Consulting's mentorship model has long been the foundation of the industry. Does AI threaten to undermine this principle? Will bots be the teachers rather than the experienced partners? In this episode, Tom talks with Tony Klimas, who has been a senior partner at EY as well as KPMG and Bearingpoint. His capstone was as President of Horvath USA. Reflecting on more than three decades of leadership and service in consulting, Tony believes AI will actually enable firms to be more responsive to teaching the skills necessary to succeed in the consulting industry.

Every consulting firm talks about values and principles. But do they live them? In this episode, Tom talks with Adam Boitnott, founder of fast-growing Hylaine Consulting, on what it's like to say "no" to clients. Adam's philosophy was formed early in his career, when, as a junior consultant at Accenture, he sent the CEO a list of suggestions for bettering the firm. Today he teaches staffers that doing right by client means more than the bottom line.

In this episode, Tom is joined by Brent Trimble, Vice President of Value Engineering at Kantata and host of the Professional Services Pursuit podcast, for a candid conversation on what it really takes to grow a consulting firm. Drawing on decades of experience in advertising, consulting, and SaaS, Brent unpacks why differentiation is more than a slogan, how firms can escape the “sea of sameness,” and why discipline matters at every stage of growth.