Case Study: From Process Expert to Trusted Advisor

I recently worked with a senior M&A professional who had everything on paper.

Deep transaction experience.
Strong technical credibility.
A long list of deals.

Yet in senior conversations, something wasn’t landing.

The issue wasn’t competence.
It was signal.

His instinct was to explain the work:
how the process ran
how diligence unfolded
how the deal got done

That’s not what CEOs and Boards are listening for.

They’re not hiring advisors to narrate process.
They’re hiring advisors to help them decide.

The shift we worked on was simple but decisive.

Instead of leading with execution, we reframed every story around three questions:

Who was the real stakeholder?
What decision were they trying to make?
What advice actually changed the outcome?

Old pattern:
“We ran a competitive process, evaluated options, negotiated terms…”

New pattern:
“The CEO was facing a strategic tension.
Our recommendation was X.
That decision led to Y, and here’s what it meant.”

Same experience.
Very different signal.

Boards don’t remember activity.
They remember judgment.

That’s the difference between being involved in the room and being relied on in the room.

#AdvisoryLeadership #ExecutivePresence #InvestmentBanking #TrustedAdvisor #DeepLakeCoaching