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This "},{"_key":"cb42b13d9a3b3","_type":"span","marks":["259c3a1f3d14"],"text":"emotional labor"},{"_key":"cb42b13d9a3b4","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" is part of leadership, but rarely part of the job description. When it remains invisible and unmanaged, it becomes a care tax that can erode a leader’s wellbeing."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"0ae028724b9a","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/leading-through-transformation"},{"_key":"259c3a1f3d14","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/senior-women-leaders-burnout-emotional-labor"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"7ab60bc78e6d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9a99445eed7b0","_type":"span","marks":["19651ecdd7ae"],"text":"Wellbeing"},{"_key":"9a99445eed7b1","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" is the foundation of sustainable leadership. In "},{"_key":"9a99445eed7b2","_type":"span","marks":["ec66bf3aeb01"],"text":"executive coaching"},{"_key":"9a99445eed7b3","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", we often say that to raise your ceiling, you must level your floor. That floor includes your physical energy, emotional steadiness, spiritual grounding, and awareness of what you need to stay resourced."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"19651ecdd7ae","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/health-wellbeing"},{"_key":"ec66bf3aeb01","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/core-and-coaching"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"96601231d889","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3bfb6a63716c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"For women leaders, this also means challenging the socialized expectation to care for others at the expense of themselves. Disrupting that pattern is not only an act of self-preservation, it is a leadership practice we can model for others."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1a73c518c3ad","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b2442b8684000","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Wellbeing Is Your Leadership Foundation"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"76cc2cd6c6e7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"822050b4ac4f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"When certainty and control are limited, leaders regain agency by focusing on what they can influence. Wellbeing is one of those levers: a capacity leaders can strengthen even when the external environment is unstable."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9cb68c42cbbf","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"82f81c8145a10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"That is why wellbeing, rather than a side issue, is the foundation. You cannot build a castle on sand. In executive coaching, we often say that to raise your ceiling, you first have to raise your floor. Your wellbeing is that floor foundation: physical energy, emotional regulation, spiritual grounding, relationships, recovery, and connection to yourself."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f9013cc573b2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"38a79ffd9a980","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The stronger the floor, the more sustainable the leadership built on top of it."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ef94558d2555","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c53d03784c060","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"The Care Tax Is Real"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"528ed3766f45","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"7c48e896dee30","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"For many women executives, transformation comes with the care tax. According to author and Harvard Business School executive fellow "},{"_key":"7c48e896dee31","_type":"span","marks":["548fdcf89c50"],"text":"Deepa Purushothaman"},{"_key":"7c48e896dee32","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", this is the invisible emotional toll women leaders pay when they shoulder most of an organization’s caring labor. It often holds teams together. But when it goes unseen, has no boundaries, and receives no support, it becomes emotional fatigue."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"548fdcf89c50","_type":"link","href":"https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-empathy-tax-female-leaders-pay/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f9172d1348ca","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"19251b0c4a7d0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Women are often socialized to care for others and sacrifice themselves in the process. In organizations, this can turn women leaders into the “glue:” the people who absorb tension, stabilize teams, and perform invisible work that is not always recognized, rewarded, or promotable."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"47e15e82f422","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0569b9a6dc8f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"This is where many high-performing women executives get trapped in high-pressure environments. They assume that because they can carry it, they must. I would invite them to reconsider their capacity."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1792ce280a40","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b063bc1744d40","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Your Capacity Is a Leadership Asset"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"f4270d46a96f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"db7ac07e80b10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"For C-Suite and senior executive leaders, capacity is not just about managing a calendar. It is about the finite nature of energy, attention, judgment, emotional bandwidth, and recovery. In the "},{"_key":"db7ac07e80b11","_type":"span","marks":["b0af1b3bbd1c"],"text":"2025 Lean In and McKinsey & Company Women in the Workplace report"},{"_key":"db7ac07e80b12","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", six in 10 senior-level women report frequently feeling burned out, compared to only half of men at their level."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"b0af1b3bbd1c","_type":"link","href":"https://leanin.org/report/women-in-the-workplace/#:~:text=Key%20Findings:%20Women%20in%20the,remotely%20face%20no%20such%20penalty."}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"7b91bcf4bd51","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"19bf9fa7d6200","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"That depletion does not stay private. If you are reactive, your team absorbs it. If you operate without margin, the culture learns that exhaustion is the price of excellence. Sustainable leadership is therefore a performance issue: it protects the capacity transformation requires."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a3f9e1fc887d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"398d4cfb95790","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A depleted executive may still look highly productive, answering every message, attending every meeting, solving every problem, and holding every relationship. But depletion narrows perspective. It makes urgency louder than strategy and blurs the line between what is truly theirs to carry and what belongs elsewhere in the system."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c6898922e0db","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ce470f47bb5f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Most leaders can name where their energy goes. Fewer can clearly name how it is restored. That gap matters."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"535e8fa3cb97","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c324f4396aca0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Assess Before You Act"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"4a6bbeee50fb","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"94e31b126f790","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The first opportunity is to assess without judgment between 1 (under capacity) and 5 (overcapacity)."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8a5a2762ace0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"066215e1849c0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Ask yourself: How full is my cup?"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"57a00b00ca4d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"637ff9701f330","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"You may not like the answer. You may be at a 5 when you want to be at a 3. But the number is not an indictment. It is information. The goal is clarity, not self-criticism."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1303dc1f61fa","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fb4074d620cc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Second, a personal energy SWOT can help you see what fuels you, such as sleep, movement, nutrition, recovery, and supportive relationships, and what drains you, such as rumination, inner criticism, weak boundaries, or too little time away from work."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d3a48c382dfd","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e040917a7f1a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"This framework serves as a personal assessment for leaders to learn how to source themselves. It helps you gain clarity first, then identify practical actions: Which habits can reduce drains and risks, and which practices can strengthen what already supports your capacity?"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"cdc026d8b5e0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4bc2de46ea6a0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"A Personal SWOT"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"66c2698888ad","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"be6669a2eca80","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Strengths"},{"_key":"be6669a2eca81","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":": What fuels your capacity?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a87a18def1d9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1529edead7190","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Weaknesses"},{"_key":"1529edead7191","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":":"},{"_key":"1529edead7192","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" "},{"_key":"1529edead7193","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What drains your capacity?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"0fa63f1a43e2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"94560c295ab70","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Opportunities"},{"_key":"94560c295ab71","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":": What could expand your capacity?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2c59fc9accd4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"cea8f9b875cf0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Threats"},{"_key":"cea8f9b875cf1","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":": What could limit your capacity?"}],"level":1,"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"51d956e9a2a6","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"5d636e28134f0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Leaders Must Source Themselves"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"603210d16362","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c6daddede0480","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Sustainable leadership depends on three practices: building community, staying anchored, and making small shifts that preserve capacity."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2d8e197396f3","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"df9c764cd33d0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"For women executives, community is critical. The higher they rise, the fewer spaces they may have for candor. Peer networks like Chief can reduce that isolation by connecting women with leaders who understand the stakes, nuance, and invisible load. These should not be additional rooms to perform in, but spaces where power, possibility, and humanity can "},{"_key":"df9c764cd33d1","_type":"span","marks":["5f4ae44e5951"],"text":"coexist"},{"_key":"df9c764cd33d2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"5f4ae44e5951","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/personal-board-of-advisors-women-leaders"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3f37abca1de5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"230bde1eb3bc0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Leaders also need anchors that keep them steady under pressure. "},{"_key":"230bde1eb3bc1","_type":"span","marks":["d702ed1763fe"],"text":"LCP Global"},{"_key":"230bde1eb3bc2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"’s framework, The 5 Leadership Anchors, uses five dimensions to help you find greater capacity: relationships, definition of success, character and values, personal script, and success trajectory."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"d702ed1763fe","_type":"link","href":"https://lcp-global.com/what-is-leadership-capacity-and-how-do-i-get-more-of-it/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"47606cd705e3","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e6d46ea31c7d0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Consider which of these anchors feels strongest for you right now, and which one may need realignment to sustain your capacity."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9166bb4166a9","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2ddf9d67aa40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Then, ask yourself: Who can tell you the truth without needing anything from you? Have you defined success beyond being indispensable? What will you refuse to sacrifice, even now? What old belief still drives you, such as needing less, carrying more, or never showing strain? Who are you becoming if this pace continues?"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2e534bb1341c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"745044474d750","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"These questions matter because sustainability begins with "},{"_key":"745044474d751","_type":"span","marks":["e88e2b73a32d"],"text":"alignment"},{"_key":"745044474d752","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"e88e2b73a32d","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/prioritizing-alignment-over-authority"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"6c43d2ff5018","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"55902029fb9e0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Sustainable Leadership Depends on Alignment"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"heading2"},{"_key":"a1e4001fc080","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"6f11bb6986110","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"When you are clear about who you are becoming, you can better understand why you choose high-stakes work, what you need to protect, and how to define success in a way that supports your "},{"_key":"6f11bb6986111","_type":"span","marks":["80ead3c6c641"],"text":"whole experience as a woman"},{"_key":"6f11bb6986112","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", not just one part of it."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"80ead3c6c641","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/topic/womanhood"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"3e714a31ce45","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"2cd6a56c25c40","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The future of leadership cannot depend on women proving they can carry more. It depends on building a sustainable foundation for wellbeing, protecting the capacity required to lead well, and defining success so the organization, the team, and the leader can thrive."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"supportingContent":null,"_rawEditorialCategory":{"_id":"1cab6d5f-6b73-49f5-b84e-8f31fe77469a","_type":"category","_rev":"PhG3vD6QlbdezOGSeoakBo","_createdAt":"2025-10-09T14:05:56Z","_updatedAt":"2025-10-26T17:04:35Z","description":"Unprecedented disruption defines modern leadership. Find out how top business leaders successfully steer their organizations through uncertainty.","hideFromNav":false,"seo":{"_type":"seoFields","seoDescription":"Today’s leaders face seismic shifts unlike any generation before them. 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A former tech executive, she has spent the last 12 years helping high-achieving women turn corporate expertise into businesses that generate consistent revenue without the grind."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"94c31f0acd0a","_type":"link","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/debboulanger-thegreatdo-over/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b9ef0083723f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"75d5f84a4cc50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I want to share three conversations from my coaching calls in the past month because you might see yourself in some of them."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"25ed4edaa761","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"86e00a6823de0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The first was with a woman who spent decades advising senior executives through the moments that make or break careers. She's charging $10,000 for a three-month engagement. When we ran the numbers on what the market actually pays for counsel at her level, the range came back at $30,000 to $75,000. Companies keep sending her more executives, and she reads that as pricing validation. It's not. They keep calling because they're getting elite counsel at bargain-basement prices. She's a CEO-caliber advisor charging entry-level certification rates."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f7f052f215e5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1fe19b21aa3d0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The second was preparing her first major proposal for a company entering a new market. Smart, rigorous, thorough. So she did what a smart corporate woman does: She looked up the salaries of the company's senior directors, found a base around $350,000, divided by 12, and prepared to offer herself as a monthly line item priced like a peer on the payroll when nobody asked her to do that."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d2cb4356dd81","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0ae0fb0528760","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The third had quoted $15,000 for a keynote and workshop to a professional association. The response came back: That's a lot for our organization, but we love you and the topic, give us time to line up sponsors. Her first question to me was if she should write back and offer to cut the workshop and lower the price."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9460c47c4fa8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"36d35776cd620","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Now, count the number of times a buyer said no in those three stories."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"fdd709f9061f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c456909c06e20","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Zero."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"931c13adb139","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ea56cd68bb590","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Every rejection happened before a buyer ever saw a number or after a buyer said something other than yes. These women rejected the price on their behalf, in their own heads, and called it “being realistic.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b7fc1bb65bf4","_type":"quote","body":"Here's what's actually going on: I call it corporate math, and every woman who leaves a long career brings it with them.","quoteOptions":"quote"},{"_key":"32bf3e4986a3","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b075d78ade9c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"You spent 25 years, more or less, being priced by someone else. Corporate taught you that your value lives in a compensation band, that the band is set by people above you, and that asking for more than the band requires a "},{"_key":"b075d78ade9c1","_type":"span","marks":["a00ee98a7bed"],"text":"business"},{"_key":"b075d78ade9c2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" case and a promotion cycle."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"a00ee98a7bed","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/business-trends-tactics"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"baf540d2a06e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"54c57e0bf2420","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"So, when it's time to price your own expertise, your reflex is to go find the band. What would they pay an employee like me, divided by 12? That's corporate math, and it will quietly cap your revenue for years if you let it."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e5a65310b7bd","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3b9cb8dcb13a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Because your buyer isn't doing corporate math. They’re doing stakes math."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a5e5d98937bd","_type":"quote","body":"The CEO considering your proposal has a number in their head, and it isn't your day rate. It's the cost of the problem.","quoteOptions":"quote"},{"_key":"004eaad49b91","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fcf55fcea2c20","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The executive they need to keep is one seat away from a role that pays seven figures a year. The earnings call that goes sideways can move the stock and end a career. The new market their board approved has a revenue target attached, and missing it costs more than every consultant they'll hire this decade combined. When the downside is seven figures, a high five- to six-figure fee is insurance. And nobody prices insurance by the hour."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b562ed1f64b0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"aeb4cdca15a50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"This is why the advisor charging $10,000 is undercharging by a factor, not a percentage. I price using a model I call Return on Advantage®: Your fee is a fraction of the value you protect or create for the buyer, typically 10 to 20 percent of the value of the change over time."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e968e3144982","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"20171ceec6ec0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Protect one high-stakes moment that would have cost an executive their seat, and you've protected a million dollars or more of value. Run the Return on Advantage® math on that, and the engagement supports $50,000 before anyone blinks — and that's the conservative floor. The math is simple once you see it. What's hard is saying the number out loud."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e00317696c83","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f2b11e21850f0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Because underpricing doesn't just cost you revenue. It compounds."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"484729c78c67","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"dac3d03f8c8b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"You end up resenting your clients. There is nothing worse than opening your calendar in the morning and realizing how much work you're doing for how little money. The resentment leaks into the work, and the work is the thing your reputation is built on."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e494b83c233e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"636eaaf3d0d90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"You become everyone's favorite bargain. Referrals flow to you precisely because you're cheap, which feels like momentum and functions like a trap. Every new client anchored to the old price makes the correction harder."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"7ad173afaef4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"725b1518aedf0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And discounts invite discounts. I watched a founder offer steep friends-and-family rates to land an early client, only to have that client come back asking for even less. To her credit, she held the second line: You already have the discount, and I'm not moving any further. The client stayed. Buyers test soft prices, and they respect held ones. A held price reads as confidence. A dropped price reads as doubt, and buyers can smell doubt through a proposal PDF."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"176f62324cb8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"65167105017f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Here are the three moves that separate the women consultants and "},{"_key":"65167105017f1","_type":"span","marks":["96272cfb4e12"],"text":"solopreneurs"},{"_key":"65167105017f2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" who price like owners from those still running corporate math:"}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"96272cfb4e12","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/best-solopreneur-tools-2026"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"8e658851227a","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"75e769c6a9030","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"1. Before you quote anything, ask what's at risk if nothing changes."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"084c103d61e2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"dc47b21816b30","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What does this moment cost the buyer if it goes wrong, and what does it deliver if it goes right? Run Return on Advantage®: Anchor your fee to 10 to 20 percent of that value. Sessions, hours, and deliverables describe how you work. They should never determine what you're worth."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a11f49e89b24","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b9a7f6813cc60","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"2. Present the number and stop talking."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4b7608861f34","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4a8b48f4d6810","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“That's a lot for us” is not a no. It's the opening of a negotiation, and often it's simply a buyer thinking out loud about where the budget will come from. The three days of silence after you send the proposal are not a verdict. Your rattled nervous system is yours to manage. It is not a data point about your market value, and it should never be priced into the deal."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ace35220660c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"23b70989fac80","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"3. Retire corporate math for good."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b198fd9c21b2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"506a7b6a31160","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The payroll bands were built to price employees, with the company keeping the upside. "},{"_key":"506a7b6a31161","_type":"span","marks":["7a7821d68755"],"text":"You left the payroll"},{"_key":"506a7b6a31162","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". When you price yourself against it anyway, you hand the upside back and absorb all the risk of running a business. You're no longer a cost on someone's P&L. You're a return, and returns are priced on what they produce."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"7a7821d68755","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/portfolio-nonlinear-career-paths"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"97ed89dec9a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"df458517964f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"There's one more thing underneath all of this, and I've watched it surface in room after room of accomplished women. The confidence got shaken the day the paycheck and the brand went away. Suddenly, the same expertise that commanded a premium inside the company feels like it needs a discount outside of it. But your skills did not get cheaper the day you left, only the scaffolding changed."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c441d1bd6ecc","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"692066af0bb00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Like I wrote in my last Chief article: "},{"_key":"692066af0bb01","_type":"span","marks":["1b9992cc64f8"],"text":"Your positioning is what gets you chosen"},{"_key":"692066af0bb02","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Your pricing determines what being chosen is worth."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"1b9992cc64f8","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/corporate-resume-not-landing-consulting-clients"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2accd83e154d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4511cfd5d9520","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The buyer never said no, so stop saying it for them."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}],"supportingContent":null,"_rawEditorialCategory":{"_id":"715bdc71-d0b4-483f-8f08-518a6b46b3fa","_type":"category","_rev":"PhG3vD6QlbdezOGSeohWyv","_createdAt":"2025-10-09T14:08:41Z","_updatedAt":"2025-10-26T17:12:50Z","description":"Forward-thinking leaders look beyond their industry to spot what's next. Get ahead of the major trends transforming business today.","hideFromNav":false,"seo":{"_type":"seoFields","seoDescription":"Top leaders keep their finger on the pulse of cross-industry innovation. Discover the critical developments driving change across the business world.","seoMetaTitle":"Chief | Business Trends and Tactics - Business Strategy"},"slug":{"_type":"slug","current":"business-trends-tactics"},"title":"Business Trends & Tactics","id":"-527e8fe7-7fca-5d92-900b-ff6a72ae64cc","children":[],"parent":null},"article_related_series":null},"slug":"how-to-stop-undercharging-as-a-consultant","heroImage":{"caption":null,"attribution":null,"altText":"Stacks of silver coins representing cost calculation","asset":{"id":"image-ccc0a87aaed8a34622fa3db7b2262a7cacc9dd67-1200x628-png","url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xcsyo6gw/production/ccc0a87aaed8a34622fa3db7b2262a7cacc9dd67-1200x628.png"}},"content":[{"_key":"3c301d06411f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3e99d3e964790","_type":"span","marks":["94c31f0acd0a","em"],"text":"Debra Boulanger"},{"_key":"3e99d3e964791","_type":"span","marks":["em"],"text":" is the founder and CEO of Life After Corporate, The Business Coaching Academy, and the Reliable Revenue Mastermind. A former tech executive, she has spent the last 12 years helping high-achieving women turn corporate expertise into businesses that generate consistent revenue without the grind."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"94c31f0acd0a","_type":"link","href":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/debboulanger-thegreatdo-over/"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b9ef0083723f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"75d5f84a4cc50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I want to share three conversations from my coaching calls in the past month because you might see yourself in some of them."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"25ed4edaa761","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"86e00a6823de0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The first was with a woman who spent decades advising senior executives through the moments that make or break careers. She's charging $10,000 for a three-month engagement. When we ran the numbers on what the market actually pays for counsel at her level, the range came back at $30,000 to $75,000. Companies keep sending her more executives, and she reads that as pricing validation. It's not. They keep calling because they're getting elite counsel at bargain-basement prices. She's a CEO-caliber advisor charging entry-level certification rates."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"f7f052f215e5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"1fe19b21aa3d0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The second was preparing her first major proposal for a company entering a new market. Smart, rigorous, thorough. So she did what a smart corporate woman does: She looked up the salaries of the company's senior directors, found a base around $350,000, divided by 12, and prepared to offer herself as a monthly line item priced like a peer on the payroll when nobody asked her to do that."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"d2cb4356dd81","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"0ae0fb0528760","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The third had quoted $15,000 for a keynote and workshop to a professional association. The response came back: That's a lot for our organization, but we love you and the topic, give us time to line up sponsors. Her first question to me was if she should write back and offer to cut the workshop and lower the price."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"9460c47c4fa8","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"36d35776cd620","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Now, count the number of times a buyer said no in those three stories."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"fdd709f9061f","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c456909c06e20","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Zero."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"931c13adb139","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"ea56cd68bb590","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Every rejection happened before a buyer ever saw a number or after a buyer said something other than yes. These women rejected the price on their behalf, in their own heads, and called it “being realistic.”"}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b7fc1bb65bf4","_type":"quote","body":"Here's what's actually going on: I call it corporate math, and every woman who leaves a long career brings it with them.","quoteOptions":"quote"},{"_key":"32bf3e4986a3","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b075d78ade9c0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"You spent 25 years, more or less, being priced by someone else. Corporate taught you that your value lives in a compensation band, that the band is set by people above you, and that asking for more than the band requires a "},{"_key":"b075d78ade9c1","_type":"span","marks":["a00ee98a7bed"],"text":"business"},{"_key":"b075d78ade9c2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" case and a promotion cycle."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"a00ee98a7bed","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/business-trends-tactics"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"baf540d2a06e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"54c57e0bf2420","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"So, when it's time to price your own expertise, your reflex is to go find the band. What would they pay an employee like me, divided by 12? That's corporate math, and it will quietly cap your revenue for years if you let it."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e5a65310b7bd","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"3b9cb8dcb13a0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Because your buyer isn't doing corporate math. They’re doing stakes math."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a5e5d98937bd","_type":"quote","body":"The CEO considering your proposal has a number in their head, and it isn't your day rate. It's the cost of the problem.","quoteOptions":"quote"},{"_key":"004eaad49b91","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"fcf55fcea2c20","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The executive they need to keep is one seat away from a role that pays seven figures a year. The earnings call that goes sideways can move the stock and end a career. The new market their board approved has a revenue target attached, and missing it costs more than every consultant they'll hire this decade combined. When the downside is seven figures, a high five- to six-figure fee is insurance. And nobody prices insurance by the hour."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b562ed1f64b0","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"aeb4cdca15a50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"This is why the advisor charging $10,000 is undercharging by a factor, not a percentage. I price using a model I call Return on Advantage®: Your fee is a fraction of the value you protect or create for the buyer, typically 10 to 20 percent of the value of the change over time."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e968e3144982","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"20171ceec6ec0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Protect one high-stakes moment that would have cost an executive their seat, and you've protected a million dollars or more of value. Run the Return on Advantage® math on that, and the engagement supports $50,000 before anyone blinks — and that's the conservative floor. The math is simple once you see it. What's hard is saying the number out loud."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e00317696c83","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"f2b11e21850f0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Because underpricing doesn't just cost you revenue. It compounds."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"484729c78c67","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"dac3d03f8c8b0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"You end up resenting your clients. There is nothing worse than opening your calendar in the morning and realizing how much work you're doing for how little money. The resentment leaks into the work, and the work is the thing your reputation is built on."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"e494b83c233e","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"636eaaf3d0d90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"You become everyone's favorite bargain. Referrals flow to you precisely because you're cheap, which feels like momentum and functions like a trap. Every new client anchored to the old price makes the correction harder."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"7ad173afaef4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"725b1518aedf0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And discounts invite discounts. I watched a founder offer steep friends-and-family rates to land an early client, only to have that client come back asking for even less. To her credit, she held the second line: You already have the discount, and I'm not moving any further. The client stayed. Buyers test soft prices, and they respect held ones. A held price reads as confidence. 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Before you quote anything, ask what's at risk if nothing changes."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"084c103d61e2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"dc47b21816b30","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"What does this moment cost the buyer if it goes wrong, and what does it deliver if it goes right? Run Return on Advantage®: Anchor your fee to 10 to 20 percent of that value. Sessions, hours, and deliverables describe how you work. They should never determine what you're worth."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"a11f49e89b24","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"b9a7f6813cc60","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"2. Present the number and stop talking."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"4b7608861f34","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4a8b48f4d6810","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“That's a lot for us” is not a no. It's the opening of a negotiation, and often it's simply a buyer thinking out loud about where the budget will come from. The three days of silence after you send the proposal are not a verdict. Your rattled nervous system is yours to manage. It is not a data point about your market value, and it should never be priced into the deal."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ace35220660c","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"23b70989fac80","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"3. Retire corporate math for good."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"b198fd9c21b2","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"506a7b6a31160","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The payroll bands were built to price employees, with the company keeping the upside. "},{"_key":"506a7b6a31161","_type":"span","marks":["7a7821d68755"],"text":"You left the payroll"},{"_key":"506a7b6a31162","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". When you price yourself against it anyway, you hand the upside back and absorb all the risk of running a business. You're no longer a cost on someone's P&L. You're a return, and returns are priced on what they produce."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"7a7821d68755","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/category/portfolio-nonlinear-career-paths"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"97ed89dec9a5","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"df458517964f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"There's one more thing underneath all of this, and I've watched it surface in room after room of accomplished women. The confidence got shaken the day the paycheck and the brand went away. Suddenly, the same expertise that commanded a premium inside the company feels like it needs a discount outside of it. But your skills did not get cheaper the day you left, only the scaffolding changed."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"c441d1bd6ecc","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"692066af0bb00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Like I wrote in my last Chief article: "},{"_key":"692066af0bb01","_type":"span","marks":["1b9992cc64f8"],"text":"Your positioning is what gets you chosen"},{"_key":"692066af0bb02","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". Your pricing determines what being chosen is worth."}],"markDefs":[{"_key":"1b9992cc64f8","_type":"link","href":"https://chief.com/articles/corporate-resume-not-landing-consulting-clients"}],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2accd83e154d","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"4511cfd5d9520","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The buyer never said no, so stop saying it for them."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}]},"href":"https://chief.com/articles/sustainable-leadership-uncertain-times-capacity-wellbeing","relatedArticles":[]}},
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