VP, SVP & Newly Promoted Executives

VP & SVP Coaching

The VP role is not a bigger Director job. It is a different role completely.

Whether you stepped into your first VP seat or you're a seasoned VP aiming for SVP, the skills that earned your promotion stop working at the next level. Our VP and SVP coaching helps leaders navigate the altitude shift — the first 90 days, the identity shift, the organizational landscape, and the communication demands of the executive table. If you are comparing providers, our guide on how to choose an executive coaching firm lays out the criteria that matter for VP and SVP leaders.

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What is VP & SVP coaching?

VP and SVP coaching at Stratos Coaching prepares newly promoted vice presidents and senior vice presidents for the altitude shift — the first 90 days, the identity change from operator to executive, organizational awareness at the executive table, and the strategic communication required to influence peers and the C-suite. Engagements are 1:1, structured, and built around your specific transition.

The Challenge

The VP altitude shift breaks most leaders.

At Director, you were evaluated on your team's output. At VP, you are evaluated on enterprise outcomes you cannot directly control. The director-to-VP promotion changes everything: scope expands, stakeholders multiply, and the instinct to work harder and manage tighter is exactly wrong.

The VP role demands a different altitude — strategic thinking, leading through other leaders, and influencing in rooms where you are one of many voices. The question is whether you figure this out before the organization forms its opinion of you, or after.

Executive team in boardroom strategy session
What We Coach

The four capabilities that define VP success.

The VP role demands skills that are rarely taught and almost never coached. We focus on the four areas where VPs most consistently struggle.

VP coaching session in progress
Transition Navigation
We coach you through the listening tour, organizational mapping, and stakeholder alignment that set the trajectory for your first year. For the structured reference, see our guide on the first 90 days as a new VP.
Presenting Up & ELT Communication
Board and ELT communication demands shorter time, higher stakes, and an audience evaluating your strategic altitude with every sentence.
Organizational Awareness
At VP, organizational awareness is not optional. Your ability to build coalitions and earn trust across the organization determines whether your vision gets funded. We coach reading the organization as a skill.
Team-of-Teams Leadership
You are no longer leading a team — you are leading leaders who lead teams. That requires setting direction, not managing execution, and developing leaders instead of solving problems directly.
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30 minutes. Virtual. No pitch.

Executive team planning first 90 days strategy
Newly Promoted VPs & SVPs

Your first 90 days will define the next three years.

Research puts the failure rate of executive transitions near 40% within the first 18 months (McKinsey/CEB transition studies). The gap is not talent — it is transition strategy. Here is what the first 90 days actually demand.

01
Listen before you lead

Conduct a structured listening tour. Map what stakeholders need and which early wins build credibility.

02
Release the identity that earned you the promotion

You built your career solving hard problems. At VP, your value comes from the direction you set and the leaders you develop — not the problems you personally solve.

03
Map the organizational landscape before acting on it

Map the real power structure and alliances before you need them. Moving fast without this map is the most common cause of VP derailment.

04
Choose three priorities and hold them

New VPs try to do everything. The ones who thrive narrow to three priorities and defend that focus through the first six months.

Who This Is For

Built for leaders navigating the altitude shift.

Diverse executive team collaborating on strategy
Newly Promoted VPs
The critical early months are ahead of you — or already slipping away. You need a structured transition approach, not generic advice. For a detailed look at the research and common failure patterns, see our guide on executive coaching for new VPs.
VPs Aiming for SVP
The gap between VP and SVP is not tenure — it is perception. We coach the skills that close that gap and prepare you for our C-suite program.
VPs in Their First Year
The first year is when the organization decides who you are. Coaching during this window has the highest measurable ROI — a return that the International Coaching Federation has documented across global studies. Leading a technical function? See executive coaching for tech leaders.

Key Takeaways

  • Research finds roughly 40% of new executives fall short within 18 months, concentrated in the first 90 days.
  • Sessions focus on the specific VP demands: enterprise strategy, cross-functional influence, and communicating with the board and ELT.
  • Stratos Coaching scopes VP coaching for Directors being promoted into VP roles, VPs, and SVPs — not first-time or mid-level managers.
  • A derailed VP is estimated at $500,000–$1.5M; see executive coaching for new VPs and the cost of executive coaching.

Who you will be working with

Every Stratos Coaching engagement is led by a former C-suite or SVP operator with 25+ years of enterprise leadership experience who holds the Certified Executive Coach (CEC) credential and has sat on the other side of the promotion decision.

There is no associate handoff and no rotating roster. The coach you meet on the complimentary altitude call is the coach you work with from the first session to the last.

See our documented engagement outcomes →

A diverse group of senior leaders collaborating around a table in a modern office
FAQ

Frequently asked questions about VP & SVP coaching.

What is leadership coaching?

Leadership coaching is executive coaching designed specifically for leaders navigating critical career transitions — from director to VP, VP to SVP, or into the C-suite. It addresses expanded scope, stakeholder complexity, ELT communication, navigating organizational dynamics, and the shift from managing teams to leading organizations.

What are the biggest challenges in VP transitions?

The biggest challenges include the altitude shift from operational to strategic thinking, managing a dramatically larger stakeholder map, communicating effectively with the executive leadership team, navigating organizational dynamics, earning trust across the organization, and leading through other leaders rather than doing the work yourself.

How should a new VP approach the early transition?

A new VP should spend the early transition period conducting a structured listening tour, mapping the organizational landscape, building relationships with key stakeholders and peers, and identifying the three priorities that will define the first year. The biggest mistake is coming in too fast and trying to prove yourself before you understand the terrain.

What is the difference between VP and Director level leadership?

At Director level, success is defined by delivering results through your team within your function. At VP level, success is defined by your ability to influence enterprise outcomes across functions, navigate organizational dynamics, communicate at the ELT level, and think strategically about the business. The skills that make a great Director often work against you at VP.

Is it normal to feel overwhelmed as a newly promoted VP?

Yes — and it is more common than most VPs admit. The VP role genuinely requires different skills than what earned the promotion, and the gap is real. Research puts the failure rate of executive transitions near 40% within the first 18 months (McKinsey/CEB transition studies). The feeling of overwhelm is not a sign of weakness; it is a signal that the role demands a structured transition approach, not harder work. The leaders who acknowledge this and get structured support ramp faster and build stronger foundations.

How much does leadership coaching cost?

Every Stratos Coaching engagement is custom-scoped to the leader and the mandate. As a market reference, executive coaching at this level typically runs $5,000–$20K+ for a six-month engagement, with annual C-suite advisory ranging $15,000–$65,000+ (industry ranges). We'll give you your exact number in one 30-minute altitude call. For a detailed breakdown of market pricing across providers, see our complete guide to executive coaching costs.

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What Leaders Say

Results from executives who've been through the program.

Ready to operate at VP altitude?

Book a 30-minute assessment. We'll map the specific gaps between how you're leading now and what your VP role demands -- so you stop managing and start operating like the executive your organization needs.

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