Why do so many exec coaching contracts turn into long term consulting work?
You get inside a leader’s decision making. You find the real problems before anyone writes a proposal for them.
AI is taking over the routine work that used to build judgment in junior and mid-level people. That means leaders now have to develop that judgment in their teams on purpose, instead of it happening on its own. One HBR piece on mentoring made a point worth considering: most leaders were never trained to do this. Seniority doesn’t automatically make someone good at coaching people or asking the right questions, it just makes them senior.
The article is about internal mentoring, not consulting. But it sparked this thought for me:
As AI changes what happens at the bottom layer of these organizations, leaders still need to be coached on how to build their teams and get results out of them.
That gap is an opening for exec coaching or advisory work as a front end engagement. I’ve written about these types of engagements before, check the comments.
Land that engagement well and it tends to expand.
If you’re a firm doing mostly implementation or project based work and you’re trying to move up the value chain into strategic advisory, this is worth considering. Exec coaching, positioned right, can be the door in.
—
Ready to add $100k-$500k revenue to your consulting business in 12 months or less without burning out? Schedule a call and let me show you how.
