AMA: Cacheflow GTM Team, Adam Wainwright on Influencing the C-Suite

Alignment is the name of the game. And yes, Sr. Execs aren't always seeing eye to eye. The good news is that Sr. Execs understand the unifying language of alignment. In other words, try to figure out, in independent settings, how your proposed strategy serves the bigger picture. The strategic initiatives. Maybe they are around revenue growth or operational efficiency, or just getting things to work the way they should. In any case, your goal is to build a consensus that your proposed strategy di ...Read More

It's critical to figure out who the "fox" is at your business. The "fox" is that person who usually speaks a little bit slower in sr. meetings. Is the person who often other Sr. execs ask questions or seek insight. Foxes know whats going on with the needful. They control outcomes. Often CEOs will outsource big decisions to the "fox" Knowing who this person is is the hard part. But if you can find a "fox" you can slowly work with them, earn trust, and become a vital part of the decision tree. Fin ...Read More

Consistency is key - to an executive, stability, consistency, and a clear tenacity/lean-in are what will separate you from your colleagues. Habits include: Being early to the office when applicable Putting in that extra push in the evening -- when it works and if you have the time, giving a little extra is something that often gets rewarded in my experience. Being early on virtual calls (ie. all hands where the C-Suite is present) Ditch complaining. -- Understand the language of "problem stateme ...Read More

Early in my career, I made mistakes but when things started clicking, I moved up the ranks pretty quickly. Here are a few things I did to ensure the job I wanted was mine when it became available. Show up early, be available, and say yes when power people are watching - I literally turned the lights on in the office every morning for 4 years. I was always there and always available for risky projects when the C-Suite was building a thesis around something (in my case - for GTM) Be the tide that ...Read More

Influencing the C-suite happens in small settings. Depending how close to the office you are is corollary to how direct you can be with your resourcing request. When you get a chance to make a case, in a small setting, make sure you: Know your domain well. It's paramount that you truly understand the depth and breadth of your scope of responsibilities so you can observe these responsibilities from different lenses external to your domain. Know how your resource request drives/ impacts the big in ...Read More

Brief, Bright, Gone. Everyone should read a book called "Cut to the Chase: and 99 Other Rules to Liberate Yourself and Gain Back the Gift of Time" by Stuart Levine. Execs speak in terms of big-picture ideas/moves. Brevity is key to engaging with the Exec Suite. You'll know where someone sits based on their ability to speak in terms of strategy, broad strokes ideas and their implication to the business versus more tactical, deep-on-detail concepts/problems/projects/responsibilities Generally spea ...Read More

Small spaces. The best way to get exposure to your C-Suite is to find where they are and create reasons to be there. This is a common sales practice. That is, do your homework. Figure out where you can cross-paths with your C-Suite and use an opportunity to broker an introduction if one hasn't already been made. Depending on the personality of the person you're trying to get in front of, you should be trying to learn 1 or all of the following things. Do they have an open-door policy? Do they hav ...Read More

Like anything, as a company grows, priorities change. It's hard to say how Key Stakeholders from other departments change (in this example) but in every growing business I've ever been a part of, what really matters is alignment to the mission. If Stakeholders' roles are impacted because the mission is evolving, this is where you'll see big moves or changes across the stakeholder landscape. Stay close to the stakeholders who have a clear understanding of the mission, and make sure its the same m ...Read More

Hitting the number is the first thing - But this wasn't all that easy to do over these last few years, so here are some things that will provide value to the C-Suite as a sales leader. Keeping the troops aligned to the big picture -- Keeping the team engaged, happy, and focused on the big picture is exhausting but rewarding. C-Suite will pick up an unrelenting positive outlook and will reward sales leaders when applicable Organizing feedback loops from the field to the C-Suite. The C-Suite is al ...Read More