A Cup of Coffee | A Glass of Wine - January 2026 Edition
Becoming a Go-To Advisor for CEOs and Boards
☕ A Cup of Coffee
From Process to Signal
A senior M&A professional came into a coaching session recently with everything you’d expect.
Deep transaction experience.
Strong technical credibility.
A long list of deals across platforms and geographies.
The issue wasn’t competence.
It was signal.
In senior conversations, his instinct was to explain the work:
the steps of the process
how diligence unfolded
how the deal got done
All accurate. All impressive.
And yet something was missing.
CEOs and Boards don’t hire advisors to walk them through process.
They hire advisors to help them decide.
That was the shift we worked on.
Instead of leading with execution, we re-anchored every answer around three questions:
Who was the decision-maker actually solving for?
What decision were they really trying to make?
What advice changed the outcome?
Once that frame was clear, everything else compressed naturally.
The Advisory Reframe
Old pattern (execution-led):
“We ran a competitive process, spoke to X buyers, evaluated Y structures, negotiated terms…”
New pattern (advisory-led):
“The CEO was facing a strategic tension around [growth vs control, timing vs risk].
Our advice was to [clear recommendation].
That decision led to [outcome], and the broader takeaway was [insight].”
Same experience. Very different signal.
🍷 A Glass of Wine
From Being In the Room to Being Relied On
At senior levels, presence isn’t about how much you say.
It’s about what people remember after you stop talking.
Boards don’t remember how busy you were.
They remember:
what you helped them see
what you helped them decide
what changed because of it
This is where many strong executors stall.
They know the work cold, but they stay anchored in activity rather than outcome. They explain instead of advise.
The quiet shift is learning to speak in decisions, not process.
When you do that consistently, something changes.
You stop being involved in the room.
You start being relied on in the room.
💡 Coaching Insight of the Month
The Advisor Test
If you had 60 seconds with a CEO or Board, could you answer:
• What was at stake?
• What did you recommend?
• Why did it matter?
If yes, you’re speaking like an advisor.
If not, you’re still explaining the work.
🎯 Mini Challenge
☕ Forward the Action
• Rewrite one recent deal story using only stake, decision, outcome
• Lead your next senior conversation with the recommendation, not the setup
• Follow up after meetings with perspective, not minutes
🍷 Deepen the Insight
• Where do you default to explaining instead of advising?
• What decision do you hesitate to name out loud?
• How would your presence change if you trusted your judgment more?
🌊 What’s Happening @ Deep Lake
• A private NYC dinner for senior leaders
Congratulations to the new MDs and Directors in advisory roles, new Partners and Principals in investing, and corporate executives stepping into VP, SVP, and C-suite positions.
At this level, people don’t just look to you for execution. They look to you for clarity, judgment, and forward motion.
In early March, I’m opening three external seats at a private, invitation-only dinner in New York City, alongside a small group of my current clients. It will be held in a discreet, closed-door room inside an upscale restaurant often used by senior bankers for deal negotiations.
The evening will focus on four shifts that quietly separate senior operators from trusted advisors at the top:
• Finding your voice
Developing a clear point of view, strong credibility signals, and the confidence to shape conversations rather than react to them.
• Driving origination
Establishing pipeline rhythm, generating ideas consistently, and converting conversations into mandates without forcing the process.
• Scaling your franchise
Setting the tone, forming internal and external alliances, building repeatable systems, and leveraging your platform and institution rather than carrying everything yourself.
• Thinking like the CEO, CFO, or Chair
Viewing decisions through the lens of stakeholder outcomes, capital allocation, risk, governance, and long-term value creation, not just deal execution.
This is not about doing more. It’s about operating at the level where decisions compound.
If this resonates, email me or book a short call to explore whether it’s a fit.
• Executive Roundtable Recording
The December Executive Roundtable article and recording on navigating high-stakes communication are available, focused on framing, presence, and credibility when pressure is real. Click here.
• Book ‘G.O.A.T. Wisdom’ Takeaways in Echo
A new Echo reflection translates G.O.A.T. Wisdom into advisory judgment, not tactics. Click here.
📚 Three Small Sips to Start the Year
📘 Book
The Trusted Advisor — David Maister (link)
Trust is built through credibility, reliability, and client-first judgment. Advisory influence compounds quietly over time.
📺 Video
Start With Why — Simon Sinek (link)
Senior leaders respond to clarity of intent before detail. Lead with purpose, then logic.
🕉 Gita Sloka (2.47)
Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana
“You have a right to action, not to the fruits of action.”
Advisory leadership lives here. Focus on judgment and integrity. Outcomes follow.
📬 If you want your 2026 storyline to be worthy of your next level, email me at rahul.bala@deeplakecoaching.com or book a time here.
