This may sound counter intuitive and go against everything happening in the world today, but CEOs and C-suite executives need to speak their minds. They need to deliver the message they know must be received to drive change or improve results at their companies.
The reality is … this is not happening today.
The world we operate in is so hyper-sensitive, over-filtered and politically correct that the voice of the CEO and C-suite has been diluted. Therefore, it has lost its authenticity. It has lost its power. And more importantly … it is losing its impact on business performance.
In most organizations, CEO and C-suite messages are getting watered down, dumbed down and filtered to the point where they no longer serve their original purpose: to move the organization forward and in a very specific direction.
We see this every day.
Too many cooks in the kitchen. Too many so-called experts in the room watering down the recipe. Too many stakeholders across the business adding their preferred ingredients. By the time the message leaves the boardroom and finds its way into the organization, it no longer serves the original strategic intent. Your job is to deliver a message that matters and makes a difference. Not make everyone happy.
Maybe that’s why world-renowned researcher and author Michael Porter said, “Strategy 101 is about choices: You can’t be all things to all people.”
As the CEO or a C-suite executive, you are being paid to make a choice. The choice about what message needs to be communicated to move the business forward. You must ensure that unfiltered message accomplishes its strategic intent up and down the organization. Even if that isn’t the story others would like to hear or tell.
In the book “Good to Great,” Jim Collins said executives are responsible for getting … “the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.”
Your message in support of critical business initiatives should do just that. Especially when it comes to messages that are intended to move the business forward. Like your message around vision, mission, go-to-market strategy, culture, brand, positioning, organizational change, etc.
You don’t need translators. You don’t need filters. What you need are the right messengers who will deliver the right story to the individuals you want on the bus.
With that said, many executives lean on outside counsel to ensure the right story (their story) comes together without non-value add interference. An advisor who understands their business, their strategy, can capture the story in the voice of the CEO and package it in a clear, compelling and consistent way. Not someone who fancies the written word or gets hung up on a creative way to spin the story – but a trusted advisor who will ensure the strategic intent behind the story is ultimately achieved.
So, if you’re a CEO or C-suite executive, it’s time to take back control of your message.
It’s time to speak directly to your constituents in your true voice. No more filters. No more translators. Just a true, authentic message that you genuinely architect and intentionally deliver to move your business forward.
