Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional

Belden Menkus is the managing director at Menkus and Associates. He is also the host of the podcast the Purposeful Strategist, a podcast that shifts the conversation from what organisations should do to what they are doing to embrace their broader purpose and translate it into tangible action. On today's episode, we listen to one of Belden's podcasts where he interviews Robin Mortimer, the chief executive of organization in the London Port of Authority Key points include: 06:52: What the Port Authority is and what they do 09:32: How the vision of the Thames and organisation is structured and functions 12:42: Where the Thames Vision is going 15:32: The strategy to manage the vision 21:16: How the hydrogen economy affects the Thames Vision Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

David A. Fields spent nine years in marketing for GlaxoSmithKline before jumping into consulting with a boutique firm, where he became partner. He then co-founded Ascendant Consulting and focused the practice on helping large corporations enter new markets. He is the author of two books on consulting, and on this episode, he shares expert tips for solo consultants, boutique firms, and small to medium businesses. David can be reached through LinkedIn or his website, https://www.davidafields.com. Key points include: 06:24: Structuring the discovery discussion 15:14: Partners for consultants 18:35: Big challenges for solo consultants 31:43: The challenge of growth Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Tim Streeter spent 25 years working in consulting and human resources including global leadership roles in Talent Acquisition at Accenture and Whirlpool. As the former chief operating officer of talent acquisition at Accenture, where he was responsible for managing a recruiter headcount of 2500 people and delivering 100,000 new hires every year. He's also the author of the Contentment Commitment, which we will chat about in this episode. Tim can be reached through his website, https://www.contentmentcommitment.com/, where you can also learn more about the book. Key points include: 00:52: The personal history behind the book 03:19: The six dimensions of contentment 08:32: The commitments Tim made 20:10: Tim's work with organisations Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Max Friberg is a McKinsey alum with an MSc in CEMS International Management who has founded the SaaS tool company Inex One with the goal to improve the exchange of expertise around the globe. Inex One is now used by leading investors and analysts. You can learn more about Inex One at inex.one. Key points include: 07:13: How Inex One improves the expert network process and experience 15:54: How the idea of Inex One was born 18:39: How the expert network is evolving 26:00: Who's using Inex One Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Chad Oakley is the president and CEO of Charles Eris, which is one of the top executive search firms in the United States focused on recruiting management consultants. In this Q & A episode, he shares insights and answers questions that consultants have always wanted to ask about the job market. Key points include: 09:37: The current state of the market for consultants 15:18: Areas that are in demand now and will increase in demand 21:49: Applying for a salaried position after working as an independent consultant 33:34: The best way to interact with retain search firms Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com

Sarah Locher is a Senior at Independence High School. She currently works as a Hollister Brand Agent and was chosen as one of forty employees from a national pool of 2,880 applicants. As a high school student, she conducted an impressive project on the future of Change Management. She talks about why she started the project and how she did it. To learn more about Sarah's project, connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-locher-a4579b1a6/, and to download her change management research results go to https://bit.ly/3yQLMaf. Key points include: 00:46: The future change management consulting project 07:42: Recruiting participants for the project 12:43: Key takeaways from the research Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com

Kathryn Valentine is a McKinsey alum, author, speaker and founder of Worthmore Negotiations, a company that focuses on creating effective, research-based negotiation strategies for women, training women to use these strategies, and supporting them during the big negotiations of their career. Learn more about Worthmore Negotiations at www.worthmorenegotiations.com or reach out to Kathryn on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/kval. Key points include: 02:27: Why it benefits a company to teach women to negotiate 09:51: Communal negotiation and collaborative negotiation 18:38: The gold standard in negotiations 19:28: How Worth More developed 23:09: Key negotiation tips for women Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com

Bill Fotsch has a 20-year track record of improving company sales and profits in an array of industries. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. He has co-authored several published articles and serves on the board of several companies that practice Open-Book Management. You can learn more about his company at https://openbookcoaching.com, or email Bill at Bill.Fotsch@openbookcoaching.com or reach out on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/billfotsch. Key points include: 05:07: Where to start with open-book management 08:57: Examples of companies switching to open-book management 17:04: Big changes in operations 28:03: How Bill launched his writing career Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com

Ben Legg helps entrepreneurs reinvent themselves and society for the better. His career has included relieving the siege of Sarajevo in 1995, McKinsey strategy consultant, turning around Coca-Cola India and the COO of Google Europe. In this episode, he discusses his latest venture The Portfolio Collective. You can learn more at https://portfolio-collective.com Key points include: 01:00: Who can become a portfolio professional 04:48: How the Portfolio Creative developed 10:03: The benefits of joining the Portfolio Collective 20:32: Branding diverse skill sets and services cohesively 22:25: Entry requirements Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com

Mary Cummins has an MBA from the Wharton School and an MA with Honors in Electrical Engineering from Cambridge University. Her consulting career includes equity partnership at The Boston Consulting Group, and at Deloitte Consulting. Mary's experience spans across traditionally siloed healthcare sectors and includes serving on the Board of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (the largest non-profit home health agency in the US). On this episode, she talks about value-based care and the shift from volume to value in the healthcare system. Key points include: 10:38: Transitioning to new models after the Affordable Care Act 16:00: How a hospital adapts to a value-based care system 21:09: Examples of how hospitals operate differently 23:44: How the pay structure affects the model 31:44: Current experiments in value-based care Learn more about Mary's company at www.certusadv.com and connect on www.linkedin.com/in/maryecummins Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.