Last week, I did something I don’t often do. I stepped out of the consultant role and into the client chair. I worked on my own business strategy with the support of a trusted coach. And even though this is the work I do every day with CEOs and leadership teams, being on the receiving end was a revealing experience.
It wasn’t just about building a strategy. It was about understanding what the journey feels like when your own decisions, ambitions and blind spots are on the table. Experiencing that process first hand gave me a deeper appreciation for what leaders go through. Here are the biggest lessons that stood out.
1. Preparation uncovers far more than information. It uncovers truth.
Before the workshop, I was given a comprehensive set of questions to complete. This wasn’t a simple SWOT or a financial snapshot. It was a deep dive into past performance, personal reflections and future direction. I went into it thinking, “Great, let’s do this.” I came out realising how confronting it can be to look at your own business without filters.
The pre-work was time consuming and intense. More intense than I expected. As leaders, how often do we step back far enough to see the full picture, let alone examine it from every angle? Most of us are in the trees, not seeing the forest. Working through those questions forced me to climb above the day-to-day noise and look at the broader landscape.
And with that came discoveries, some energising and some uncomfortable.
It felt like standing in one of those fitting room mirrors that shows you from every direction. The good, the bad and the bits you’ve avoided looking at. I saw strengths I hadn’t fully claimed, and I saw issues that had been hiding in the margins. The process clarified not just the challenge ahead but how I had contributed to the current state.
The preparation forced me to make the time. And I’m glad I did. Naming reality created space for something new. By the time I hit send, I felt relief. Even oddly cathartic. I was ready for change.
2. Real transformation requires vulnerability and trust.
Despite doing this work professionally, I still felt a mix of excitement and nerves as the strategy day arrived. I wanted clarity. I wanted answers. I wanted to feel the shift I’d been chasing. But to get there, I had to let go of control.
The strategist in me kept saying, “Be open. Trust the process.” And that meant letting someone else guide me through terrain I normally guide others through. As a business owner and an achiever, allowing someone into the inner workings of my world felt vulnerable. Yet that vulnerability was exactly what created the breakthrough.
One of the biggest surprises was hearing my own ideas reflected back to me in sharper, simpler language. It’s something I do for clients daily, but experiencing it myself reminded me of just how powerful clarity can be. A small shift in wording changed the way I saw the path forward.
Trusting my coach was essential. But interestingly, choosing to trust her meant I was choosing to trust myself. This was my strategy. My plan. My accountability.
3. The moment clarity hits feels both grounding and electrifying.
Within a few hours, the strategy was done. Not rushed. Not superficial. Done with intention, depth and precision. And I felt as though I had used every brain cell available.
The weight I carried into the session was gone. In its place was a lightness that only clarity can create. I felt inspired in that big, meaningful way. The kind of inspiration that signals a turning point in your business.
We often talk about winning hearts and minds. What I realised is that leaders have to win their own first. That was the unexpected gift of this experience. By allowing myself to go all in, I walked away with something far more powerful than a strategic plan. I walked away with conviction.
