When leaders hear “strategy consultancy,” they often imagine endless slide decks, vague frameworks or quick fixes that never survive contact with reality. In truth, the real work is both simpler, trickier and more inter-connected. It’s about clarity, alignment and the discipline to focus on what really matters.
Over the years, I’ve heard the same questions and doubts from leadership teams. Here are the most common — and why they matter now more than ever.
How do I know if our positioning is actually clear to clients?
Many businesses assume their story is obvious. Yet if prospects keep asking “what exactly do you do?” or mistake you for competitors, your positioning isn’t working. In B2B, clarity is survival: clients choose based on trust and risk reduction. Strong positioning doesn’t just “differentiate”; it removes doubt, earns credibility and attracts the right opportunities.
Why now matters: AI platforms increasingly decide for buyers which firms or solutions to surface. If your positioning is muddled, the algorithms will overlook you. Clarity isn’t just for people anymore, it’s for machines that filter the market.
Why do sales and marketing always seem out of sync?
This is one of the biggest frustrations leaders face. The truth? Marketing is often rewarded for visibility and reach, sales for closed deals. And the client? She ends up hearing two different stories. This leads to disconnected experiences and relationship hurdles. Alignment is a must-have. When every message, proposal and touchpoint reinforces the same narrative, growth compounds, turning transactions into relationships.
Why now matters: AI is collapsing silos between functions and collaboration is the only answer to meet it. Buyers don’t distinguish between your marketing, comms or sales outputs, because AI tools stitch it all together for them. If your teams aren’t aligned internally, AI will amplify the inconsistency externally.
Shouldn’t we seize every growth opportunity that comes our way?
It feels intuitive: more opportunities, more growth. But the opposite is true. Chasing everything spreads teams thin, drains resources, erodes credibility. The real skill is in saying no. Growth comes from focus — identifying the opportunities that fit your strengths, market position, and strategy, and having the discipline to walk away from the rest.
Why now matters: AI-driven markets reward focus. Sprawling or incoherent offerings confuse algorithms as much as they confuse buyers. Focus ensures you’re findable for the right opportunities.
Isn’t thought leadership just another word for marketing content?
Done badly, yes. Done well, it’s the opposite. Thought leadership builds authority and trust in markets where credibility drives decisions. It makes clients feel safer choosing you, reinforces loyalty and influences how competitors are compared. It’s not just reposting corporate content. It’s the long game of reputation building.
Why now matters: In an AI-first world, thought leadership goes beyond influence. It’s about training the algorithms. What you publish today becomes tomorrow’s data set. If your expertise isn’t visible, it won’t exist in the places buyers search. And executives are already a growing AI user base.
Why do so many strategies fail to deliver results?
Because they never leave the page. Leaders and consultancies often design ambitious plans, but struggle translating them into concrete priorities, ownership and accountability. Strategy is about more than just ides — it’s about turning them into value and traction. When it’s broken down into steps that teams can own, track, and adjust, ambition finally becomes growth.
Why now matters: The pace of AI transformation means strategy cycles are shorter and unforgiving. You can’t afford plans that stall. Execution discipline isn’t optional — it’s how you stay relevant while everything shifts.
The Heart of It
The misconceptions all share one thing: a desire for shortcuts and quick fixes. A belief that growth comes from doing more, moving faster or shouting louder. But growth comes from clarity, alignment and disciplined focus.
The shift we need to recognize is that what feels optional today — sharpening positioning, aligning teams, choosing focus, building visible expertise, expanding into the right areas — is the price of entry tomorrow. As AI reshapes how markets search, compare, and buy, only the businesses with strong strategic foundations will even make it onto the radar.
That’s what strategic growth consulting is really about: turning ambition into traction now, and ensuring your business isn’t left behind when things change around you — whether that’s AI or what comes next.