How to Align CEO Priorities With Business Strategy

$7M CEO: “we’re not hitting revenue targets.” me: “are your GTM teams aligned?” $7M CEO: “i think so…everyone’s working hard.” me: “sure, but are they solving the same problem?” $7M CEO: “honestly? i’m not sure.” me: “here’s where I’d start:” 1. ask the 8 questions (as a team) not in silos. not in strategy docs, no one reads. - who is your most relevant customer right now? - what GTM motions are working and why? - where can you grow the most? - what’s the ROI in the customer’s mind? if your team answers differently, that’s your problem. 2. align your leadership before your plan misalignment at the top multiplies everywhere else. - get the CEO, CMO, CS, product in the same room - map the current GTM on one slide - highlight where you’re out of sync (messaging, metrics, motions) GTM isn’t a playbook. it’s a leadership rhythm. 3. focus on fixing the system, not the function most teams try to fix GTM by fixing people. - fire the CRO - hire a new head of marketing - shift messaging mid-quarter but the system is what breaks, not the individuals. fix the structure, the sequencing, and the clarity. 4. run GTM like a system, not a reaction once you’re aligned, build the rhythm. - weekly GTM reviews with the full exec team - scorecards tied to motions and outcomes - iterate based on what the system tells you clarity > certainty alignment > being right systems > goals start with clarity. fix the system. then scale. p.s. follow Sangram Vajre for more insights on fixing your GTM and building something that actually scales.

Senior leaders carry a silent burden: Strategic responsibility. Most strategies don’t fail in the planning phase. They fail in translation. Not just setting vision. But aligning execution. Building leaders. Sustaining momentum. And here’s the insight most overlook: Strategy only works when your people carry it. Not understand it. Not agree with it. Carry it. 🧠 72% of strategic initiatives fail (McKinsey). 🧠 Only 16% of frontline employees understand company strategy (HBR). That’s not a communication issue. It’s a leadership one. If your business strategy isn’t backed by a leadership strategy, it’s a gamble. Want it to stick? Do these 5 things: 1️⃣ Translate goals into behaviors. Don't just say “prioritize innovation.” Clarify what innovation looks like at each level. 📌 Tip: Use behavioral anchors in strategy rollouts; tie each priority to 1–2 observable team behaviors. 2️⃣ Build leaders who can make decisions under pressure. Strategy means nothing if your managers freeze in the fog. 📌 Tip: Run “battle drills” (what if) leadership scenarios, practice decision making with time pressure, tradeoffs, and limited info. 3️⃣ Make ownership obvious. When it's unclear who’s driving what, execution slows. 📌 Tip: Assign one clear owner per initiative and review progress in weekly team check-ins, not quarterly reports. 4️⃣ Incentivize behaviors, not just outcomes. You can’t drive strategic change by measuring the wrong actions. 📌 Tip: Tie performance reviews to behaviors that reflect your priorities, not just deliverables or numbers. 5️⃣ Audit alignment quarterly. Most organizations revisit strategy once a year. That’s too late. 📌 Tip: Schedule quarterly strategy audits to identify misalignment early and recalibrate execution. The best leaders don’t just talk strategy. They engineer execution. Comment Below: How do you make strategy real for your team? ♻ Repost if you want to lead with more clarity and less chaos. I’m Dan 👊 Follow me for daily posts. I talk about confidence, professional growth and personal growth. ➕ Daniel McNamee

most ceos obsess over strategy, product, and capital—yet ignore the one lever that makes every move stick: strategic communication. i’ve seen brilliant founders pour millions into innovation only to stall because employees, investors, and even customers couldn’t articulate the mission. when communication is treated as a tactical afterthought, momentum leaks out of the system. here’s the simple math i walk leaders through: clarity cuts the noise ↳ if your team can’t repeat your top three priorities on demand, the message hasn’t landed. connection builds capacity ↳ information flows freely when silos are bridged, turning scattered talent into a single powerhouse. momentum fuels drive ↳ stories that make people feel part of something bigger spark energy you can’t buy with perks. alignment reduces friction ↳ psychological safety plus clear decision frameworks keep teams moving in the same direction. invest in the “transmission,” not just the engine. strategic comms turns vision into traction.

My Failure - #1: Slow down so you don’t F up. When we kicked off our website refresh, my goal was clear: move fast and free up my CEO’s time so she could stay focused on the bigger picture. As VP of Marketing, I felt confident our team could handle the execution - easy right. Ha. Here’s the reality- no one at a company has a stronger pulse on evolving priorities than the CEO. By the time I looped her in, the work no longer aligned with her evolving vision. Deadlines were missed. Back to the drawing board. It wasn’t that the work was wrong—it’s that I skipped a crucial step. I thought I was saving time, but I was creating friction. What I learned: 1. Leadership isn’t just about driving strategy; it’s about aligning with key stakeholders. The CEO doesn’t need to be in every detail, but they do need to feel connected to the process. 2. A CEO’s input is less about tactics and more about ensuring the work aligns with the broader vision. Ignoring that early leads to rework later. 3. Moving fast without alignment isn’t speed—it’s inefficiency disguised as progress. Looking forward: • Stakeholder alignment is step one for every major project. Especially when it involves the CEO • Build processes that enable quick, meaningful check-ins at key points—this keeps momentum without losing alignment • Prioritize clarity over speed. A little extra time upfront saves a lot of time downstream. 👇🏻 This was a humbling lesson/reminder in leadership. I didn’t just learn how to avoid this mistake—I learned how to create better processes that continue to support the big picture. - - - - - - Hoping to be more vulnerable in 2025 and share mistakes publicly to force growth but also help show it’s sometimes the little mistakes that fuel growth. No judgement please as you start to see more of these from me :)

It’s a paradox of leadership that few executives get to the C-suite without being competitive and personally ambitious, but those qualities can derail them once they get to the top, where they need to prioritize the company’s agenda over their own unit's and collaborate in order to deliver it. On the other hand, leaders can't be so collaborative that they’re not comfortable challenging each other. Successful CEOs identify the right balance for their companies and situations, then choose and align their leadership teams accordingly: - Define the strategic vision: Turning around an underperforming company requires a different collection of competencies from that needed to grow a company by going global or building new businesses. The CEO’s clear strategic direction and priorities determine the type of leaders needed and provide the narrative to align objectives. - Choose a consistent leadership team approach: The CEO decides the balance between competition and collaboration among the leadership team. Where different geographies, divisions or functions within a company have little in common, it may make sense to give each leader a target for which they’ll be held accountable and the freedom to operate independently. The CEO’s personal leadership style may also skew the balance; they may decide that, even with limited synergies between divisions, the team will get a better result by solving problems together. - Select leaders who fit the leadership approach: If the team is going to be driven by competition, individuals' track records and ambitions will be the most important criteria; a collaborative team will likely be focused on fit, low ego, and complementary strengths, as well as personal achievement. Where competition and collaboration factor equally, leaders need to be confident enough to advocate for their points of view but humble enough to put the company’s goals ahead of their own. CEOs need to switch out those who do not fit the strategic and leadership approach to avoid undermining the team as a whole. Shape team behavior: Once the team is chosen, the CEO needs to establish behavioral norms to support whichever culture is needed to deliver the strategy, and the right level of debate and decision-making. Problems that make it to the leadership team tend to be difficult and complex; discourse can be intense. Behavioral norms ensure that competitive cultures create psychological safety for transparency and debate without devolving into infighting and negative consequences, and that collaborative ones challenge each other without creating offense. The CEO needs to model the right behaviors and incentivize others to do the same. Given that too much change can cause people to burn out or disengage, change may need to be implemented in stages to allow leaders to absorb new ways of working, and then monitor the team’s progress and adjust accordingly. #competition #collaboration #leadership #team #culture #teamwork