In this episode, Ian Banner is joined again by Steve Forbes — a man who once had 120 consultants billing at a single client — to answer a question every coach, consultant and transformation expert is quietly afraid of: when the money gets tight, and someone draws a line across the spreadsheet, why do some of us get renewed while others simply vanish?
The unsettling answer is that talent barely comes into it. Ian opens with the three comfort-zone coaches he sees everywhere — the visiting superstar, the one who won’t prepare, and the one who mistakes the manual for the magic — and Steve reveals what they have in common and why it quietly ends careers.
Then the two of them turn it around into three habits that keep the valuable ones in the room: delivering value and having the courage to make it visible, becoming a relentless lifelong learner who coaches far more than one method, and building a real network with a framework rather than a vague good intention. Expect the “double my output” slide, Steve Jobs’s calligraphy classes, and a CEO who ignored two invitations then opened with a confession.
If you’ve ever been great at your job and still felt expendable, press play. This one’s for you.
🔗 Listen and explore more at futureofwork.site. While you’re there, read a companion piece on making your value impossible to ignore: The Weekly Report Revolution: How AI Transforms Your Most Dreaded Professional Task Into Strategic Gold.
