The CRO, not product marketing, is closest to the customer and knows what they will buy. The product roadmap should be a collaborative effort driven by the CRO, who can directly tie feature delivery to ICP expansion and revenue forecasts. This creates accountability and predictable growth.

CFOs don't expect flawless marketing attribution. They distrust 'black box' metrics and prefer CMOs who are transparent about uncertainties. The best approach is to openly discuss imperfections and collaborate on a joint plan to improve measurement over time, building trust and confidence.

The true ROI of a great company culture is operational velocity. Long-tenured employees create a high-context environment where communication is efficient, meetings are shorter, and decisions are faster. This 'shared language' is a competitive advantage that allows you to scale more effectively than companies with high turnover.

A common failure mode for new CROs is attempting to create the sales playbook in isolation. Core pillars like ICP and value proposition are company-level decisions. The CRO's role is to be interdependent, facilitating this cross-functional creation process, not dictating it.

RevOps functions as the "truth-teller" for the revenue engine. To be effective, they need immunity from organizational politics, regardless of their reporting structure. Without it, they're forced to serve a leader's ego to protect their job, which is a recipe for disaster.

In a scaling company, a CRO must balance hitting immediate targets with building for the future. An effective model is the 70/30 split: 70% of time is focused on closing deals and hitting the quarterly number, while the other 30% is invested in creating the repeatable processes required for the next growth phase.

At the VP or C-level, a leader's primary role shifts from managing their function to driving overall business success. Their focus becomes more external—customers, market, revenue—and their success is measured by their end-to-end impact on the company, not just their team's performance.

To truly build a people-first culture, give the head of HR (rebranded as 'Chief Heart Officer' to change perception) more political clout and decision-making power than the Chief Financial Officer. This organizational structure ensures that employee retention and happiness are prioritized over pure financial metrics, leading to long-term stability and success.

To build alliances with C-suite peers like the CFO, a new executive should act as a 'servant leader.' Instead of asserting authority, frame your function's role as being in service of their agenda. Asking "how can we make your life easier?" builds trust and collaboration from day one.