This is where high-impact business coaching becomes more than a nice-to-have – it becomes a critical part of your leadership toolkit. 

I work closely with senior leadership teams in high-growth, mid-market businesses across New Zealand and beyond. These are experienced leaders who have solid strategies in place – but are finding that momentum is harder to sustain. Demand is choppy and revenue lines are unpredictable. Competitors are aggressive and there’s more scrutiny than ever on where time, money, and people are going. 

Still, some businesses are not only surviving these shifts – they’re thriving. They’re adapting quickly, keeping teams engaged, and sharpening their focus. 

Here’s how they’re doing by using practical business strategy and leadership coaching frameworks that work.

1. Recalibrate the plan, not the ambition

Too many businesses shelve bold ideas when the market gets tight. Instead, be surgical. Reassess your goals and stretch targets through a strategic lens – not a fear-based one. 

Are your channels still the best fit? Are the right markets still worth going after? Is your pricing model due for a reset? 

One of my business coaching clients in professional services set a target to grow by 30% in FY25 – reasonably ambitious in the economic environment. Midway through Q2, they weren’t tracking. Instead of pulling back, the SLT narrowed the focus to their two most profitable segments and doubled down on outbound sales. They got back on track – and I am pretty confident that at year end, they will have exceeded the original goal. 

Take action: 
Pressure-test your plan quarterly, not annually. Make micro-adjustments fast. Involve your top performers in scenario planning so it’s grounded, not theoretical.

2. Play offence with your pipeline

When market confidence dips, some teams go quiet – assuming prospects aren’t buying. But my clients, keep their growth engines running – they are playing offence, not defence. One of my clients in hospitality became a leader in their field and have maintained that position through this focus, and whilst others floundered or closed – they have grown year on year in spite of Covid and economic downturns. 

They’re not relying on reactive inbound leads. They’re proactively building relationships, adding value, and staying visible consistently. 

A technology business I coach kept losing leads late in the funnel. Instead of panicking, their sales team mapped a “warm pipeline” strategy, focusing on low-pressure check-ins, industry insight sharing, and value-led follow-up. Their conversion rate didn’t just recover – it grew.  It isn’t rocket science, we know this makes logical sense, yet many just don’t take action. 

Take action: 
Run a pipeline audit. If 70% of leads are going cold, change your touchpoints. Add value, not volume. Don’t ghost leads who aren’t ready – stay relevant.

3. Reduce noise – focus on what moves the dial.

When revenue gets tight, some SLTs go wide – launching too many projects, chasing shiny ideas. That’s rarely the answer. 

The most effective leadership teams I work with have radically simplified. They’ve cut internal projects by 40%, discarded non-performing services and product lines, and focused their leadership time on the 3–4 things that actually impact growth. 

One client in the FMCG space reduced their ‘strategy on a page’ down to just two goals: grow two channels and increase repeat purchase frequency. It unified the whole team – and delivered faster results than the previous scattergun approach. 

Take action: 
Ask your exec team: “What are we doing that isn’t directly contributing to growth?” Be brave enough to stop what’s not adding value.

4. Keep your people close. They feel the tension too.

Growth in uncertain times isn’t just a CEO game. Your team feels the pressure – especially your frontline leaders. 

If they’re not clear on priorities, or if morale is shaky, it leaks into performance fast. 

I recently ran an annual strategy session for a company where team leaders were quietly overwhelmed by shifting client expectations, cost increases, and delivery pressures. Their MD reset the internal comms rhythm, clarified the top three priorities aligned with the company Vivid Vision, and started fortnightly “real talk” huddles. This is a work in progress but already we can feel the cultural shift and in time this will see results lifting. 

Take action: 
Over-communicate. Get visible. Keep middle managers engaged and supported. They’re your growth engine – and your early warning system. 

5. Reinvest in strategic thinking – it’s not a luxury

When growth stalls, strategic thinking often disappears under a mountain of urgency. But now’s exactly when you need to be thinking longer term. 

It’s not about adding complexity – it’s about creating clarity and optionality. This is where structured strategic planning makes a difference. 

I use two proven frameworks with my clients to lift the quality of their strategic conversations: 

• The Outthinker IDEAS model helps teams identify “4th options” – those smart, often-overlooked strategic plays that sit beyond the default. IDEAS stands for Imagine, Dissect, Expand, Analyse, Sell. 

• The Gravitas Impact 7 Attributes of Agile Growth model ensures we’re not just generating ideas but aligning them with the core capabilities that drive sustainable growth – from leadership and strategy to marketing, customer experience, and execution. 

One of my clients in the B2B space used both models in tandem during a quarterly offsite. By mapping their constraints to the 7 Attributes, we pinpointed the real bottleneck (not what they thought it was), and then used the IDEAS process to identify two strategic plays they’d never previously considered. They left with clarity, confidence, and renewed energy. 

Take action: 
Lock in at least half a day a month to think ahead – at this time of year, a day would be the minimum. Use a framework like IDEAS or the Agile Growth 7 Attributes to structure the conversation. If your team needs a hand, I’m happy to facilitate – it’s some of the most valuable strategic growth work I do. 

The bottom line 

Uncertainty is the norm, but it doesn’t have to stall growth. 

The best-performing CEOs and SLTs aren’t hoping the market will improve. They’re making confident, focused, forward steps – even in foggy conditions. 

You don’t need to execute 50 new ideas. You need clarity, courage, and a commitment to executing what really matters. 

If you’re in a growth business and feeling the pressure, you’re not alone. But you are in charge. Make the next move count.