advice, became obsessed with creating a tech empire. In SAMSUNG RISING, readers follow behind the scenes as the company fought its way to the top of tech. Today, Samsung employs over 300,000 people (compared to Apple’s 80,000 and Google’s 48,000). The company’s revenues have grown more than forty times from that of 1987 and make up more than 20 percent of South Korea’s exports. It is also one of Apple’s chief suppliers of technology critical to the iPhone, while its own Galaxy phone outsells the iPhone. Yet their disastrous recall of the Galaxy Note 7, with numerous reports of phones spontaneously bursting into flames, reveals the dangers of the company’s headlong attempt to overtake Apple at any cost.

15 Apr 20201h 30min

102: Current crisis = golden opportunity to transform your life

102: Current crisis = golden opportunity to transform your life

Our clients are often facing crises and catastrophes somewhere in the world. From virus outbreaks to earthquakes, wildfire evacuations and more. And they write to us about their immediate plans to manage the situation. What we find is that they almost always take actions that damage their careers and hurt their lives. They let external factors, the media narrative and their social network influence them to make poor choices that handicap their lives. Often severely. They don't realize that the biggest, fastest and most sustainable way to transform one’s life and career is to leverage a crisis. Don't run from a crisis. Run into a crisis. This is a short episode released on Strategy Skills iTunes channel and YouTube which includes an overview of the full program we released for FC Insiders (StrategyTraining.com/Strategy Training apps). The full program: https://www.strategytraining.com/how-to-manage-a-crises

19 Mar 20207min

101: Interview with McKinsey partner Peter Dahlström on the source of competitive advantage in the digital era

101: Interview with McKinsey partner Peter Dahlström on the source of competitive advantage in the digital era

This is #101 episode of the Strategy Skills podcast. In this episode we interview senior partner at McKinsey & Company Peter Dahlström on the source of competitive advantage in the digital era.  Peter Dahlström leads McKinsey’s client and firm communications. As the global leader for McKinsey Digital’s B2C team, he serves leading institutions in the telecommunications, high-tech, media, and fast-moving consumer-goods industries. Peter is a co-author of FAST TIMES: How Digital Winners Set Direction, Learn, and Adapt.  Access free training episodes from our paid advanced strategy training programs here (opt-in for free to get access): https://www.FIRMSconsulting.com

28 Feb 202058min

100: What a strategy workshop will not give you at the end

100: What a strategy workshop will not give you at the end

An episode 100 of Strategy Skills iTunes podcast is here (Strategy Skills podcast is ranked among 5-10 top for careers in many countries worldwide).  Access free training episodes here (opt-in for free to get access): https://www.firmsconsulting.com

18 Feb 20208min

99: The one thing every consulting case study must produce

99: The one thing every consulting case study must produce

An episode 99 of Strategy Skills iTunes podcast is here (Strategy Skills podcast is ranked among 5-10 top for careers in many countries worldwide).  www.FIRMSconsulting.com - optin for email updates to receive access to some episodes from our advanced strategy programs.  https://www.firmsconsulting.com (opt-in for free to get access to sample advanced episodes) CONNECT WITH FIRMSCONSULTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe https://www.instagram.com/firmsconsulting/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/firmsconsulting/ https://www.facebook.com/Firmsconsulting/ https://twitter.com/firmsconsulting

4 Feb 20209min

98: Ten warning signs for a consulting workshop

98: Ten warning signs for a consulting workshop

https://www.firmsconsulting.com (opt-in for free to get access to sample advanced episodes) CONNECT WITH FIRMSCONSULTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA http://bit.ly/Firmsconsultingsubscribe https://www.instagram.com/firmsconsulting/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/firmsconsulting/ https://www.facebook.com/Firmsconsulting/ https://twitter.com/firmsconsulting https://www.pinterest.com/firmsconsulting/

30 Jan 202010min

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