Sep 23, 2026 · 25 min
Leslie Holman challenges consulting’s rules to unlock better work
Unlocking Innovation with "A Better Way" Framework, with Leslie Holman
The episode examines whether flexible staffing, senior judgment, and assumption-testing can produce stronger outcomes than traditional consulting models.
- 1Holman’s nonlinear career shaped a work model built around experimentation, flexibility, and measurable client impact.
- 2Flexible staffing works when teams align expertise and support with client outcomes rather than billable-hour expectations.
- 3Asking “What must be true?” helps teams distinguish genuine constraints from inherited rules they can rethink.
Don't miss
Leslie Holman explains how asking “What must be true?” helps teams challenge inherited rules and identify genuine constraints.
The brief
Leslie Holman’s nonlinear path through engineering, corporate work, consulting, private equity, and entrepreneurship shaped her approach to building more human and flexible organizations.
After acquiring Pinnacle, Holman designed a workplace around experimentation, part-time expertise, and measurable client outcomes rather than conventional consulting assumptions.
The conversation argues that flexibility is compatible with demanding corporate work when teams focus on impact, combine experience with expertise, and provide only the support clients need.
COVID-19 exposed assumptions about workplace presence, while AI made senior judgment more important for evaluating work and preventing low-quality output.
Holman’s standout idea is “What must be true?”—a question that gives teams permission to challenge inherited rules while separating bendable policies from real constraints.
The episode closes by turning innovation into a practical leadership test: identify which rules can be broken to find a better way.