Economics, as a discipline, has the reputation of an academic field delivering cold, clinical explanations of our world. Elliott shares his interest in economics and how it helps him in life and, more importantly, in his day-to-day business decisions. Yes, he works with lots of data AND technology, but he also spends a great deal of time working with internal teams and customers. He tells us how solving problems for others and rational decision making can coexist.

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In business, no area gets more scrutiny than leadership. In this episode, Jen explains why being a great leader doesn’t mean being great at everything. It means knowing your own limits and enabling & applauding the strengths of others. Her work helps people acknowledge gaps, develop skills, and embrace that an organization’s strength comes from teams of individuals inspired to work towards a common goal.

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We discuss how those differences showed up in her work and what challenged her to try something so radically different. From a resource-based view, these organizational differences can be seen as a means to an end. In healthcare, a hierarchical structure enables the command-control style necessary to prioritize safety and facilitate compliance mechanisms, whereas tech’s flat or matrixed structures foster the speed and innovation required to adapt quickly.

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Joe innately understands that being transactional in business relationships has a way of following you around and leads to credibility issues that are hard to outrun. His answer is investing in these relationships and gaining the kind of reputation necessary to build long-term mutual success. History can teach us many things, if we chose to listen in.

Consultants often engage with clients across a variety of industries. In doing so, they can play an important role through their learned understanding of industry standards & best practices and by helping apply technological advancements and innovative strategies that elevate industries. Ian is certainly moving the needle on both those fronts.

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She joins us this month for a conversation on immigration, curiosity, creativity in a technical world, and education; lots of education! As a young woman, Winny left Shanghai for a full-ride scholarship at DePaul and ended up being part of an important transformation of this university. Along the way she accumulated three graduate degrees and a lot of experience in the digital cinematic arts, where she still works today. She is a prime example of luck being a matter of preparation meeting opportunity, and that gratitude is a choice. I’m a fan!

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CPS delivers a public good and, as such, must serve everyone in its district equally, without exclusion. For this reason, it’s a fool’s errand to compare them to private firms that make such choices to maximize profit. So, how does CPS focus its organization when they cannot choose the services they offer, or customers they serve? The answer, an endless pursuit of operational efficiency with the guidance of a strong mission. Listen in to hear how, year after year, CPS delivers more with less using the most common approach there is, efficiency.

Listen in for an education!

One of the most tried and true strategies in business is to build strength in one space – whether geographic or product space – and expand slowly into adjacent and related opportunities. If done well, this can compound your initial strength and, potentially, create economies of scope for your firm; a rare but significant competitive advantage. Listen in to hear Julia discuss her work and how she’s been doing her part to achieve that.

A great listen for sure!

He tells us why “sales is hard” but also how his business strategy & decision making concentration focused his efforts. Time is a finite resource, so using it more efficiently is a sure path to better outcomes. He also shares how getting his MBA was so valuable in helping him distinguish good opportunities from bad, see internal management decisions through a different lens, and understand how changes in pricing models, like software subscriptions, can be a rare win-win.

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The role of luck in life and business is often overlooked or underweighted. Many fall victim to this fallacy – myself included. However, luck rarely arrives for those not prepared to see it or capitalize on it. That’s the role of strategy; to prepare for and navigate towards the range of opportunities most likely to present themselves. So, how do you prepare to meet luck with gratitude?

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