What You Need to Know Before Challenging a C-Level Executive
Protecting Your Position
Hey, fellow Leader 🚀,
I am Artur, and welcome to my weekly newsletter. I am focusing on topics like Project Management, Innovation, Leadership, and a bit of Entrepreneurship. I am always open to suggestions for new topics. Feel free to reach out to me and share my newsletter if it helps you in any way.
Managing conflicts is one of the major parts of the job. These conflicts could be from different sources and contexts, especially with different people in the command chain. One of the most dangerous conflicts to have is with the C-level, due to their incredible decision-making power and mandates. There are multiple types of C-levels: it could be a CEO, CFO, or a CTO, but what matters is if the person is seated on the administration board of the company (it’s the subtext behind the “C” part of their job title).
Having a conflict with a C-Level staff member is no joke, and a significant degree of experience and emotional intelligence is required. Therefore, I will just highlight some strategies and words on how to navigate these conflicts from a better position.
They Are Humans With A Significant Amount Of Pressure
Let’s start with the obvious. Not all people who rise to a C-Level position are star leaders, or got there with a significant amount of grit and knowledge. However, since these positions are very results-oriented, the amount of pressure these positions hold is no joke. As imperfect human beings that we all are, the reactions and strategies vary widely from person to person.
For example, some C-level persons are very political, and they attach themselves to an image of proximity with the base of the company, feeding an image of a “Leader who listens”, while behind closed doors, they don’t like to have their ideas challenged. Other C-level managers like to build an image of strength and can even become intimidating for the base of the company. However, they can be very pragmatic and receptive to new forms of doing things. For others, we secretly don’t even understand how they manage to land the job in the first place, since they offer zero added value, and are simply managing without any vision or strategy.
What is important is to try to understand the personality behind the position and how open they are to new ideas. Also, get a grip on how they react if you don’t agree with them, and what their main concerns and ambitions are. This is key for understanding how to navigate the relationship, with conflicts or without conflicts.
Be Careful With Old Wolves
There are C-level staff from different backgrounds, and notably, for IT, the department might be under the scope of someone who doesn’t have an IT degree. Not every company is a technological company that needs a leader with a strong technological background.
From another angle, there are some C-level staff in their 30s who managed to rise through the ranks, but it is most common to witness people with decades of professional experience in this kind of position. Therefore, they have seen a lot and probably were managing companies already, while some of us were still finishing university. So we need to be aware of the delta in experience and how politically savvy they can be. In other words, they can say one thing to an audience, and an hour later, say the opposite to a different audience. Some of these staff have been playing the game for decades, and they play it very well.
For example, I had a situation where we stressed how poorly a project was being run by one of our providers, and we got a meeting with the CEO. He was very astute commercially, and he said all the nice things we wanted to hear, some of which, to the detriment of his own team. This is where some red flags popped up in my head. He knew how to navigate a difficult conversation, and he chose the arguments and the positions very wisely. His goal wasn’t to fix the problem. His goal was to buy time. Therefore, he was saying all the right things, and he shifted the conversation in a direction for us to understand the learning curve his team was tackling (which, in practice, shows they weren’t the right people for the job). Everyone in the room was pleased with his speech, except me, who needed the deliveries to be on time, and I just got excuses instead. But kudos for his political expertise, it was impressive to watch.
Be Ready To Play The “Behind The Scenes” Game
The power of influence is one of the most overlooked aspects of leadership. Leadership positions are seen as executive decision-making, but their reach and easy access to other decision-making staff are largely overlooked. The power of influence is hugely important, and even more so in the “Behind The Scenes” game.
A lot might be discussed behind closed doors, and instructions are being given to the people on the company’s base. Having access to these flows of communication is important, as is access to key decision-makers.
There is a lot of information that isn’t shared, and therefore, some decisions might come across as weird (at the very least). So parallel conversations might be happening before the big meeting even happens, and we all know that a successful decision-making meeting is based on how much preparation work is put in before it even starts. Avoiding surprises is paramount, and the more people are aligned towards a decision before the meeting starts, the better.
This is where influencing decisions is important. It requires having access to the right information and knowing how to display it to convey a message. A well-structured idea is difficult to beat. A well-structured idea, discussed beforehand with multiple decision-makers and incorporating their feedback, is unbeatable. This means, if there is a particular C-Level staff member that would be against a certain idea, it is important for him or her to be aware, and have his or her views and inputs somewhere in the solution. Avoid the surprise altogether. Of course, this is easier said than done, but the “behind the scenes” games with multiple sources will help you find allies to push the idea forward, while avoiding a “headfirst” confrontation that will benefit no one (Especially the ones lower in the chain of command).
That’s it. If you find this post useful, please share it with your friends or colleagues who might be interested in this topic. If you would like to see a different angle, suggest it in the comments or send me a message.
Cheers,
Artur
I feel sympathy for the author. They have obviously survived some toxic work environments. I agree with many of Artur's observations and profiles, but much of what he then recommends risks backfiring, and certainly won't help mend a broken company culture.
If you have the ear of a C-level exec in a company with a healthy culture, I would strongly suggest talking with them about what you are thinking before 'playing games' behind their back, which is going to create office/organisational politics. Even if it is not healthy, and you don't rate your superior, learn how to interact with them by being upfront and collaborative rather than trying to manipulate them. Find a way to engage them with your idea early. Most leaders, even the sub-par ones, will listen to what you have to say (you may have to introduce your idea in a non-threatening way), and then let you know if you are wasting your time or if there is other information you need to know, and if there is possible merit be supportive in canvasing others on the idea and developing it further, before presenting your complete thesis. Going behind their back is undermining, and a weaker or lazier leader is likely to feel threatened, which won't help you. A good leader will be concerned that you are a political game player which may hinder your career path. It also sets your colleagues up for disappointment and drags them into office politics. In my experience as a C level exec of 20 years, it also often results in misrepresentation of others opinions (the party driving the idea presents their agenda to other colleagues, and interprets a lack of push back as support, when often it is just politeness. I can't tell you how many times I've heard how X and Y support the idea, and then when talking to X and Y find out that is a complete misunderstanding).
Manipulation is a trait of psychopathy, radical transparency will lead to a better functioning organisation. If you can't be upfront and still get things done, think seriously about whether you are in the right organisation and start looking for better options (not always easy to find, but worth the effort. Life's too short to work in a politicised organisation).
Good insights! You could write an article on its own for any of the three topics...