How are you able to gain stakeholder alignment (or more so decisions) at the C-level if you work at a flat organization, however, there is still a lot of implied levels?

Similarly to influencing stakeholders without authority on an XFN project, there are a series of steps you can take gain stakeholder alignment at the C-Level on a decision, project, or set of approvals.

1. Develop a DIN framework Start by developing a DIN (Decide, Input, Notify) framework that will allow you assign roles for each stakeholder you're working with. It should be reviewed with your cross-functional peers to ensure their respective leaders are included with the right role. Typically this can be vetted by senior leaders on your team. In a "flat" org, there should be very few decision makers, and mostly folks categorized as "Input" or "Notify."

2. Layout the critical path to getting buy-in and decision. Next step is dependent on company culture, how input is gathered and ultimately how decisions are made. It's critical to deeply understand this process so that you're being as efficient as possible (not wasting people's time), and getting to the decision as soon as possible. How are you gathering feedback from your stakeholders? What forums are you using to provide updates to your stakeholders? Your critical path to a decision and alignment should include how you will gather input/feedback including how many rounds of feedback there will be. If the ultimate decision will be made at an exec C-level forum, there is likely a sequence of reviews that need to happen before your project even reaches this forum.

3. Identify peer and exec champions - You'll need supporters from other teams and an exec champion to help you drive the decision, approval, or whatever else is needed when the time comes. Supporters will likely self-identify through the review process. Your exec champion should be identified with help from your manager.

Getting C-level alignment in a relatively flat org with many stakeholders was a very common situation at YouTube. An example of this was our 2024 strategic plan for YouTube Shorts. Ultimately, our 2024 plan needed to be approved by our CMO and CEO, both designated as Decision makers. Along the way, there were MANY stakeholders we needed to gather input from and notify along the way including product, business, and global marketing partners. Establishing our DIN framework and critical path and sharing this with our respective stakeholders helped establish a clear and efficient roadmap for the planning process.

Let's be real- flat organizations have implied hierarchies & gaining alignment and decisions at the C-level requires careful orchestration and a strategic approach to group dynamics. Here's how I navigate this:

1. Start with circulating conversations: Before taking anything to the C-suite, I focus on informal discussions with key stakeholders. I frame these as opportunities to explore ideas and uncover concerns. For example, if I’m proposing a new pricing model, I’ll first talk to sales leaders about feasibility, product leaders about technical implications, and finance about revenue projections. These early conversations help me refine the pitch.

2. Build a coalition: No one wants to stand alone in front of the C-suite. I identify stakeholders who are most likely to support the initiative and align them on the “why” behind it. Recently, I pre-aligned with both sales and customer success leads to ensure they’d back a messaging shift. When we presented it to the C-suite, their visible agreement carried weight.

3. Find the shared priority: Consensus often comes from tying the initiative to a priority everyone cares about. For example, when discussing a GTM strategy, I positioned it as solving both a sales conversion issue and a product adoption challenge. This united stakeholders with different goals around a shared outcome.

4. Resolve conflicts before the big room: If there are major disagreements, I address them before involving C-level leaders. I’ll pull conflicting stakeholders into a smaller meeting to align or compromise. Once, I spent an extra week ironing out differences on metrics definitions so the final pitch was rock-solid and unified.

5. Frame for decision, not debate: When presenting to the C-suite, I make it clear what decision is needed and how we arrived there. I highlight the consensus built through prior discussions and the trade-offs considered. For example, I might say, “We’ve explored options A, B, and C, and the leadership team supports B because it balances speed and impact.” This shows thoughtfulness and reduces the chance of reopening the debate.

6. Be inclusive in tone and process: Even if I’ve pre-aligned with key players, I make room for everyone’s voice to be heard when presenting the decision to the group. This ensures no one feels bypassed, which is especially critical in flat organizations where influence isn’t always tied to title.