Do you struggle with connecting to the C-suite?
The truth is many VPs directors and high potential managers do
struggle with how to speak with and connect with C-level executives.
So in this video, what I want to share with you are the A, B, C, D Es
of how to connect to the C-suite.
ABCDE which means there are five proven strategies on connecting with
the C-suite and each of them will begin with that letter of the
alphabet.
So let's go, cause I don't like to waste any time.
Step number one is A.
A stands for adopt the C level mindset.
You want to connect with C-suite you want to connect with these senior
echelons of the corporation.
Then it's important that you sound like one, because you want to know
that they know, and they feel like you belong within the boardroom.
So when it comes to sounding like them, when it comes to adopting
their mindset, it is utmost important to understand their values,
their priorities, what they're dedicated towards in their career path.
Because even C-suite, they had a whole new career path, you may not
have been there for it, but they had a career path that led to their
current role as a C-suite.
So understand with their, from their perspective, not yours, but from
their perspective, what are their highest values?
What are they dedicated towards within this industry, within the
corporation as well?
And when you can serve and when you can truly understand what their
values are, this is where you can provide the highest level of
service.
And this is where you can truly sound like them because when you
understand what their highest priorities are, it will truly inform you
on how to create the content of your communications that really
tailors it towards that C level executive.
So this is important when it comes to understanding what somebody else
values.
It's not sufficient just to ask them.
And I've had a lot of executives through my coaching program asking
me, well, how do I know what somebody else values?
If I don't ask them, how do I know what they value?
And this is really, really important skill set to have, because this
is how you truly connect with somebody, whether it be your team
member, your colleagues, or C-suite as well.
And this is why it's not sufficient to ask somebody.
Cause most people don't really know and can't really articulate what
they value.
And instead in response to a question, what are your most important
values?
What do you value most?
What are your priorities?
Usually in response to that, they'll tell you something that is ideal.
They'll tell you something that is really what is truly nice to have,
or maybe truly what you are they're supposed to say, but it comes down
to their core values.
What they truly demonstrate as a leader in the corporations, those
things don't usually come out in conversation.
So it is important for you to develop the vernacular, the skillset,
how do you be able to hone that in just through observation, through
be able to ask the right question, being able to be around them and
having that skillset to be able to delineate what their true is, their
true values are not necessarily what they say they are, but their true
values are.
And in so doing, you can truly adopt the mindset of a C-level
executive.
The second strategy is B and B stands for build authority.
And this is where it's important.
You want to connect with C-level executives, you got to know their
business, understand their business inside and out and understand
their industry as well.
So their industry, their business means best practices, recent trends.
What are their movements?
What are their setbacks?
What is the competitive analysis?
That understand their business inside and out.
And when you're having conversations with C level executives, they're
going to have an expectation of your business accumen.
So this is why it's important in conversation with them don't be
asking discovery questions about their business, that you could have
been able to discover yourself through research or just through,
through tailored conversation.
Don't be asking no discovery questions.
This is where it's important that you can articulate the value of what
you have to offer and articulating your value is going to sound very
different when you're articulating in front of C-suite because the
C-suites, C-suites going to know, they're going to want to know
primarily well, how do you fit into this equation?
And it's important for you to articulate the value in terms of how you
fit into the equation and in their overarching business.
C-suite think about their role.
They are involved.
They're in the primary strategic direction of the company.
They want to know that this is going to, that we're going to be able
to thrive in this industry.
So how do you fit in the equation?
Be able to and be prepared to articulate your value from a very firm
understanding of the business and in the moment you can do so this is
how you build authority in their minds.
It's not about asking discovery questions.
It's not about trying to explore what the problems are.
It's not that you're asking them and trying to delineate from them
what the expectations of are, are for your role.
They're going to expect that you already know that.
So that's why building authority, building authority in front of
C-suite is a completely different exercise and a completely different
way to, to navigate that.
So far, we've covered A and B.
A was to adopt the C-level mindset.
B was to build authority.
C is to communicate with impact.
Communication is the highest level of value in the marketplace, your
C-level executives in the corporation, they spend most of their times
in communications with others.
So that's why it's important to be able to communicate the value of
what you have to bring with respects to their business goals.
And when your communication, when you're communicating, the biggest
mistake that I see executives make VPs and directors included is that
they lead with questions.
They lead with discovery questions, they lead with questions to
develop a better understanding.
They lead with questions to develop a better connection with their
C-level executives, but with C-suite it's the complete opposite.
Instead of leading with questions, you want to lead with insight,
specifically, insight that you see with respect to opportunities in
their business, because this is the time not about asking discovery
questions.
This is the time where you want to be able to share your insights, not
have them educate you in their business and asking questions to
C-suite can give that effect.
So when it comes to communication, what is the value that you bring?
What are the opportunities that you see and how can you share your
deepest insight with relation to that while communicating all of those
things in accordance with their highest values?
That goes back to step number one, articulation, it comes back to
adopting their mindset, uncovering what they have to, what uncovering
what's the highest priority for them.
So if you're somebody who really wants to hone this skill set, and
you're serious about it, because connecting with executives is
something that you want out of your career path to lead and step up
into higher levels of leadership.
If that is you, then I invite you to work with me.
Below this video, in the description, there is a link and that is an
application to book a call with either myself or a member of my team.
This is we're going to explore if it is the right fit, then you're
going to be inviting into my coaching program where I'm going to train
you on, how do you adopt the C-level mindset.
Because in this video you discovered what to do, but now in this
coaching, I'm going to share with you exactly step-by-step how do you
implement this.
How do you discover their highest values?
What are the steps?
How do you observe what their highest values are without directly
asking them?
How do you articulate your insights?
How do you extrapolate your insights from your knowledge?
And more importantly, how do you position in term, in front of C-level
executives?
So only if you're serious about discovering the steps for yourself,
then click the link below.
And I look forward to working with you on the inside.
Letter D is to deliver on benefit.
Craft your interaction with C-level executives, with their desired
destination in mind.
This is where it's important that you know, what their goals are,
because one of the things that C-level executives are going to be
thinking when you're in communication with them is not just what's in
it for me, they're going to also be thinking about what's in it for
the business.
So this is where it's important to be able to know the goals, the
mission objectives, and where this business is going and be able to
identify opportunities.
You should be able to know enough to get straight to the point.
It's not about talking about the features of what you have to bring or
the features of the recommendation you're about to bring it is your
deepest, deepest insights based on your experiences.
So you should be able to deliver it because the moment you try to
discover and ask them about their goals and objectives, so you need to
ask them, they're going to be wondering why you don't already know.
So that's why it's important.
Understand what is the desired objective?
What is the desired destination that they have?
What are the values that drive that desired destination and
communicate and deliver on those benefits?
So if this has been relevant for you, and if this has been eye-opening
for you, then I want to hear from you.
Comment below, what was your key takeaway from today's video?
And the final strategy is E.
And E stands for embody visionary thinking and skill.
Let's face it, the C level executives are visionaries, which means
that they're not just thinking about this year.
They're not just thinking about next year.
They're thinking 10 years out.
Some of the C-level executives have the capabilities of visionary
thinking and they think generations out lifetimes out.
So this is your opportunities to expand your time and space horizons,
develop visionary thinking.
And it's not something that people are born with.
It is a skillset that you can hone and that you can develop.
And the best way to develop that visionary thinking goes back to step
number one in this video.
So all of these things are intricate.
They are intertwined.
They don't work in isolation.
These strategies work in cohesion with one another.
So be able to develop that skill.
But first of all, you have to have the right mindset, believe that
this is a skill set.
If you don't already have it, that it is able to develop.
So what are you going to do to develop it?
Are you committed to becoming the C level, the executive, the higher
levels of leadership are you committed to become the leader that you
say you want to become?
And I have another video for you.
If you're somebody who realizes that you're spending a lot of time in
the boardroom presenting in front of C-level executives, then in the
next video, I'm going to share with you three strategies on how you
can ace your presentations in front of the C-suite.
That video is coming right up next.
Don't go anywhere.