5 Expectations of the C-Suite

Do you run a company and sometimes wondering what expectations you should set for your C-Suite team? Do you scratch your head and wonder if they really “get” it? Or does it feel like you’re playing whack-a-mole resolving issues that should never get to you in the first place?

After 30 years working with and coaching C-Level leaders in large global companies, I’ve observed some things that should be crystal clear expectations of any senior leadership team. It’s up to you, the CEO, to create these expectations and hold your team accountable to them.

1. Steward The Organization

No matter how good they are at their role, the biggest differentiator of a senior leader must be that they are a steward of the organization. Stewards understand the big picture, how the pieces fit together and use that to influence holistic success, even when it requires a sacrifice in their area. Stewards take a broad, strategic view and act as business owners as they influence from the C-Suite. They look beyond the next quarter or sales cycle, plan for scenarios, and see around corners that others don’t. This requires skills that are not often taught or built below this level, so if you have senior leadership team members who are not doing it, it may not mean they can’t. It may mean they’ve never thought about it or haven’t honed the skill yet. Executive coaching is a great way to solve this problem.

2. Align To A Shared Agenda

Members of any C-Suite team should create alignment around where the organization is going and the plan to get there. This does not mean that they agree on everything, but it does mean that once decisions are made, the team conveys a unified approach and makes decisions according to that. This is NOT an area where internal competition is helpful. To run an effective organization, a CEO must be able to trust that their senior leadership team will make

 decisions that moves the organization towards a collective goal. This includes investment decisions, resourcing, staffing, and all sorts of questions that come up.

In our practice, we help leadership teams create a shared agenda they can all align around that supports their strategy, prioritizes investments, and optimizes talent. We base it on an organizational capability model so there is no doubt that the next investment or resource spent (time, focus, etc.) is one that will drive the strategy the farthest.

3. Collaborate

A C-Suite team should be collaborative. If they operate in silos, it is likely because they rose through the ranks specializing in critical areas and have arrived at the C-Suite as experts. This is a case of ‘what got you here won’t get you there’. You need specialized expertise, but at this level, you should expect more. The senior leadership team needs to be open to giving and receiving input from each other. If they aren’t doing that, there is no way they can fulfill their role as stewards of the organization. In order to understand and influence the big picture, they must deeply understand each other’s areas and effectively collaborate and work together.

One of my clients was a very successful family-owned company with a long history of deeply rooted silos. When I got involved, they had never had a strategic planning meeting that involved the entire C-Suite.  With a history of 20% annual growth, they didn’t see a reason to do things differently but they were ready to revise their strategy and the CEO wanted the team to work together. We worked hard to break down silos and 4 years later they doubled in revenue a year earlier than forecasted and are on track to double again in 4 years. The power of a collaborative senior leadership team is strong, even in pharmaceutical or technical companies where specialized expertise is critical.

4. Know The Numbers

It shouldn’t have to be said, but well, it does. This team needs to understand the numbers. Many organizations have very complex business models. We’ve dealt with airlines where pricing is as much of an art as a science, and global freight companies where charging back the cost of fuel is incredibly complicated. Banking is another one. In consumer products, this has necessitated the addition of a revenue growth management function to drive focus to it. In all cases, C-Level leaders MUST understand the flow of money, costs, and expenses. It is not enough to have a great finance leader. Expect this team to do what it takes to get out and learn what drives the business. If they can’t do this, there is almost no way they can be effective in running the company.

We’ve had many clients we have worked with find internal mentors, build partnerships with colleagues closer to the finances, and frankly, get training. If you are a CEO, this should be non-negotiable.

5. Look Out For Each Other

In addition to collaborating, this team should actively cover each other when things get tough. Every day is not everyone’s day, and there will be times when someone’s area comes up short. This can be detrimental when the organization has made commitments to the street. But if you expect that the team will jump in to cover the shortfall without being asked, you stand a better chance of a hiccup rather than a major downturn. 

One of my favorite examples of this was a retail company I worked with. The head of Real Estate announced around mid-year that his team could not find enough viable new store locations. They were about 100 stores off their target, and the company depended on new store lift to meet their projections. But no one even flinched. Sales ran promotions, merchandising negotiated better deals, supply chain found ways to get SKUs filled faster, and even HR advanced training for store associates. The company exceeded its goals that year because its C-Suite proactively jumped in to cover each other. The CEO didn’t strong-arm them into it. Instead, there was a cultural expectation (backed up by financial incentives) that this was the way things were done. 

If your C-Suite costs you time you don’t have, if you’re pulled into things that should be resolved below you, or if your team could perform better as stewards, there is room for a shift. That shift will drive exponential value and free you up to make a more meaningful contribution.  If you want help elevating your senior team to this level, call us. It’s what we do.