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I spent 20 years as a management consultant. Made Partner in my 30s. Led teams of 100+ people. Run 9-figure client portfolios. Lived and worked in 4 continents. I can tell you: ERP implementations are a NIGHTMARE. Always the same challenges. Logo changes but issues don't: 🧵

Spent my last 20 years in consulting. Made Partner in my 30s. Led teams of 100+ people. Run 9-figure client portfolios. Lived and worked in 4 continents. Built, reviewed and edited 1000s of slides. Let me give you one simple trick for your next PowerPoint. If a slide does not change the audience's understanding, shift the energy of the people reading it, or even serve as a logical bridge between two ideas, then it is 100% dead weight. The temptation to add "one more" slide usually comes from your own insecurity of wanting to show you have done the work, or to pad the deck for safety... But one thing I learned is that great presentations are ruthless. They compress, not expand. When you can say it with 1 slide, saying it with 2 only dilutes the message and it's best avoided. When I am unsure about a slide, I run it through a sort of private interrogation. I sit with it for a moment and ask myself: "If I delete this, does the story break… or does it actually flow better?" If the narrative becomes tighter, the slide was useless. If the audience loses a key leap of understanding, the slide was actually doing work. Then I push it one level deeper. I look at the slide and ask: "What decision does this slide help the audience make?" If the answer is fuzzy (eg, "nice to know", "extra context", "evidence no one asked for or even care about") then it goes in the bin. ZERO mercy. Learn to be succinct.

I have a theory I keep testing in meetings, project rooms, and even in casual coffees with my consultants. The bottleneck in our industry is not intelligence. It is not frameworks. It is not AI skills. The bottleneck is the TOTAL inability to communicate a hard idea clearly enough while under pressure. Various times I have witnessed brilliant people lose 7-figure deals (or maybe 8-figure deals) because they drowned executives in detail. I have watched average thinkers win those same deals because they had the nerve to say one sharp sentence and then shut up. Being clear and succinct beats horsepower. Every. Damn. Time. When I refer to "clarity" I don't mean a design trick or a nice font, or a smart template. It is a form of bravery. You need courage to cut 20 slides down to 7. Courage to say, "No, buddy, this is not the real problem.... this is." Courage to stop 'performing' competence and start showing it. When I was writing "Beyond Slides", I kept coming back to a line I once heard from an old carpenter from my 5000-people hometown: "La forma rivela la sostanza." The form reveals the substance. If your thinking is a mess, your presentation will expose it. If your story does not hold together, please understand no amount of AI or templates will fix it! But when your thinking is top notch, the slides almost build themselves. They become a by-product, not the product. The story is the real power. The ppt is just the carrier. If you master the former, the latter becomes effortless. That is the whole point of my book "Beyond Slides": not "make better decks" but "become the archetype of consultant who almost does not need them". (PS: Don't forget to get your copy of the book on Amazon 😅)

As our boy Hormozi launches his new book plus his new offer plus his new ChatGPT wrapper, and takes over my f***in' feed on multiple platforms, I'm reminded of the following quote: "People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw rocks at their enemies."

Not many people know this but McKinsey even advice OTHER consulting companies on how they can improve their financial metrics. Once, I happened to have access to their recommendations. It was literally stuff like: - uplift ratecard - improve pyramid (ie, sell more junior consultants at a higher margins) - choose outcome-based deals over time & materials because you have more control on profitability. Crazy sh*t.

Remember that I lived for 12 months straight in this Grand Hyatt? Let me tell you the story of when I became a "Hyatt celebrity". I had been living in the hotel for about 3 months by then, and had reached the top status in their loyalty program. If you're not familiar, the perks are PHENOMENAL. Amongst other things, you get access to their rooftop, where 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch and aperitif) you get fed incredibly tasty and sophisticated foods, and by 6pm you are welcomed with a glass of Moët & Chandon as soon as you step in the private lounge. It feels pretty special, but there's one more thing very few people get... One Sunday, I had just woken up and got upstairs for my free breakfast. All of a sudden, the lounge manager - a guy called Cipher - comes at me holding a camera. "I need to take a picture of you, sir" Hang on, what's going on here? WTF is he doing with a camera during breakfast?! "Whyyy? What do you need a picture of me for?" That's when my friend Cipher explained that he takes a photograph of all the most loyal customers, and places it in the staff room with the customer's name and surname. The entire staff need to memorize the face and name of each of the "most loyal customers" (I assume they're only a handful) and then greet them by name whenever they bump into them within the hotel premises. I thought: "This is pretty incredible" and got my picture taken. From that day onwards, wherever I was in the hotel - the lobby, the pool, the gym, any of the restaurants - whoever I would meet, from the lift-boy to the cleaner, would call me by name. These are people that I had never met before or interacted with! I don't know if this practice is still in place (it has been a while...), but at the time it felt really cool, especially for a young boy born and raised in a sleepy village in the South of Italy, to experience such "luxurious" treatment!

The consulting era of “smart guys with PowerPoint” is coming to an abrupt end. To succeed these days you have to be the translator between C-suite ambition and tech execution. Most transformations fail in the space between strategy and code, so you should plant yourself in that gap and make it your white space. That means having consultants who understand both the commercial ambition (new revenue models, market entry, product digitization) and the delivery mechanics (APIs, platforms, agile teams, data governance). They do not need to write software, but they must know what good looks like. In this sense, consultants become the glue: decoding ambition into design choices and trade-offs. That is real value.

I used to think the most important skill in business was expertise, knowing your industry inside out, understanding the nuances, having the best strategy, the right numbers, the clever angle. That of course matters. Somehow. But the longer I have been in the game, the more I have come to realise something a bit uncomfortable: most people are not evaluating you purely on skill but on how you make them feel. I have sat in meetings where the best solution lost, because the person presenting it had made too many people feel small along the way. I have literally seen careers stall because someone could not resist the urge to be "right" all the time. I have seen deals break for the most ridiculous, human reason: the buyer simply did not like the seller! This is the part nobody tells you when you are young and eager to impress. They tell you to learn frameworks, master the tech, get the credentials, etc but NOBODY tells you to just be a f*cking pleasant human to work with! I have recently read an old line allegedly by Emerson: "What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say". Well, it plays every day in business. There are a lot of smart people out there, but far fewer you actually want to work with for more than five minutes. Every senior leader I have ever respected has told me a version of the same thing over the past two decades... usually in private, casually, almost as an afterthought: "I just don't work with as*holes anymore. Life is too short." All I can tell you, folks, is to always keep that in mind.

My management consulting experience was essentially flying business class, staying in fancy hotels, racking up hotel points, using PowerPoint as a third language, and getting reimbursed for all meals. Sure, the hours were long but at least I got to tell companies how to run their business and help them seeing those suggestions through. A lifelong career. A pretty sweet gig. And I got some great travel stories out of it. (Still going)

Going for a walk is the best thing you can do when you're stuck trying to solve a problem. Try it. I fix 90% of my problems by going for a stroll.

When you are starting out, say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. Don't listen to the gurus out there who'll tell you to "protect your time", "set clear boundaries", learn "how to say no", and similar non-sense. They are already successful, and you are not. Yet.

The open-space office is the shittest kind of office. It gives you constant noise, lack of privacy, forced social interactions and fails to provide the best conditions for deep work or collaboration. The office should be 40% library, 40% coffeeshop, 10% church and 10% gym:

Accenture has made more money with ChatGPT than OpenAI. "YeaH bUt conSULtiNg iS dEaD!!"

A story from New Zealand. McKinsey came in, did a bunch of interviews, produced some slides, created a mess then run away when it was time to deal with it. All of the above for a small fee, I presume. As I like to say, there are "consultants" and "con-sultants". The world is going towards strategy-to-implementation services, where consultancies stick around through to execution, showing skin in the game. The time of the smart guys with an MBA producing fancy slides and then disappearing is gone.

I turned 40. Didn't make it to a 40U40 list, so I'm going to list 40 things I learned in my past 40 years that you can read in 40 seconds. 🧵

I spent 20 years as a management consultant. Made Partner in my 30s. Led teams of 100+ people. Run 9-figure client portfolios. Lived and worked in 4 continents. I can tell you: ERP implementations are a NIGHTMARE. Always the same challenges. Logo changes but issues don't: 🧵

My daughter lost her first tooth. How many $$$ should the tooth fairy leave under her pillow tonight?

Remember that I lived for 12 months straight in this Grand Hyatt? Let me tell you the story of when I became a "Hyatt celebrity". I had been living in the hotel for about 3 months by then, and had reached the top status in their loyalty program. If you're not familiar, the perks are PHENOMENAL. Amongst other things, you get access to their rooftop, where 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch and aperitif) you get fed incredibly tasty and sophisticated foods, and by 6pm you are welcomed with a glass of Moët & Chandon as soon as you step in the private lounge. It feels pretty special, but there's one more thing very few people get... One Sunday, I had just woken up and got upstairs for my free breakfast. All of a sudden, the lounge manager - a guy called Cipher - comes at me holding a camera. "I need to take a picture of you, sir" Hang on, what's going on here? WTF is he doing with a camera during breakfast?! "Whyyy? What do you need a picture of me for?" That's when my friend Cipher explained that he takes a photograph of all the most loyal customers, and places it in the staff room with the customer's name and surname. The entire staff need to memorize the face and name of each of the "most loyal customers" (I assume they're only a handful) and then greet them by name whenever they bump into them within the hotel premises. I thought: "This is pretty incredible" and got my picture taken. From that day onwards, wherever I was in the hotel - the lobby, the pool, the gym, any of the restaurants - whoever I would meet, from the lift-boy to the cleaner, would call me by name. These are people that I had never met before or interacted with! I don't know if this practice is still in place (it has been a while...), but at the time it felt really cool, especially for a young boy born and raised in a sleepy village in the South of Italy, to experience such "luxurious" treatment!

I have a question for you. Big fish in a small pond VS Small fish in a big pond What do you say?

Not many people know this but McKinsey even advice OTHER consulting companies on how they can improve their financial metrics. Once, I happened to have access to their recommendations. It was literally stuff like: - uplift ratecard - improve pyramid (ie, sell more junior consultants at a higher margins) - choose outcome-based deals over time & materials because you have more control on profitability. Crazy sh*t.

Choosing to use Google Slides instead of PowerPoint is like choosing to eat that yellow American cheese instead of fresh mozzarella.

Right now, I'm working with a client to guide them through the complexities of their technology landscape simplification. He's the Divisional CIO of a large bank who's looking to cut costs and reduce the number of systems his organization runs on. (It's a technology spaghetti right now!) At the same time, he wants to create a tech environment that is agile, efficient, and aligned with strategic business goals. Here's how we're approaching this: (PS: bookmark this because it's a decently long read and you will want to refer back to this) 1) Define Objectives We kick off by setting clear, measurable objectives with our client. What are the critical pain points? What outcomes does the business aspire to achieve through this simplification? Establishing these goals upfront guides our entire project strategy. 2) Engage Stakeholders Effective change requires consensus and commitment. We engage a broad spectrum of stakeholders, from executives to daily tech users to business and technology architects, to ensure their insights and needs shape the project vision. This approach helps us mitigate resistance: if you've been involved in the process, it's unlikely you'll complain about its outcomes. 3) Gather Data We meticulously collect data on current technology utilization, user satisfaction, and system performance. This step helps us identifying inefficiencies and aligning the tech stack with user needs and business operations. 4) Choose Tools Utilizing the right tools is essential for managing complex projects. We equip our team with robust project management software (usual suspects there...), advanced analytics tools, and dynamic visualization software to streamline our efforts and enhance decision-making. Guess what apps we're using? 😅 5) Plan the Project With a comprehensive understanding of the landscape and the tools in place, we outline a detailed project plan. This plan includes specific milestones, clear deadlines, and designated responsibilities. We want transparency and accountability. 6) Analyze Our analysis dives deep into the collected data to identify bottlenecks and redundancies. We look for opportunities where simplification can enhance performance and user experience, directly supporting the predefined objectives. 7) Report Findings We synthesize our analysis into a clear, concise report that articulates our findings and frames our strategic recommendations. This document is tailored to resonate with all stakeholders, providing them with a clear rationale for proposed changes. This is my favorite step, as we get to build a story for change that has to be persuasive and factual. 8) Collect Feedback Feedback is a gift that we actively seek. Engaging stakeholders with our preliminary findings allows us to refine our recommendations and ensures the proposed strategies are practical and grounded in the operational reality of the business. We listen to everybody, and then we adjust our story accordingly... 9) Support Implementation I'm a "consultant", not a "con-sultant", so I always like to stick around for the implementation of the recommendations we provide. This involves overseeing various technology deployments, facilitating the decommissioning of legacy systems, and conducting training sessions to ensure a smooth transition. What's your experience with this type of projects? Have you seen them, either as a client or an advisor? Repost this so as many people as possible can look at it!

I still don't know if this is a genius move, an idiotic move, or a dangerous move. Perhaps it's all 3, just depending on whose viewpoint we are looking at it from. I think this is a killer business idea, for many reasons, including the fact that you're selling to vulnerable

George Clooney convinced people that nespresso pods are actually coffee. BS! There's only one way to make your coffee and that is by using this beast here (IYKYK) Have you ever tried it?

A story from New Zealand. McKinsey came in, did a bunch of interviews, produced some slides, created a mess then run away when it was time to deal with it. All of the above for a small fee, I presume. As I like to say, there are "consultants" and "con-sultants". The world is going towards strategy-to-implementation services, where consultancies stick around through to execution, showing skin in the game. The time of the smart guys with an MBA producing fancy slides and then disappearing is gone.

15 years ago, I lived here on company's expenses for 12 months straight. Till date, it's the most luxurious place I used as an accommodation for such a long amount of time. I met famous actors, oil tycoons, Marta Marzotto (the fashion lady!), singers. But the weirdest encounter was another one... At 4am in the morning, I was checking out heading to the airport for my business class flight back to London. I was tired (as you normally are at 4am) and was hoping to be done quickly with the check-out process (as it should be at that time). While I was dealing with the receptionist, a guy came out of the lift, completely naked. I mean, totally naked. At 4am. He had a white bedsheet around his 🍆 just to cover it a bit, but nothing other than that. He came to the desk while I was standing there, and told the receptionist that he "got locked outside" of his room. I was trying not to laugh (but I was absolutely laughing inside). The receptionist showed a superhuman calm and detachment: he just asked him some questions like room number, date of birth, etc which the guy quickly answered. Then he handed him over the card and the hotel guest run straight to the lifts area and disappeared. I have a suspicion about what happened (I'll never really know...) but what do you think??? Why did the guy end up naked locked out of his room at 4am in the morning??

People make fun of management consultants here on X but 90% of them wouldn't have the brain power, the resilience and the self-discipline to last more than 12 months in a high performing environment.

Going for a walk is the best thing you can do when you're stuck trying to solve a problem. Try it. I fix 90% of my problems by going for a stroll.

I don't understand why would anyone buy a MacBook?! Get a Microsoft Windows laptop and everything will work straight away. Why would you ever buy a Mac, having to relearn all shortcuts etc?!?!!?

The consulting era of “smart guys with PowerPoint” is coming to an abrupt end. To succeed these days you have to be the translator between C-suite ambition and tech execution. Most transformations fail in the space between strategy and code, so you should plant yourself in that gap and make it your white space. That means having consultants who understand both the commercial ambition (new revenue models, market entry, product digitization) and the delivery mechanics (APIs, platforms, agile teams, data governance). They do not need to write software, but they must know what good looks like. In this sense, consultants become the glue: decoding ambition into design choices and trade-offs. That is real value.

Can you become a "One-Person Consultancy"? A "soloconsultancy"? I'm not talking about becoming a freelancer. I'm referring to an entire consulting firm, managed by one person and amplified by AI. Big consulting firms will get more and more under pressure with the rise of AI.