Your clients will often be sceptical about the quality of their managers. As they become the bottleneck in their business they get more and more desperate to get out from under all the things that, apparently, only they can do and the decisions that, apparently, only they can make.  They won't see their managers as part of the solution but as part of the problem. They may ask you how to find some “big hitters” from larger businesses who will help them achieve their growth aspirations. Try asking them how they know that managers aren’t up to the task.  Usually the answer will be a series of anecdotes about failures to do x or inability to understand the importance of y.  Then try probing how well your client has explained to their employees where the business is going, what their role in this is and what success in the role looks like. Try asking yoru client what they do when an employee comes to them with a problem – whether that is an angry customer or a blocked sink.  You'll