StrategyU

OCTOBER 2, 2023

” The job of a great consultant is not just to repackage information. It is to put that information into the client’s context and then give them actionable information about what they should do next. Almost every company I’ve done workshops for has the same problem: they don’t ask “So what?

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StrategyU

JANUARY 20, 2025

Bottom-Up : Using the principles to go from lots of information to a synthesized core idea Top-down: Once you have a structured set of ideas using things like MECE, this is how you think about organizing the sequence and order of events. Above that are the “insights” – you synthesize your information into the “so what?”

Communication 52

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StrategyU

NOVEMBER 28, 2020

In my several years in strategy consulting, I learned about the many ways data, information and charts could be used to fit with an existing storyline. This builds on the last charge and adds the “missing” information of the percentage of men who are Fortune 500 CEOs. Beware of misinformation.

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StrategyU

AUGUST 22, 2023

To demonstrate this, I asked Bard , googles AI chat tool, the following question: “What are three ways someone might use a tool like Bard that would help them work like a strategy consultant?” This information can then be analyzed to identify trends, patterns, and insights that would be helpful to a strategy consultant.

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StrategyU

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

But it’s not just about reaching the correct solution—how you approach the problem, the strategy you use, and the decisions you make along the way are just as important. The McKinsey Problem Solve Game consists of different mini-games, each designed to test different aspects of your cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills.

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StrategyU

FEBRUARY 8, 2025

Alternative Approach: Consider combining social media and affiliate marketing into a single category if the strategies and metrics used overlap significantly, then add a separate category for emerging digital channels such as mobile app advertising.

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Consulting Media Business Problem Solving Problem Solving 52

StrategyU

JULY 7, 2021

Using a template like follows and coming up with the high-level issues and areas within the business you are focusing on can be clarifying. You can also add specific types of analyses and information that you use to help you solve or improve in these areas: This can also be rolled out across your org chart. Learn more here.

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StrategyU

JULY 5, 2020

The history of strategy consulting starts with Frederick Taylor and the Scientific Management movement but took many twists and turns as it evolved into its current state, an industry looking inward and pondering where it fits in the new technology-powered business world. one that would focus on business strategy.

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StrategyU

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

You just got a meal of useless information. The biggest problem with this is that people know about the feedback sandwich. Do you have a toolkit for business problem solving? The reason this resonates, however, is that most people don’t get positive feedback.

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Consulting Business Problem Solving Construction Problem Solving 59

StrategyU

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

Ansoff’s matrix for growth strategy). The 7 S’s are: Strategy Structure Systems Shared Values Style Staff Skills Now I know that you might be thinking, “That’s just a list of business jargon.” For example, let’s say you decide to shift your strategy from being a cost leader to a premium brand.

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StrategyU

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

That’s exactly what Lilli is, According to them, “Employees can prompt Lilli with a question, and the tool will scan the knowledge base, locate five to seven relevant pieces of information, summarize key points, include links, and identify experts in the field.” They were experts in helping people find information.

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StrategyU

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive) is a powerful problem-solving framework that is used in management consulting and various business functions. By applying this principle, I’m sure you will be better equipped to simplify complex problems, make more informed decisions, and communicate ideas more effectively.

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Consulting Retail Problem Solving Motivation 52

StrategyU

MARCH 10, 2024

The mystique of strategy consulting has inspired films such as Office Space and Up In the Air and TV shows like House of Lies. While I generally agree with many of the criticisms of strategy consulting, I am more interested in demystifying what consultants do and how you can learn the same skills without having to work in the industry.

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StrategyU

JANUARY 27, 2021

She gives credit to her time in consulting for being able to become a CEO: “I don’t think I could have gotten here without a strategy consultant background because it taught me inductive thinking. Do you have a toolkit for business problem solving?

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StrategyU

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

Over and over again in my coaching work, I am surprised at how little time is spent on actually processing information and thinking about how other people might interpret certain information. It’s a nudge to go beyond sharing a bunch of information and thinking about what you are really trying to say.

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StrategyU

JUNE 28, 2022

In 1976 the founder of Boston Consulting Group, Bruce Henderson published a strategy memo with a bold claim : “ a stable competitive market never has more than three significant competitors, the largest of which has no more than four times the market share of the smallest.”. Do you have a toolkit for business problem solving?

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Consulting Business Problem Solving Strategy Problem Solving 52

StrategyU

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Part of this comes from insecurity but another part comes from the reality that you went through your own extended learning journey with the information. ” But from the listener’s perspective, if you are taking them down a rabbit hole of detailed numbers and information it can be tedious and frustrating.

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StrategyU

OCTOBER 6, 2024

To do great work, you need to put information in context and to put your tasks in context, you need to have an understanding of what your business actually does. We tend to glorify words like “Strategy,” but strategy isn’t that complex. Is your marketing group responsible for click-through rates?

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Consulting Performance Strategy Business Problem Solving 52

StrategyU

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

I started StrategyU with the intention of teaching knowledge workers the tools, frameworks, mindsets, and approaches that I learned in strategy consulting. When I started this, I thought that my audience would be people in big companies stuck inside strategy, finance, or analytics groups that didn’t have access to training.

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StrategyU

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

This is why consulting can feel more like therapy than business problem-solving. This is the value of a consultant, the ability to continue to search for the problem behind the problem. This usually requires really spending time with the client and people inside the organization in a formal and informal way.

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StrategyU

FEBRUARY 8, 2025

Management consulting focuses on improving overall organizational performance; strategy consulting helps companies decide on the best course for growth and competitive advantage; technology consulting centers on digital transformation and IT strategy; and there are many niche areas such as human resources, marketing, and operations consulting.

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StrategyU

MAY 29, 2024

He detailed how he had decided in high school, after getting into Stanford, that he would work in strategy consulting. At the highest level, most cases are similar: The interviewer presents background on a “client’s” business problem or scenario (e.g., Do you have a toolkit for business problem solving?

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StrategyU

AUGUST 19, 2024

But what is problem-solving? From a psychological perspective, it’s a cognitive process in which a person uses mental strategies to achieve a goal or find an answer to a challenging situation. Having “too much”: You are near the end of the project and you have hundreds of pieces of information.

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StrategyU

JUNE 12, 2021

One of the best models for thinking about how we process information is through Daniel Kahneman’s breakdown of System 1 and System 2 thinking which he introduced in Thinking, fast and slow. Mental models are turning information into actionable ways of navigating the world, making decisions, and getting things right.

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StrategyU

APRIL 19, 2022

The Analyst and Associate Levels: Early-Career In Strategy Consulting. Strategy Consulting Firms Hire Entry-Level Consultants, But Typically Less Than Grad School Hires. One weird thing about the strategy consulting industry is that many people join the industry with an intention to leave.

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StrategyU

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

In 2012, I was first exposed to the world of freelance strategy consultants while working for a-connect. I wanted something that signaled a firm and also allowed me some flexibility in the type of work I did (I landed on Vivo Strategies). At the time, I had a hunch that this was a path I wanted to explore.

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StrategyU

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Instead, you need to develop a better process for synthesizing and structuring information. This is even more important in the digital age where you don’t actually have to go to a different space like a library to find information. The lowest level is made up of individual pieces of information. Barbara Minto.

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StrategyU

OCTOBER 29, 2024

The most valuable professionals and leaders aren’t just smart – they consistently demonstrate an ability to solve complex problems. Resilience and Adaptability Problem-solving is rarely a linear process. And sometimes that means making decisions with imperfect information.

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StrategyU

OCTOBER 31, 2024

The most famous kinds of consulting The three biggest areas of consulting are strategy and operations, technology, and financial and transaction advisory. Here’s some examples of the “big three” industries: #1 Strategy and Operations Consulting At the top of the consulting world are firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG.

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