Published: 11 January 2024
CSOs must forge an enduring bond with their most influential stakeholder — the CEO. Unfortunately, the role nuances and shorter- and longer-term priorities are likely to vary between CEO and CSO. As a result, priorities misalign and relationships strain.
Unclear expectations and lack of time invested in building a relationship with the CEO may trigger misalignments between the CSO and CEO, which inevitably reduce transparency and impede their collective executive power.
Many CSOs avoid conflict with CEOs by finding shelter “in the field” engaging and meeting with customers. This avoidance tactic causes issues to linger and negatively impacts the ability to communicate and reconcile contrarian views.
Sales is often viewed by other parts of the organization as a lone function, but CSOs are uniquely positioned to encourage collaboration. A C-suite collaborative CSO ensures a customer-centric culture is created across
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Analysts:
Dave Egloff, Robert Blaisdell, Stephen DiFranco, Rachael Buchler
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