My Executive Team Does Not Function Well Together
If even one person (including the CEO) fails to respect and trust all other team members, the entire team struggles. A dysfunctional executive team leads to incomplete objectives and poor business performance. Thus, building trust on the executive team is critical to business success and should be the CEO’s top priority.

Learn more about this in “Four Frustrations of a CEO.”

Each Executive Is "On a Different Page"
Executive team alignment is nearly impossible without:

1. Clear company priorities
2. Accountability assigned to these company priorities

Try this little experiment: at your next meeting, ask each executive to list his current top three priorities. You will probably find at least twice as many priorities as members of the team. Some may overlap, but most probably will not. If this is your case, you don’t have company priorities; you have individual initiatives…and you’re NOT on the same page.

If you struggle with unfocused meetings where individual executives emphasize what is best for their departments and/or themselves, it’s imperative that you establish a disciplined process designed to focus on a common strategy for the entire organization.

Read more in “Four Frustrations of a CEO.”

Some Executives Are Not Performing As Needed
Ask yourself two questions about each executive:

1. Is he the right person for this organization?
2. Is he in the right role?

Sometimes, you may conclude that you have the wrong people. Many times, however, you actually have the right people, but they’re in the wrong roles. Some may have just been promoted beyond their level of competency. The decisions prompted by these questions may be difficult, but as the CEO, you must place people where they can succeed – both for their sakes and the organization’s.

Learn more about how to answer these questions in “Four Frustrations of a CEO.”

How To Help These Issues Get Better
1. Build Trust Among Executive Team Members
Take a few hours to read Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team…and do what it says. 

2. Set Clear Company Priorities
Start by agreeing with your team on 3-5 top company priorities for the upcoming quarter. Then, unleash your organization’s best resources and focused energy on completing this list.

3. When You Know About a Person, Act
If you know you need to make a change on the team, ACT!  It’s difficult, but you cannot afford to let things continue as they are.  Do not tolerate poor performers on your executive team.  High performing team members are far more likely to be frustrated by a CEO who is tolerant of poor performance than they are to be scared by a leader who seems “too harsh.” 

We Help CEOs with This Challenge by linking an experienced business advisor with a proven process, The CEO Advantage. Our clients consistently report the tremendous value of the process and the independent, objective viewpoint of a professional business advisor.  We will work with you individually and with your executive team on team alignment and performance, enabling you to more clearly see the strengths and weaknesses of your team members and increase your confidence in making strategic business decisions.