Curtis on..Critical Success Factors for CCOs: 3. Alignment with the CEO
In this third of seven videos on critical success factors for chief customer officers and senior loyalty executives, Curtis Bingham, Founder and Executive Director of the Chief Customer Officer Council recommends that CCOs align their priorities with the priorities and the strategy of the CEO in order to be successful.
Transcript for Curtis on..Critical Success Factors for CCOs: 3. Alignment with the CEO
The third critical success factor for CCOs and other loyalty executives is priority alignment with the CEO. What does this mean?
The more you are aligned with what the CEO cares about, the more likely he or she is to support you, champion your cause, and bang your drum.
What does the CEO care about?
Not too long ago, there was a conference report study of CEO priorities from around the world, and there were 10 of them that were highlighted; and the first five were the most important. They were most interested in excellence in execution, sustained and steady top-line growth, and consistent execution of strategy by top management; and then, the fourth one was customer loyalty and retention.
Whatever you're doing, you need to make sure that you are involved in something that the CEO cares about; otherwise, it's too easy to be sidelined or removed when the company hits a revenue road bump. You need to show a line of sight between whatever it is that you're doing and the CEO’s priority, and especially to revenue and profitability.
If you're the CEO, make sure that your CCO is in lock step with you, supporting your priorities and using customer insight to champion your cause.
If you're the chief customer officer or other loyalty executives, make sure that you're aligned very closely. It makes it very easy for the CEO to adopt your cause and clear the way for everyone to follow you.