STRATEGIC COACHING AND CONSULTING IS SET TO TAKE OFF IN A BIG WAY THIS YEAR

For simplicity’s sake, strategic coaching and consulting speaks to advisory services aimed at helping business leaders make decisions to reach their organizational goals and optimize performance. It involves taking a strategy based approach to identifying issues/opportunities and developing solutions.

Specific points to know about strategic coaching and consulting would be…

Strategic Focus – The practice focuses on the broader, long-term goals and positioning of an organization from helping shape high-level plans around growth, innovation, culture, operational transformation, mergers and acquisitions, etc. The objective of strategic coaching and consulting is to provide guidance that will impact organizational direction and competitive market position over the next few years.

Big Picture Perspective – Effective work takes a broad, systems-thinking perspective to recognize how different functions and decisions within an organization interconnect. It aims to uncover cross-functional implications and opportunities. Consultants may interview people across departments and levels to identify widespread patterns and insights leaders are missing.

Custom Solutions – Rather than prescribing rigid, one-size-fits-all solutions, quality strategic coaching and consulting advisors customize recommendations based on a client organization’s unique characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, resources and strategic vision. Advice draws both from the consultant’s past experience and new analyses of the client’s specific circumstances.

Change Leadership – Strategic change inevitably requires cultural and operational adjustments within an organization to be sustainable. Thus experienced strategic consultants go beyond analytical advice to actively coach executives on how to effectively communicate a strategic vision, align and motivate employees around it, and lead the implementation process.

While tactical consultants operate at a ground level analyzing specific problems, strategic coaching and consulting pros coach business leaders on the big moves and organizational realignments needed to continuously adapt and gain competitive advantage in evolving markets. It is a long-view, exploratory discipline.