above average intelligence Archives - Wakeman Consulting Group

Leadership in Transition: What Weil’s Succession Plan Reveals About Strategy, Not Just Succession

Barry Wolf is stepping back. Ramona Nee is stepping up. Weil is doing everything right…on paper. A two-year overlap. New committees focused on the future. Clear timelines. A date-certain handoff. But the real test of a handoff isn’t in the mechanics. It is whether Nee can avoid two traps. Trap one: Trying to be Barry Wolf. Imitation […]

The “Most Feared” Law Firm Wants to Be Liked…That’s a Strategy Problem.

Quinn Emanuel, the “most feared” litigation firm, is considering a rebrand? In the UK. A new logo?A softer image? A different position? The headlines call it a brand problem. The headlines are wrong. This is a strategy problem wearing a marketing costume. But Quinn Emanuel isn’t alone. Across the legal industry, firms are drifting. Chasing […]

How I’d Like to Help You This Year

I deliver original, insightful content every week. Once a quarter, I do a self-serving update about how I can help you. 5 Ways I Deliver Value There are 5 ways you find me. In no particular order: Here’s what each looks like in practice. Strategic Advisory I work with leaders who feel Strategic Drift. Revenue […]

The Narrative Economy of Finance

Why Blue Owl and Bill Ackman sell stories you want to believe—and what the numbers actually reveal. Blue Owl and Bill Ackman sell stories you want to believe…but what do the numbers really say? Finance loves a narrative. Bitcoin will replace gold. “Housing prices never go down.” Tulip bulbs traded for houses. The internet “changes […]

The NY Times Just Published the Temu Version of My Met Opera Analysis

Same story. Less depth. No framework. Let’s compare. A little over two weeks ago, I wrote a piece called “The Met Opera’s Crisis Isn’t About Art. It’s About Strategy.” I laid out frameworks for analyzing the situation: Today, the New York Times published its own version. Same subject. Same desperation. Same Saudi deal. Same Chagall […]