1-on-1 coaching and collaboration to level up strategists and agency strategy teams.
I know, super niche.
Unless you’re in the niche. Then you call it “bespoke.”
What Strategy Coaching looks like
-
Exclusively 1:1
I work individually with each strategist I coach - guiding, collaborating and challenging to make them and their work better. I’m the strategist’s resource and thought partner, invisible to the client and the rest of the team. No, I won’t join the pitch just this once.
-
Around work in progress
Getting better at your job shouldn’t be your side hustle. My coaching centers on actual billable work in progress. So it doesn’t require more of the strategist’s (and agency’s) time. In fact it usually makes the work go faster.
-
For strategists of all levels
Coaching doesn’t need to be just a reward for reaching the C-suite. Strategists who are still ascending in their careers benefit the most from coaching. And their agencies benefit even more.
How to work with me
These are my most common engagement structures, and give you an idea of how long engagements run, at what cadence, and where the budget comes from. If you have a different type of engagement in mind we can talk about that too.
-
Bring me in on a project like you would a freelancer and I’ll coach and collaborate with the lead strategist(s). I can help the strategist punch above their weight or stretch into a different strategy discipline. The partnership also wards off burnout, particularly if your strategists usually work alone. This is the most common way agencies work with me.
-
I can also coach for a defined period of time, starting with one month. This works best with strategists on an ongoing retainer client, or if they’re working multiple clients or work streams at once. Ask me about my low bono Strategist Direct option, designed to use those scant L&D budgets more effectively.
-
I get it - you already have senior folks on your team and don’t want to start an expensive coach habit you can’t quit. But being good at strategy isn’t the same thing as being good at coaching strategy. Bring me in to coach your future coaches on coaching, and kickstart your own agency’s coaching culture.
-
I’ve been a freelancer myself and I’m the first to admit we can be like a box of chocolates. The flexibility is sometimes necessary, but it’s the inconsistency you can do without. Hire your next freelancer with me attached (I’m the +) and you’ll get a collaborating strategy team (just like the creative duos you always hire!). I’ll make sure there are no surprises and that the work fully represents your agency’s brand. I can even help you find a freelancer.
-
A full day of strategy coaching? Sounds great, except for the part where your entire strategy team needs to ignore their clients, PMs and deliverables for a full day. What if I told you that because strategy coaching is 1:1, a full day of coaching only requires 90 minutes from each strategist? We’ll do a group thing in the morning to orient, and then I spend the rest of the day individually with each strategist, coaching and collaborating.
Yes it’s AI. Another one was a better likeness but it gave me 3 hands.
Who I am and why I do this
I’m Mike May and I’m your next Strategy Coach.
I’m probably also your first Strategy Coach. I think I invented it. I know, coaching isn't new. It’s long existed for executives, maybe even at your agency. And it’s also available for 10 year old soccer players, maybe even in your family.
But think about it - coaching doesn’t really exist after adolescence and before the C-suite.
Strategy TRAINING exists. Maybe you’ve bought it. It’s easy to buy because it’s based on a curriculum. And it’s easy to deliver because it’s repeated from one group to another. It's a very efficient business. But efficient isn’t the same as effective.
COACHING is different from training. It’s not scalable or repeatable or easy to deliver. (Part of me wishes it was tbh.) But 1:1 collaboration, real-time feedback, expert instruction and thought partnership on actual work in progress - that is an incredibly effective combination.
I built this business because the best part of my job when I ran agency strategy teams was the 1:1 coaching I gave strategists to help them lift their craft, their confidence and their careers. My only regret is that - like a lot of strategy leaders - I couldn’t devote as much time to it as I wanted, or as my teams needed. Starting this business solved my problem. Maybe it can help solve yours too.
What people say they say about me
Convinced?
If yes, click below to get started.
If no, click below to ask about a free first coaching session.
TGIF
-
Every Friday
Strategies for strategists, in your inbox. See past issues and sign up at strategycoach.substack.com.
-
Every First Friday
Coaching-curious? Try a free session on the first Friday of each month. Details and scheduling here.
Still skeptical? Click around the Level UP blog. If you hate it, you’ll hate working with me.
Getting up to speed on a new client is something all strategists do, but in my experience many don’t do it thoroughly enough. I have a process to fix that.