831: How to Hold Networking Conversations (Case Interview & Management Consulting classics)

Welcome to an episode with an expert on organizational paradoxes, Wendy Smith. Get Wendy's Book here: https://amzn.to/3fF1b8C When faced with a tough decision-making situation, it is common for us to assess and select what we believe is the best deal and then move on. We tend to assume that we need to pick one option and eliminate the other. But what if we could actually succeed in pursuing both options? In this episode with Wendy Smith, we discuss how leaders and individuals can effectively respond to contradictory yet interdependent demands and have the mindset shift needed to successfully navigate a paradox. Wendy Smith is the Dana J. Johnson Professor of Management and faculty director of the Women's Leadership Initiative at the Lerner College of Business and Economics, University of Delaware. She earned her PhD in organizational behavior at Harvard Business School, where she began her intensive research on strategic paradoxes—how leaders and senior teams effectively respond to contradictory yet interdependent demands. Working with executives and scholars globally, she received the Web of Science Highly Cited Research Award (2019, 2020, and 2021) for being among the 1 percent most-cited researchers in her field and received the Decade Award (2021) from the Academy of Management Review for the most cited paper in the past 10 years. Her work has been published in such journals as Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Harvard Business Review, Organization Science, and Management Science. She has taught at the University of Delaware, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania–Wharton while helping senior leaders and middle managers all over the world address issues of interpersonal dynamics, team performance, organizational change, and innovation. Wendy lives in Philadelphia with her husband, three children, and the family dog. Get Wendy's book here: Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems. Wendy Smith, Marianne Lewis, Amy C. Edmondson. https://amzn.to/3fF1b8C Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

4 Jan 202353min

Welcome to an episode with a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Sean McLain. Get Sean's book here. This episode with Sean McLain revolves around the story of Carlos Ghosn, one of the world's most feared and admired business executives who had remarkable success, yet faced a catastrophic fall. He was accused of financial misconduct and arrested for a bevy of alleged crimes—all of which he vehemently denied. Sean is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal based in Los Angeles, covering EV startups like Rivian, Lucid, and Japanese and Korean automakers. Since 2016, Sean McLain has overseen The Wall Street Journal's coverage of the largest automakers in Japan, including Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, and received the Malcolm Forbes Award by the Overseas Press Club of America for his coverage of the former Nissan and Renault executive's arrest and detention. Sean graduated from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, and lives in Tokyo. Get Sean's book here: Boundless: The Rise, Fall, and Escape of Carlos Ghosn. Nick Kostov and Sean McLain Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

2 Jan 202359min

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we discuss about the typical errors candidates make in trying to read too much into the behavior of interviewers: quiet, asking questions, rude, etc. One thing we always caution candidates is to be wary of assuming the friendly person likes them or that the unfriendly person does not like them. Friendliness does not equate to "like" and people display their emotions in very different ways. So, if the interviewer is very friendly, it could go either way. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

28 Dec 20229min

Welcome to an episode with a sought-after business leader and an expert in finance and investing, Candy Valentino. How do you create wealth and financial freedom? This question roams around almost anyone's mind. Yet, not everyone has achieved the "financial freedom" level. In this episode, Candy shares the most effective tips to build wealth through investment, sustainable and long-term business, and how to earn and save more. She discussed the right mindset about money and covered the six ordinary steps to achieve extraordinary financial freedom. Candy Valentino has over 24 years of business experience building and exiting companies in service, retail, product manufacturing, and real estate investing. During her two-and-a-half decades as an entrepreneur, Candy Valentino has been named to Top Business Leaders 40 Under 40, Top 50 Women In Business, 10 People Making a Difference, Top 10 Business Consultants by Yahoo Finance, and was the youngest female to receive the Governor's Award in Entrepreneurship in Pennsylvania. Success Magazine named her "Women of Influence" and "Leaders Who Get Results" alongside Tony Robbins and Brené Brown. She shares her gritty, real-world business and investing strategies with an audience of millions through her Founders Organization. Candy Valentino lives in Scottsdale, AZ. Get Candy's book here: Wealth Habits: Six Ordinary Steps to Achieve Extraordinary Financial Freedom. Candy Valentino Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

26 Dec 202252min

Welcome to an episode with Jennifer Smith, the CEO and co-founder of Scribe, Jennifer Smith. In this episode, Jennifer shared her career journey and how she came up with the ideas that led her to founding Scribe. We discuss the value of institutionalizing knowledge and unleashing know-how from a single person into an asset that's available across the company. We also speak about the massive possibilities that a knowledge management system can have for a company and the impact it can have on a business. Jennifer Smith is a former VC and McKinsey consultant turned accidental CEO. She interviewed more than 1,200 business leaders on a quest to understand everything there is to know about processes, best practices, and productivity. Now, with her startup Scribe, she's empowering people to own their processes by building the world's first operating system for know-how. Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

21 Dec 202250min

Welcome to an interview with a leadership coaching legend, David Noble. Most leaders experience a lack of motivation to continue the things they once had a passion for. So, how do you rekindle the fire of motivation when it starts to die? The key is to know your "why" and assess if your reason is strong enough to continue the journey. In this episode, David shares the role he plays in reframing things and bringing the best out of leaders, executives, and CEOs. David shares a powerful new framework called MOVE that characterizes great and extraordinary leaders. Most of us dislike having only one strategy to win. In David's framework, he discusses the four simple yet powerful options that will take you to the same goal: lean in, lean back, lean with, and don't lean. David Noble has more than twenty years of global experience advising CEOs, their teams, and major investors on leadership and strategy, and an additional fifteen years as a top executive. He was named by Thinkers50 as one of the world's top coaches. Noble has served as a senior adviser to Egon Zehnder and Oliver Wyman. Get David's book here: Real-Time Leadership: Find Your Winning Moves When the Stakes Are High. David Noble and Carol Kauffman. Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

19 Dec 202247min

Welcome to an episode with a renowned digital entrepreneur and founder of ENTRE institute, Jeff Lerner. Get Jeff's book here. In this episode, Jeff discussed how he was able to build a multi-million dollar company from scratch and the key elements behind his success. At the age of 18, Jeff started his first business after dropping out of high school and becoming a musician. After the first one failed, Jeff continued starting more businesses and failed at them too. Despite years of trying and numerous unsuccessful businesses, one of which had left him $500,000 in dept, he chose to keep going and eventually built multiple successful businesses. Instead of retiring early, Jeff chose to spend his time inspiring and helping others build their businesses. After becoming an authority in startups, he established ENTRE institute, an online education company dedicated to helping entrepreneurs how they could start their own businesses. To date, ENTRE Institute has taught over 150,000 across the world. Get Jeff's book here: Unlock Your Potential: The Ultimate Guide for Creating Your Dream Life in the Modern World Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episode here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

14 Dec 20221h 9min

Welcome to an episode with a practicing emergency physician at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Richard Winters. Get Dr. Richard's book here. As a physician, Dr. Richard shares how he managed, adapted, and remained calm during times of covid. He discussed some of the best practices that can be adapted from the medical field into the space of business. We speak about leadership, administration, and leveraging your expertise to be effective in your career. In this episode, we also discussed one of the traps that most leaders face today where they strive to become successful in their career, and groom and develop new leaders while taking into account the fear of being replaced. As director of Leadership Development for the Mayo Clinic Care Network, Dr. Winters facilitates retreats and delivers programs that train leaders at healthcare organizations worldwide. Dr. Winters graduated from the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in 1994. He is board certified and residency trained in Emergency Medicine from the University of California, San Francisco at Fresno. He graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas Executive and Professional Coaching Program and is a professional certified coach through the International Coaching Federation. He completed a Healthcare Management Executive MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to his work at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Winters served as managing partner of a democratic physician group, chair of emergency medicine, president of an 800-physician medical staff, and CEO/founder of a managed care startup. He lives in Rochester, Minnesota with his family. Get Dr. Richard's book here: You're the Leader. Now What? : Leadership Lessons from Mayo Clinic. Dr. Richard Winters Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episode here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

12 Dec 202249min