The Consultant's Way Podcast

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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. 
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 What actually makes a consultant valuable?
It is not simply technical expertise, years of experience, or how busy your calendar looks. In this episode of The Consultant’s Way Podcast, Dean McMann and Anthony Paluska sit down with Michel Saleh, a seasoned professional services leader whose career has spanned consulting firms, technology companies, advisory roles, and global leadership.
Drawing on more than 25 years in the profession, Michel reflects on what consultants learn as they move through different stages of their careers and why some of the most important lessons are not always obvious early on.
The conversation explores how consultants begin to understand the business behind the work, develop stronger judgment, communicate more effectively, and recognize the difference between completing activities and creating meaningful value. Michel also shares what experience has taught him about navigating pressure, learning from difficult situations, and becoming more effective with clients and colleagues over time.
They also dig into a skill that can dramatically change how a consultant operates in the moment: the ability to slow down, pay attention, and understand what is really happening in the room.
Whether you are early in your consulting career, leading a professional services organization, or somewhere in between, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at the capabilities and experiences that shape strong consultants.
And some of the most valuable ones may not be the ones you expect.

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.
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What happens when professional services stops being viewed as the team that simply gets customers live?
In this episode of The Consultant’s Way Podcast, Ana Gole joins Dean McMann and Anthony Paluska to share how her organization began shifting from traditional implementation work toward a more advisory, value-focused model.
Ana walks through what that transformation looked like in practice, from identifying the business results customers actually cared about to redesigning discovery, developing new consulting capabilities, and creating a more connected customer journey across sales, professional services, and customer success.
The conversation also explores what happens when consultants become more strategic partners to their clients. As trust grows, so does their ability to uncover new opportunities, recommend additional services, and help customers see a clearer path to long-term value.
But making that shift is not as simple as changing a methodology or giving a team a new set of talking points. Ana shares some of the challenges her organization encountered along the way, including the realities of changing behaviors across functions, building repeatable processes, and helping customers navigate change within their own organizations.
The result is a practical conversation about how professional services teams can move beyond implementation, strengthen their advisory role, and create greater value for both customers and the broader business.

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. 
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 Consulting can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also wear people down if they do not learn how to manage the demands that come with the profession.
In this episode of The Consultant’s Way Podcast, Dean McMann and Anthony Paluska sit down with Andrew Johnson, who leads professional services at LaunchDarkly, to talk about what it really takes to build a sustainable career in consulting.
Andrew shares why he thinks of consulting less as a grind and more as a roller coaster, and why learning how to handle the ups, downs, travel, pressure, and pace is critical at every stage of a consultant’s career.
The conversation explores the idea that consultants themselves are part of the product being delivered to the client. That means energy, preparation, judgment, and presence matter just as much as effort. It also means leaders have a responsibility to create environments where their teams can perform at a high level without constantly running on empty.
Along the way, Andrew shares lessons he has picked up from years of consulting and leadership, including how he approaches travel, time off, team culture, and developing consultants beyond the technical work itself.
The result is a practical conversation about how consultants can stay sharp, enjoy the career more, and continue delivering their best work over the long haul.
If you have ever felt the pressure of the consulting roller coaster, or you lead people who do, this episode will give you a different way to think about what sustainable performance really looks like.

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. 
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 Outcome pricing is getting a lot of attention in professional services, but what does it actually mean, and why are so many organizations still struggling to make it work?
In this episode, Anthony Paluska and Dean McMann sit down with Bo DiMuccio, Vice President of Professional Services Research and Advisory at TSIA, to explore what his recent research is revealing about the shift toward outcome-based pricing.
The conversation looks at why this topic is gaining momentum now, how AI is changing the relationship between effort and value, and why traditional pricing models are coming under increasing pressure.
Bo also introduces an important framework for thinking about the role professional services can realistically play in outcome-based models and why not every organization should approach the opportunity the same way.
Perhaps most importantly, the group challenges some of the assumptions the industry has made about what is slowing adoption and where the real obstacles may actually be.
If your organization is exploring outcome pricing, rethinking time and materials, or trying to understand how professional services economics are evolving, this episode offers a timely look at what the research is showing and what leaders should be thinking about next.

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.
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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.