Executives rate their company's marketing far better than front-line workers do, a gap that signals deeper isolation. When leaders lose touch with reality on the ground, messaging fractures and decisions miss the mark. The fix: put executives in front-line roles, route customer feedback directly to them, and let employees help close the gap.
Chapters
There's a serious divide between executives and employees in most companies, and we need to talk about it. In our latest research report, we found that nearly 70% of executives would give their company's marketing a passing grade. But only half of individual contributors agree. You've seen this before. The business misses a key goal. Executives retreat behind closed doors to reveal how exactly they'll turn those spreadsheet lines from red to green. Marching orders are given to VPs who pass it on to managers and so forth. But somewhere down the line, information is dropped. Employees are confused or frustrated by unrealistic expectations. And executives, they feel cut off. Turns out there's a name for executive isolation. It's the idea that things look a little bit rosier from the top. Executives become separated from what actually happens in the business, compromising their decision making and leadership effectiveness in the process. For instance, we found that the higher you rank, the more eager you are to see your company try new strategies. Whether that's video bots or whatever trend comes next. But the marketers actually creating the content, they're struggling to keep up. You see, misalignment usually starts with the smallest of cracks. Marketing attracts customers with one message, sales sells them on another. But as these inconsequential fractures compound, an all out corporate chasm forms and a company is bound to lose its balance. Internal confusion will be the least of your concerns. Instead, it'll be customer happiness or really retention. So what can you do? The first step to overcoming executive isolation is realizing there's a bubble in the first place. Honestly, when's the last time someone's challenged your thinking? What about the last time you've shadowed a customer service rep? Get close to the front lines. Talk to employees and customers about their pain points. Set a clear vision with target metrics. If you're an individual contributor, you too can fight misalignment. Work with execs to create a feedback loop from your customers all the way to the top. 4. Solving the corporate divide isn't easy. But if your company can't come together, how can you focus on the customer? Sam.
