The Consultant's Way Podcast

The Consultant's Way
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

In The Consultant's Way Podcast, we dive deep into the dynamic world of management consulting and professional services. Through insightful case studies, personal experiences, and expert interviews with industry leaders, we explore strategies to enhance consulting skills, refine business practices, and drive success in the consulting field. Whether you’re a seasoned consultant or new to the professional services industry, this podcast offers valuable insights to elevate your consulting career and business. 

  1. Jul 20

    Season 3, Episode 20: The Future of Consulting Runs on Trust

    Send us Fan Mail About The Consultant's Way Podcast The Consultant's Way podcast is your go-to resource for navigating the complexities of the consulting and professional services world. We bring you insightful conversations with industry thought leaders and executives from top Professional Services organizations, sharing their expertise on how to:  • Build high-performing consulting and professional services teams  • Differentiate your offerings and increase organizational growth  • Deliver exceptional client value and drive impactful outcomes Brought to you by:  • McMann & Ransford: A strategy consulting firm with over 30 years of experience helping leading B2B organizations escape commoditization and achieve sustainable growth. Learn more: https://mcmannransford.com/  • The Consultant's Way: Your one-stop shop for training and enabling consultants and professional services teams to deliver exceptional client value. Learn more: https://www.consultantsway.com/  Connect with us:  • LinkedIn:  ○ Dean McMann - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanmcmann/ ○ Anthony Paluska - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-paluska-5081804b • Email: podcast@consultantsway.com  Interested in being a guest?  We're always looking for insightful guests to share their expertise. Reach out to us via email or LinkedIn if you'd like to be considered for a future episode. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Artificial intelligence is changing more than the technology consultants use. It is changing how consulting firms create value, build client relationships, and define success. In this episode of The Consultant's Way Podcast, Dean McMann and Anthony Paluska are joined by Microsoft Product Management Director Zain Sheerazi for a conversation about what AI really means for professional services. Rather than focusing on the latest tools or trends, they explore the bigger shift taking place across the industry and why trust is becoming the foundation of successful AI adoption. Together, they discuss how consulting organizations can move beyond experimentation and begin thinking about AI as part of their operating model. The conversation explores how business models are evolving, why firms need to rethink the way they develop talent and deliver value, and what it takes to help clients navigate uncertainty with confidence. Zain also shares his perspective on why technical expertise alone is no longer enough. As AI continues to automate routine work, consultants have an opportunity to spend more time where they create the greatest impact: exercising judgment, building relationships, influencing decisions, and helping clients solve complex business problems. Whether you're leading a professional services organization, managing a consulting team, or looking to stay relevant in an AI-driven world, this episode offers practical insights into where the industry is headed and what it will take to earn client trust in the years ahead. Listen in to discover why the future of consulting may have less to do with AI itself and everything to do with how consultants help clients embrace it.

  2. Jul 13

    Season 3, Episode 19: The Accidental Leader

    Send us Fan Mail About The Consultant's Way Podcast The Consultant's Way podcast is your go-to resource for navigating the complexities of the consulting and professional services world. We bring you insightful conversations with industry thought leaders and executives from top Professional Services organizations, sharing their expertise on how to:  • Build high-performing consulting and professional services teams  • Differentiate your offerings and increase organizational growth  • Deliver exceptional client value and drive impactful outcomes  Brought to you by:  • McMann & Ransford: A strategy consulting firm with over 30 years of experience helping leading B2B organizations escape commoditization and achieve sustainable growth. Learn more: https://mcmannransford.com/  • The Consultant's Way: Your one-stop shop for training and enabling consultants and professional services teams to deliver exceptional client value. Learn more: https://www.consultantsway.com/   Connect with us:  • LinkedIn:  ○ Dean McMann - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanmcmann/ ○ Anthony Paluska - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-paluska-5081804b • Email: podcast@consultantsway.com   Interested in being a guest?  We're always looking for insightful guests to share their expertise. Reach out to us via email or LinkedIn if you'd like to be considered for a future episode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What happens when your best consultant becomes your newest leader? In this episode, Kelly Doyle joins Dean and Anthony to explore one of the most common challenges in professional services: promoting exceptional technical experts into leadership roles before they've had the opportunity to learn how to lead. Kelly shares why this happens, what it costs organizations, and why the answer isn't simply more training. Drawing from his military experience and years of leading professional services teams, Kelly introduces a leadership concept that has helped transform overwhelmed managers into confident leaders. Through the story of one consultant who became the go-to person for everything, the conversation reveals how even the highest performers can become their own biggest bottlenecks and what it takes to break that cycle. Along the way, Dean, Anthony, and Kelly discuss delegation, developing future leaders, balancing client delivery with team growth, and why human judgment is becoming even more important as AI continues to accelerate the pace of work. If you've ever been promoted because you were great at the job, or you've promoted someone else and hoped they'd figure it out along the way, this episode will challenge the way you think about leadership and leave you with practical ideas you can put into practice right away.  Connect with Kelly Doyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellydoyle1/

  3. Jul 6

    Season 3, Episode 18: The Simplicity Advantage

    Send us Fan Mail About The Consultant's Way Podcast  The Consultant's Way podcast is your go-to resource for navigating the complexities of the consulting and professional services world. We bring you insightful conversations with industry thought leaders and executives from top Professional Services organizations, sharing their expertise on how to:   • Build high-performing consulting and professional services teams  • Differentiate your offerings and increase organizational growth  • Deliver exceptional client value and drive impactful outcomes   Brought to you by:  • McMann & Ransford: A strategy consulting firm with over 30 years of experience helping leading B2B organizations escape commoditization and achieve sustainable growth. Learn more: https://mcmannransford.com/  • The Consultant's Way: Your one-stop shop for training and enabling consultants and professional services teams to deliver exceptional client value. Learn more: https://www.consultantsway.com/   Connect with us:  • LinkedIn:  ○ Dean McMann - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanmcmann/ ○ Anthony Paluska - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-paluska-5081804b • Email: podcast@consultantsway.com   Interested in being a guest?  We're always looking for insightful guests to share their expertise. Reach out to us via email or LinkedIn if you'd like to be considered for a future episode.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Professional services organizations are under pressure to do more with less, move faster, and prove greater value than ever before. But what if the answer isn't adding more offerings or more complexity? What if it's simplifying? In this episode, Kristen Rosenberry shares the journey of transforming a professional services organization during a period of rapid growth and acquisition. From rethinking service offerings to enabling sales teams and reshaping the role of delivery, she offers an inside look at the decisions that helped her organization scale while staying focused on customer outcomes. Kristen, Dean and Anthony explore why simplicity is often harder than complexity, how operational decisions influence consultant behavior, and why today's professional services teams must think more commercially than ever before. The conversation also dives into the challenges of balancing customer value with financial sustainability, the importance of clean operational data, and what leaders should consider before making major changes to their services portfolio. Whether you're leading a professional services organization, supporting operations, or looking for ways to make your consulting business more scalable, Kristen shares practical insights that go well beyond process improvement. If you've ever wondered how to simplify your services without sacrificing customer outcomes, this episode offers a fresh perspective...and a few lessons you may not expect.

  4. Jun 29

    Season 3, Episode 17: The Most Human Consultant Wins

    Send us Fan Mail About The Consultant's Way Podcast  The Consultant's Way podcast is your go-to resource for navigating the complexities of the consulting and professional services world. We bring you insightful conversations with industry thought leaders and executives from top Professional Services organizations, sharing their expertise on how to:   • Build high-performing consulting and professional services teams  • Differentiate your offerings and increase organizational growth  • Deliver exceptional client value and drive impactful outcomes   Brought to you by:  • McMann & Ransford: A strategy consulting firm with over 30 years of experience helping leading B2B organizations escape commoditization and achieve sustainable growth. Learn more: https://mcmannransford.com/  • The Consultant's Way: Your one-stop shop for training and enabling consultants and professional services teams to deliver exceptional client value. Learn more: https://www.consultantsway.com/   Connect with us:  • LinkedIn:  ○ Dean McMann - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanmcmann/ ○ Anthony Paluska - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-paluska-5081804b • Email: podcast@consultantsway.com   Interested in being a guest?  We're always looking for insightful guests to share their expertise. Reach out to us via email or LinkedIn if you'd like to be considered for a future episode.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What happens when AI takes over the work consultants have always spent hours doing? According to Jacqui Morgan, the answer isn't fewer consultants... it’s better ones. In this episode, Jacqui shares how her team transformed the way they deliver client work by automating repetitive tasks, creating greater transparency, and giving consultants back the time to focus on what matters most: building trust, solving problems, and strengthening client relationships. But the conversation goes far beyond technology. Dean, Anthony, and Jacqui explore why the future of consulting won't belong to those who simply know the tools; it will belong to those who know how to advise, influence, and lead clients through change. They discuss the evolving role of project managers and professional services teams, how AI is reshaping career paths, and why consulting skills are becoming more valuable than ever. Jacqui also shares practical lessons from leading transformation inside her own organization, including the unexpected impact AI had on client engagement, how her team approached change management, and why she's passionate about helping more professionals embrace these tools with confidence. If you've wondered what AI really means for consulting (and whether it replaces expertise or amplifies it) this conversation offers a thoughtful and refreshingly practical perspective. The technology may be changing. The importance of being human is only growing.

  5. Jun 15

    Season 3, Episode 16: The Partnership Advantage

    Send us Fan Mail About The Consultant's Way Podcast  The Consultant's Way podcast is your go-to resource for navigating the complexities of the consulting and professional services world. We bring you insightful conversations with industry thought leaders and executives from top Professional Services organizations, sharing their expertise on how to:   • Build high-performing consulting and professional services teams  • Differentiate your offerings and increase organizational growth  • Deliver exceptional client value and drive impactful outcomes   Brought to you by:  • McMann & Ransford: A strategy consulting firm with over 30 years of experience helping leading B2B organizations escape commoditization and achieve sustainable growth. Learn more: https://mcmannransford.com/  • The Consultant's Way: Your one-stop shop for training and enabling consultants and professional services teams to deliver exceptional client value. Learn more: https://www.consultantsway.com/   Connect with us:  • LinkedIn:  ○ Dean McMann - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanmcmann/ ○ Anthony Paluska - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-paluska-5081804b • Email: podcast@consultantsway.com   Interested in being a guest?  We're always looking for insightful guests to share their expertise. Reach out to us via email or LinkedIn if you'd like to be considered for a future episode.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  6. Jun 2

    Season 3, Episode 15: From Implementers to Outcome Accelerators

    Send us Fan Mail About The Consultant's Way Podcast  The Consultant's Way podcast is your go-to resource for navigating the complexities of the consulting and professional services world. We bring you insightful conversations with industry thought leaders and executives from top Professional Services organizations, sharing their expertise on how to:   • Build high-performing consulting and professional services teams  • Differentiate your offerings and increase organizational growth  • Deliver exceptional client value and drive impactful outcomes   Brought to you by:  • McMann & Ransford: A strategy consulting firm with over 30 years of experience helping leading B2B organizations escape commoditization and achieve sustainable growth. Learn more: https://mcmannransford.com/  • The Consultant's Way: Your one-stop shop for training and enabling consultants and professional services teams to deliver exceptional client value. Learn more: https://www.consultantsway.com/   Connect with us:  • LinkedIn:  ○ Dean McMann - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanmcmann/ ○ Anthony Paluska - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-paluska-5081804b • Email: podcast@consultantsway.com   Interested in being a guest?  We're always looking for insightful guests to share their expertise. Reach out to us via email or LinkedIn if you'd like to be considered for a future episode.  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  What does it take to succeed in a world where clients expect faster outcomes, technology is evolving at breakneck speed, and traditional consulting models are being challenged from every direction? In this episode, Dean and Anthony sit down with transformation leader Mudit Govil to explore how professional services organizations are adapting to changing client expectations and what that means for consultants at every level. Drawing on decades of experience leading large scale enterprise transformations around the world, Mudit shares his perspective on the shift from implementation focused services to outcome focused consulting. The conversation explores how leading organizations are balancing standardization and customization, why consulting capability matters as much as technical expertise, and what leaders can do to help their teams navigate constant change. The discussion also dives into the evolving role of AI, the importance of repeatable methodologies, and the mindset shifts required to remain relevant in a rapidly changing market. Along the way, Mudit reflects on several extraordinary leadership experiences that tested communication, decision making, and resilience in ways few consultants will ever encounter. Whether you lead a consulting team, work in professional services, or are trying to develop the next generation of consultants, this episode offers practical insights into what clients value most today and the capabilities that will matter even more tomorrow.

  7. May 18

    Season 3, Episode 14: The Future of Consulting Talent

    Send us Fan Mail About The Consultant's Way Podcast  The Consultant's Way podcast is your go-to resource for navigating the complexities of the consulting and professional services world. We bring you insightful conversations with industry thought leaders and executives from top Professional Services organizations, sharing their expertise on how to:   • Build high-performing consulting and professional services teams  • Differentiate your offerings and increase organizational growth  • Deliver exceptional client value and drive impactful outcomes  Brought to you by:  • McMann & Ransford: A strategy consulting firm with over 30 years of experience helping leading B2B organizations escape commoditization and achieve sustainable growth. Learn more: https://mcmannransford.com/  • The Consultant's Way: Your one-stop shop for training and enabling consultants and professional services teams to deliver exceptional client value. Learn more: https://www.consultantsway.com/  Connect with us:  • LinkedIn:  ○ Dean McMann - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanmcmann/ ○ Anthony Paluska - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-paluska-5081804b • Email: podcast@consultantsway.com  Interested in being a guest?  We're always looking for insightful guests to share their expertise. Reach out to us via email or LinkedIn if you'd like to be considered for a future episode.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  What happens when AI starts reshaping not just technology, but the entire consulting profession? In this episode, Dean and Anthony sit down with longtime friend and healthcare consulting leader Doug Long to unpack how professional services firms are evolving in real time. Drawing from experience across embedded consulting, boutique firms, and large scale consulting organizations, Doug shares what he is seeing firsthand as firms rethink delivery models, client relationships, talent strategies, and the future role of consultants. The conversation explores why many firms may have over specialized for too long, why the industry could be swinging back toward broader consulting skill sets, and what that means for the next generation of consultants trying to grow their careers in an AI enabled world. Doug also shares practical insight into how consulting teams are beginning to work alongside AI tools, why trusted advisor skills matter more than ever, and the growing challenge of developing junior talent when technology can now handle work that once served as a training ground for new consultants. Along the way, the group discusses account management, client trust, the changing shape of consulting organizations, and the tension leaders face between efficiency and long term talent development. If you work in consulting, professional services, healthcare transformation, or leadership, this conversation offers an honest look at where the industry may be heading next and what skills will matter most when it gets there.

  8. May 11

    Season 3, Episode 13: Building Something Before You’re Fully Ready

    Send us Fan Mail About The Consultant's Way Podcast  The Consultant's Way Podcast is your go-to resource for navigating the complexities of the consulting and professional services world. We bring you insightful conversations with industry thought leaders and executives from top Professional Services organizations, sharing their expertise on how to:   • Build high-performing consulting and professional services teams  • Differentiate your offerings and increase organizational growth  • Deliver exceptional client value and drive impactful outcomes   Brought to you by:  • McMann & Ransford: A strategy consulting firm with over 30 years of experience helping leading B2B organizations escape commoditization and achieve sustainable growth. Learn more: https://mcmannransford.com/  • The Consultant's Way: Your one-stop shop for training and enabling consultants and professional services teams to deliver exceptional client value. Learn more: https://www.consultantsway.com/   Connect with us:  • LinkedIn:  ○ Dean McMann - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanmcmann/ ○ Anthony Paluska - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-paluska-5081804b • Email: podcast@consultantsway.com   Interested in being a guest?  We're always looking for insightful guests to share their expertise. Reach out to us via email or LinkedIn if you'd like to be considered for a future episode.  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  In this episode of The Consultant’s Way Podcast, Stephen Shorey shares what it actually looks like to step out of a successful consulting career and build something of your own...before you feel completely ready.  Stephen walks through the decision to leave a stable role and start his own firm, Immersive Tech, not just to go independent, but to build an organization grounded in his own values, approach, and experiences. It’s a candid look at the early stage of that journey; where the vision is clear, but the path is anything but.  The conversation goes beyond the typical “why I started a business” story. Stephen gets into the realities that don’t get talked about enough: the internal doubts, the pressure of making early decisions without perfect information, and the challenge of shifting from delivering work to building a business around it. He shares how he approached everything from structuring his services to thinking through pricing, while managing the uncertainty that comes with starting from scratch.  There’s also a practical side to this discussion. Stephen talks through how his background in project management shaped the way he built his company, from creating a business case to breaking the work into structured plans and timelines. It’s a reminder that the same skills used to deliver complex programs can be applied to building something entirely new.  Whether you’re considering starting your own firm, already in the early stages, or simply curious about what that transition really looks like, this episode offers an honest perspective on the challenges, trade-offs, and mindset required to take that leap.

See All (86)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

In The Consultant's Way Podcast, we dive deep into the dynamic world of management consulting and professional services. Through insightful case studies, personal experiences, and expert interviews with industry leaders, we explore strategies to enhance consulting skills, refine business practices, and drive success in the consulting field. Whether you’re a seasoned consultant or new to the professional services industry, this podcast offers valuable insights to elevate your consulting career and business. 

Information

  • Creator
    The Consultant's Way
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    86
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Consultant’s Way
  • Show Website
    The Consultant's Way Podcast