Category: Consulting skills

What Are Analytical Skills?

What are analytical skills and why do you need them? Before you leave the page after reading the word “analytical”, give us a few minutes. We are not asking you to be the guy or gal that never surfaces from a spreadsheet. Far from it. In their simplest form, you already use analytical skills every…

Executive Presence

We all know people who have that undeniable ‘pizzazz’, an attractive flair or charisma to them that is appealing. They walk into the room and know how to command attention, as well as how to empower others. They instill confidence in teams and clients – confidence in their own abilities and the broader vision. These…

GE McKinsey Matrix

The GE McKinsey Matrix is an excellent tool. It allows organizations to conduct effective portfolio planning based on the strength and industry attractiveness of each business unit. This nine-box matrix was created by McKinsey in the 1970s to help General Electric (GE) determine how to best invest in their business units. The GE McKinsey Matrix…

Economies of Scale

Economies of scale are talked about often in the world of investing, private equity, and consulting. More and more businesses face pressure to grow into the global marketplace if they hope to survive. But what exactly are economies of scale? Are they something every business has to worry about? Should businesses be pursuing economies of…

Digital Transformation: What Is It?

Digital transformation. It’s the new buzzword in Corporate America, and its importance is being magnified in the wake of COVID-19. The term is intriguing. It’s cool. It’s ambiguous. But buzzword or not, the concept deserves our attention and a closer look. Why is it important? Organizations are working to compete in a world that is…

McKinsey 7s: Organizational Design Assessment

In the business landscape of the 1970s and 1980s, strategy and structure carried far more weight than other “softer” areas of business, such as human resources, in ensuring organizational success. McKinsey’s Robert Waterman and Tom Peters stepped in to develop a framework that elevated the importance of these other components. Enter: The McKinsey 7s framework.…

Cost Benefit Analysis

In today’s global business climate, every decision affects the trajectory of success. Whether it be purchasing buildings, adding personnel, or expanding a product line, each decision contains an opportunity cost and plays a part in determining your net income (or lack thereof). One of the most necessary tools for business owners and consultants to use…

Effective Meeting Strategies

Meetings, meetings, meetings. Sometimes it seems like the world is run on meetings – and it kind of is. But not all managers run effective meetings. Harvard Business Review says the average executive spends about 23 hours a week in meetings. Needless to say, 23 hours is a lot of valuable time. If you’re not…

Types of Leadership: Position vs Influence

There are two types of leaders. We’ve all experienced both types at some point in our careers. There is the leader who solely relies on his or her position to lead but doesn’t know how to effect real change. Then there is the true leader who knows how to influence people, not relying on a…

Toxic Leadership: 5 Things to Avoid as a Leader

If you’ve ever had a boss or manager that was self-centered, manipulative, or controlling, you know what it’s like to be under toxic leadership. In the #MeToo era, toxic leadership has never been as much of a societal focus as it is today. More and more, organizations recognize that toxic leaders lead to organizational decline…