We Win Together: The Rise of Fractional Pursuit Leadership in Professional Services
By Mitchell Schuckman, PCC | Founder, The Schuckman Group
Since launching The Schuckman Group, I’ve had a lot of conversations about leadership, coaching, and growth. One theme keeps coming up: the need for real Pursuit leadership.
Firms like my former firm, a global accounting and consulting firm, know that having the right resources to lead a competitive pursuit can tip the scale between losing and winning. Firms that don’t have those talented Pursuit resources often fear that building a full in-house Pursuit team can be expensive, and the roles involved (especially those tied to writing and coordination) are being rapidly reshaped by AI.
So how can firms get the strategic support they need, win more work, and still manage their investment?
That is where fractional Pursuit leadership comes in. Most firms do not have it. I believe they should. It brings senior-level strategy, focus, and experience to critical pursuits without requiring a full in-house team. Even firms with strong internal Pursuit resources can benefit from bringing in an experienced outside Pursuit leader to provide insights and perspective at the right moment.
Most Firms Don’t Have This Role, But They Should
Many professional services firms, including accounting, legal, executive search, engineering, and architecture, don’t have a dedicated Pursuit team. The professionals doing the work are also expected to win it, often without the strategic support needed to succeed in complex, high-stakes situations.
Even firms with some sales infrastructure usually lack someone focused solely on the strategy behind winning, someone who understands how buyers think, knows how to shape a compelling story, coach presenters, pressure-test pricing, and guide the team to show up in a way that connects and converts.
That’s where a fractional Pursuit leader comes in. This isn’t a full-time hire. It’s not another process owner or content drafter. It’s about the right leader at the right moment who brings immediate strategic value, minimal ramp-up, and a manageable cost.
Ideally, the fractional Pursuit leader will also bring a point of view on how to structure the Pursuit team, leverage AI to streamline the effort, reduce cost, and ultimately get better results. For firms still building their Pursuit capability, fractional leadership is a smart way to start, bringing in someone who can guide the work and build the muscle.
What Pursuit Leadership Actually Is
To understand the value of a fractional Pursuit leader, you first have to understand what Pursuit leadership actually is.
Pursuit leadership is a mindset built from experience. In my case, it’s more than a decade leading global pursuits at a major accounting and consulting firm. I worked on over 1,000 major proposals, with a very high win rate, often in complex and competitive environments.
Winning that work isn’t about tricks or gimmicks. It comes from understanding what buyers need to hear and how they need to feel before they say yes. It’s about:
Shaping a clear, resonant narrative
Building a customized and credible value proposition
Using pricing strategically
Coaching teams to deliver authentic, confident oral presentations
Creating materials that capture attention and amplify the team’s message
Turning complexity into clarity and action
This draws on strategy, storytelling, pricing, executive coaching, behavioral psychology, and delivery alignment. It’s about helping the team show up in a way that moves the buyer.
And it doesn’t stop there. When I’m in the room as a fractional Pursuit leader, I also pay attention to the team and the broader organization. If I see a relationship lead who could benefit from one-on-one coaching to improve communication or client presence, I suggest it. If I see gaps in business development skillsets across a broader group, I offer ideas for training.
A great fractional Pursuit leader is thinking about the pursuit in front of them, and also about how to raise the bar across the team and the business.
What Great Fractional Pursuit Leadership Looks Like
This is what it looks like when fractional Pursuit leadership is done right.
It doesn’t feel like an outsider parachuted in. It feels like someone just joined your firm and is already thinking about how to win and how to grow. That’s how I approach every engagement.
This could be a short-term assignment focused on one pursuit. It could be a longer-term collaboration across multiple pursuits or accounts. Either way, I show up like I belong there.
Picture a firm at a key moment. They may be chasing a must-win opportunity, facing new competition, or entering a new market. They bring in a fractional Pursuit leader to bring focus, structure, and leadership to the process.
From the beginning, I act like part of the team. I say, “We could consider this,” not, “You should do that.” I ask questions, coach in real time, and think about the business like it’s mine. Whether I’m there for a week or for a year, I bring a long-term mindset.
Just a few days into launching my firm, I was asked to support a client team facing an urgent, high-stakes opportunity they had been pursuing for some time. I helped them refine their narrative, shape a more compelling pricing strategy, and prepare for critical orals, which included the demonstration of new AI-powered technology. From the beginning, I treated their business like it was my own, bringing urgency, clarity, and direction. Within days, I was pulled into leadership meetings and had the CEO calling directly to discuss the pursuit, and also to explore how their firm might improve their overall go-to-market approach.
That kind of early trust only happens when you show up like you’re already part of the team. We’re still waiting on the final decision, but the impact was clear. The team felt more confident, more focused, and more ready.
Why It Matters Now
Today’s buying environment is more complex than ever. Buyers aren’t just evaluating service providers, they’re trying to make good decisions in the middle of real uncertainty. Geopolitical risk, economic volatility, regulatory shifts, and AI are all reshaping how business gets done. Business models are changing fast. No one knows exactly what tomorrow looks like.
Making any significant purchase today feels risky. And while buyers are hesitating, competitors are moving fast. Many are betting big, trying to position themselves for the next wave of opportunity.
To win in this environment, firms need more than credentials. They need a Pursuit strategy that is sharp, flexible, and buyer-focused. They need teams who show up prepared, clear, and aligned. That doesn’t happen on its own. It takes leadership.
That’s one reason I created The Schuckman Group.
I’m a certified executive coach who has led complex global client engagements and multi-billion-dollar business units. But the most satisfying part of my career was leading the U.S. and global Pursuit team at my former firm for over a decade. That blend of leadership, coaching, and hands-on Pursuit experience gives me a unique ability to guide teams to success on the pursuit in front of them, and the business they want to build.
If you think you could benefit from the support of a fractional Pursuit leader, let’s start a conversation.