582: McKinsey's Venkat Atluri, How to thrive in the ecosystem economy (Strategy Skills classics)

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 380, an 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.  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

13 Sep 20231h 2min

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 379, an interview with the author of Autonomous Transformation: Creating a More Human Future in the Era of Artificial Intelligence, Brian Evergreen. Autonomous Transformation provides a blueprint for leaders and managers who have aspired or attempted to harness artificial intelligence and its adjacent technologies for the betterment of their organization and the world, weaving strategy, management thinking, economics, systemic design, and philosophy into actionable steps with accompanying frameworks to create and sustain Profitable Good. Brian Evergreen is best known for his work advising FORTUNE 500 executives on artificial intelligence strategy. Building on his experiences working at Accenture, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft, Brian guest lectures at Purdue University and the Kellogg School of Management and is a Senior Fellow in the Economy, Strategy, and Finance Center of The Conference Board, sharing the unconventional and innovative methods and frameworks he developed leading and advising Digital Transformation initiatives at many of the world's most valuable companies.  Brian is the founder of The Profitable Good Company, a leadership advisory company that partners with and equips leaders to harness the economic and societal of technology by creating a more human future in the era of artificial intelligence. Get Brian’s book here: https://rb.gy/ejept Autonomous Transformation: Creating a More Human Future in the Era of Artificial Intelligence 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

11 Sep 202349min

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 378, an interview with the director of the Advanced Management and Leadership Programme at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School, Dr. Andrew White. In this episode with Dr. Andrew White, we delved deeply into the changes and challenges of leadership, as well as the reason behind the negative tone of discussions around leadership. Dr. White also discussed how to know if you are approaching leadership in the right way, the indicators of healthy leadership, and how leaders can assess themselves to be better leaders. Dr. Andrew White is the host of the Leadership 2050 podcast, on which he has interviewed the likes of former Unilever CEO Alan Jope and Mercedes F1 team CEO Toto Wolff. He is also the CEO of Transcend.Space, a leadership coaching company. Dr White's work focuses on the type of leadership needed to transcend 21st-century challenges. 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

6 Sep 202336min

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 377, an interview with the author of How to Lead Your Family Business: Excelling Through Unexpected Crises, Choices, and Challenges, Julie Charlestein. In this book, Julie gets vulnerable about her experience as an emerging leader and ultimately CEO, who has worked to earn her colleagues’ respect while navigating the succession to her father’s company. Through stories full of candor and humor, Julie shares her leadership adventure, offering actionable strategies for those leading and working within their own family businesses. Julie Charlestein is a Philadelphia-based business leader and healthcare innovator who serves as the fourth-generation CEO of Premier Dental, just named a 2023 Top Ten Most Innovative Company in Wellness by Fast Company.  Premier Dental is a global provider of innovative dental products used by dentists in 75 countries. Products range from hygienist instruments to teeth polishers to prosthetic mouth devices. As Charlestein likes to say: “You may not know our name, but we’ve probably been in your mouth.” Heading the most trusted brand in dental products for over 100 years, Julie is an advocate for change and industry expert on integrating technology into modern dental practices to improve the treatment journey for both dentists and patients. She was recognized as one of Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Most Admired CEOs,” awarded the Silver Stevie Award as Female Executive of the Year and honored with the Gold Award by the Best in Biz Awards as Executive of the Year. She has served on the Dean's Advisory Board of the School of Dental Medicine at Harvard University and as the Chair of the Government Relations Committee for the Dental Trade Alliance and is a member of The Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Get Julie’s book here: https://rb.gy/d07jl How to Lead Your Family Business: Excelling Through Unexpected Crises, Choices, and Challenges Check out Julie’s website: https://www.juliecharlestein.com/ 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

4 Sep 202338min

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 376, an interview with the author of The Experience Mindset: Changing the Way You Think About Growth, Tiffani Bova. This book details exactly how your company can adopt an Experience Mindset, at scale. It’s not enough to know that happy employees equals happy customers. You must have an intentional, balanced approach to company strategy that involves all stakeholders – IT, Marketing, Sales, Operations, and HR – with KPIs and ownership over outcomes. Tiffani Bova is the global customer growth and innovation evangelist at Salesforce, and the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Growth IQ. Over the past two decades, she has led large revenue-producing divisions at businesses ranging from start-ups to the Fortune 500. As a Research Fellow at Gartner, her cutting-edge insights helped Microsoft, Cisco, Salesforce, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Oracle, SAP, AT&T, Dell, Amazon-AWS, and other prominent companies expand their market share and grow their revenues. She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50 twice. She is also the host of the podcast What’s Next! with Tiffani Bova. Get Tiffani’s book here: https://rb.gy/bcal2 The Experience Mindset: Changing the Way You Think About Growth 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

30 Aug 202345min

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 375, an interview with the author of Decision Sprint: The New Way to Innovate into the Unknown and Move from Strategy to Action, Atif Rafiq. In this book, Atif shares the breakthrough methods to put your company on the path to innovation, creativity, and growth. Atif has written Decision Sprint to pull the curtain back on the hidden management systems within your organization that impact how people think, collaborate, and make decisions. Atif Rafiq has blazed trails in Silicon Valley and the Fortune 500 for over 25 years. After rising through digital native companies like Amazon, Yahoo!, and AOL, Atif held C-suite roles at McDonald’s, Volvo, and MGM Resorts. He oversaw thousands of employees as a global P&L, transformation, and innovation leader.  Atif was the first Chief Digital Officer in the history of the Fortune 500, a pioneering role he held at McDonalds, and he rose to the president level in the Fortune 300. While leading business units, teams, and growth for companies, Atif has built a large following as one of today’s top management thinkers. Over 500,000 people follow his ideas about management and leadership on LinkedIn, where he is a Top Voice, and his newsletter Re:wire has over 100,000 subscribers. Atif is passionate about helping companies push boldly into the future. He accomplishes this through Ritual, a software app revolutionizing how teams innovate and problem-solve, and through his work as keynote speaker, Board member, and CEO advisor. Get Atif’s book here: https://rb.gy/kvxed Decision Sprint: The New Way to Innovate into the Unknown and Move from Strategy to Action 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

28 Aug 202354min

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 374, an interview with the author of The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society, Mauro F. Guillén. In this book, Mauro unpacks a sweeping societal shift triggered by demographic and technological transformation. Guillén argues that outmoded terms like Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z have long been used to pigeonhole us into rigid categories and life stages, artificially preventing people from reaching their full potential. Mauro F. Guillén is one of the most original thinkers at the Wharton School, where he is Professor of Management and Vice Dean for the MBA for Executives Program. An expert on global market trends, he is a sought-after speaker and consultant. He combines his training as a sociologist at Yale and as a business economist in his native Spain to methodically identify and quantify the most promising opportunities at the intersection of demographic, economic, and technological developments. His online classes on Coursera and other platforms have attracted over 100,000 participants from around the world. He has won multiple teaching awards at Wharton, where his presentation on global market trends has become a permanent feature of over fifty executive education programs annually. He is the WSJ bestselling author of 2030: How Today's Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything. Get Mauro’s book here: https://rb.gy/u9n0w The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society 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

23 Aug 202346min

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 373, an interview with the author of Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong, Jerry Colonna. In this book, Jerry guides us on a journey of reunification with the disowned parts of ourselves, the myths and truths of our ancestors, as well as a deeper connection with those most affected by systems of exclusion. Jerry Colonna is the CEO, and co-founder, of Reboot.io, an executive coaching and leadership development firm whose coaches and facilitators are committed to the notion that better humans make better leaders. For nearly 20 years, he has used the knowledge gained as an investor, an executive, and a board member for more than 100 organizations to help entrepreneurs and others to lead with humanity, resilience, and equanimity. Previous to his career as a coach he was a partner with JPMorgan Partners (JPMP), the private equity arm of JP Morgan Chase. He joined JPMP from Flatiron Partners, which he launched 1996 with partner, Fred Wilson. Flatiron became one of the most successful, early-stage investment programs in the New York City area. Jerry is the author of Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up (2019), and Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong (2023). Get Jerry’s book here: https://rb.gy/h9a6aReunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong 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

21 Aug 202344min