What your CEO really wants from you

Here’s one thing I’ve learned from being a CEO and now an advisor to senior leadership teams…

Companies that are executing, innovating, and growing often start with leadership teams that know how to relate to and effectively communicate with their CEO.

If you’ve felt like your CEO doesn’t ‘get’ what you are saying or it’s been difficult to get them to buy in to your ideas, it might be because of the way you’re communicating with them.

I see this when working with next-gen leadership teams. They have great ideas, but when it comes time to share them with the CEO, something gets lost in translation.

Recently, in one of my BREAK THE MOLD™ workshops, I stopped a discussion and said:

"Look, if I’m [CEO's name], here’s what I’m thinking about…”

In that moment, the entire team’s approach shifted.

They began seeing their recommendations through the CEO’s lens—anticipating concerns, addressing priorities, and aligning their messaging.

The result? Better solutions that lead to quicker buy-in and paved the way to faster execution.

If you’ve ever wondered what your CEO really wants from you—and how to communicate in a way that gets traction—keep reading.

If I'm your CEO, here's what I'm thinking about...

Although all CEOs are different, they all share one thing:

Their ultimate mandate is to do what's best for the organization to remain relevant and sustainable for years to come.

I've sat in the CEO chair of a top ten US accounting firm, so I've experienced it.

Now, that's the WHAT.

As far as the HOW... well, companies will get there by:

• Defining a strategy

• Communicating and getting buy-in to your strategy

• Building engines

• Enabling strong culture

• Inspiring people to think differently

• Helping people overcome roadblocks

• Being willing to BREAK THE MOLD™ (and take risks)

• Transforming and running the business at the same time

That's the job of a CEO—enable those things to happen.

So as far as what your CEO is thinking about?

They're thinking about what it will take to accomplish all of those things.

They're thinking about what might be coming around the corner that could disrupt those efforts.

They're thinking about how to balance short-term results with meeting long-term success metrics.

Knowing that's the case, here are 3 things you should be doing to communicate more effectively with your CEO to enable them (and therefore your organization) to achieve your shared goals:

1. Recognize you don't have all the answers.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret...

CEOs don't have all the answers. I know... shocking.

If every CEO knew how to achieve everything I listed earlier, EVERY organization would thrive—and as we all know, that's just not the case.

Look, I say this to remind you that you don't have to have all the answers either.

It's ok to admit you're uncomfortable and it's also ok to recognize you're in uncharted territory at times.

The key is to recognize that and move forward despite not having all the answers.

Staying the same is not an option.

What your CEO wants is for you to get things in motion and make progress.

They aren't looking for perfection, so you shouldn't be either.

Which leads to my next point...

2. Provide solutions, not ideas.

There's no shortage of ideas.

Spitting a bunch of ideas at your CEO isn't particularly helpful.

The thing that separates effective leaders from the rest is their ability to turn ideas into viable solutions.

We all know what an idea is, so how is a solution different?

Solutions:

• Are aligned to strategy

• Describe what implementation looks like

• Outline what success will look like (including relevant metrics)

• Account for potential risks and have a plan to address them

• Speak directly to the things a CEO might be nervous about

Use this as a litmus test next time you are bringing something to your CEO.

Are you bringing an idea, or a well-thought-out and presented solution?

Your CEO isn't looking for more ideas, they are looking for solutions.

3. Be clear about what you need.

As a CEO, what I wanted more than anything was an opportunity to say 'yes' or 'no'.

I didn't want people to make the decision for me (us) by not saying what they needed or what it would take to get something done.

If something was going to move us closer to our goals, I wanted to know what it was so we could at least have the conversation about whether to do it or not.

So when communicating with your CEO, clearly state what you need.

If you're willing to take on a new role in the firm but need a compensation guarantee, say it.

If you believe there's a path to increase sales by 20% but need to invest $5m in additional headcount, say it.

If you're confident adopting a new technology will help execute strategy, say it—even if that new technology costs $1m per year.

The worst thing that happens is your CEO says, "I like what you're thinking, but it's not something we can do right now."

At least you said it. You laid your cards on the table.

Your CEO should never fault you for that—I wouldn't.

Think like your CEO.

Look, every CEO is different, so it's important you know yours.

That said, every CEO also shares the same mandate to do what's best for the organization to remain relevant and sustainable.

I hope this gives you a better idea of what's going on inside the mind of a CEO and how to better communicate with yours.

Remember these three things:

1. Recognize you don't have all the answers.

2. Provide solutions, not ideas.

3. Be clear about what you need.

They will serve you well—and your CEO will thank you.

If you're stuck on how to communicate something with your CEO, feel free to reply to this email with some more info and we can talk through it.

That's it for this week.

With intention,
Alan D Whitman