Strategy Isn’t the Race. Momentum Is.

Most professional services firms don’t lose because they lack strategy. They lose momentum—often before the year even begins.

For CEOs, this shows up in familiar ways: leadership teams stuck in planning mode, decisions deferred until January, and organizations waiting for “clarity” while the market moves on. By the time the year officially starts, speed has already been lost.

At Waterhouse Brands, the first half of this year was brutal. Revenue pressure mounted as our pipeline stalled amid macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty—tariffs, “most favored nation” pricing concerns, and a constrained funding environment tied to the administration change. Our clients across life sciences, Medtech, and digital health felt it too.

We made hard calls: rightsizing the team, narrowing focus, and prioritizing the service delivery that mattered most to clients navigating the same headwinds. We made progress. But as the market began to thaw—transactions accelerating and the biotech IPO window reopening—it became clear that incremental change wouldn’t be enough to achieve our bold goals. To get ahead in 2026, we knew we needed to operate differently as a leadership team.

That’s when we engaged an external facilitator—a former Chief Revenue and Growth Officer—and gave him full license to challenge us. No comfort. No consensus-seeking. We started with a clear revenue goal and worked backward.

The work was framed by a sailboat racing metaphor, grounded in lessons from Team New Zealand’s multi-year campaign to win the America’s Cup. I grew up racing J-24s with my dad, so the language of speed and positioning came naturally. For others, it took a minute—but once it clicked, it stuck.

Lesson One: Focus on Winning Your Own Race

Strategy isn’t a list of initiatives. It’s a choice about where you compete and how you win. Team New Zealand didn’t win by reacting to competitors; they won by relentlessly improving their own performance.

We had to get ruthless about priorities and stop chasing external signals. Focus meant aligning around the work that truly drives client value and revenue—and letting go of the rest.

Lesson Two: Build Consistency Like a Muscle

Winning isn’t an event; it’s a muscle built through repetition.

This required real self-reflection. I had to confront my tendency to waffle—to seek validation before committing. In a tough market, hesitation costs speed. We also had to part ways with talented colleagues we valued deeply. Those decisions don’t get easier, but clarity makes them necessary.

Consistency in decision-making, accountability, and follow-through became non-negotiable.

Lesson Three: Adapt Fast—With Discipline

Markets shift. Conditions change. In racing, you adjust constantly—but always in service of the same target. Strategy sets the course; adaptability keeps you moving.

For us, adaptability meant revisiting decisions we thought were final. We initially chose to skip a key industry conference to conserve spend. As conditions evolved, we reassessed. Being in the room mattered.

We made a second call: if we were going, we would do it properly. We sent two people, not one. It was a risk—but the right one. That decision reignited conversations, reconnected us to the market, and became a springboard for the year ahead.

Adaptability isn’t chasing every opportunity. It’s staying disciplined about the goal while changing course when new information demands it.

Lesson Four: Create Precision Through Cohesion and Accountability

Team New Zealand didn’t win because of technology alone. They won because everyone understood their role and trusted the system.

Our facilitator was blunt: Are you on the boat or off the boat? Every decision, every dollar, every initiative had to answer one question: Will this make the boat go faster?

The offsite was uncomfortable at times. One team member later said, “It felt like we were scared straight.” It wasn’t inspirational—it was demanding. And it worked.

Why Momentum Before the Start Matters

In sailboat racing, you don’t win at the start—but you can lose there. Positioning and momentum before the gun fires matter enormously.

With just weeks between our offsite and the start of the new year, we chose not to wind down. We picked up the pace—making decisions immediately, assigning ownership, and acting. Everything we do now is filtered through one question:

Will this make the boat go faster?

Eight weeks later, the shift is tangible. We say, “I will,” not “we should.” Decisions happen faster. The team feels empowered to act and course-correct. Momentum is real.

For CEOs of professional services firms, the takeaway is this: strategy alone doesn’t win races. Mindset does. Behavior does. Consistency does. And momentum before the starting line matters more than most leaders are willing to admit.

The question is no longer whether you have a plan.

It’s whether your team is positioned to execute it at speed.

And whether everything you’re doing—right now—is truly making the boat go faster.