As we close this mini series of articles dedicated to C- Suite operations, we delve deeper into functional professional relationships between actors (Chief Officers) that are laterally positioned in the organization structure on the one hand and between the said laterally positioned actors and the team lead (CEO).

More often than not, at that level, Chief Officers will interface, liase and target to pull and push in the same direction as they support the CEO. Amongst the Chief Officers there must be deliberate and concerted efforts to understand each other’s approach to collaboration. Because we are differently wired as individuals with different personality traits, the possibilities of misapprehension, misalignment and misunderstanding are not far fetched. The ethical principles of respect, intelligence and transparency must be applied in the process of liaison and support rendered to each other.

It is also worth noting that Chief Officers have a professional responsibility to provide input into the CEO. In providing such input, Chief Officers must be mindful to consider the quality of the support given. For example, the submissions must contain a summary of salient points to the extent that the CEO should be able to provide yes or no answers when the situation demands that kind of expedience in crystallizing the crux of a matter. Obtaining the buy in of the CEO for submissions made on his/her behalf is critical to smooth operations of an organization.

Sometimes there are unfortunate incidents where Chief Officers are jostling for attention of the leader by undermining their fellow Chief Officers. While this kind of behavior has high chances of taking the perpetrators nowhere, they are a drain on the resources of the organisation in that the time wasted by such efforts has a negative impact on relationships and organizational morale and development.

As someone once told me, “Now that you are in this position in organizational structure, the spotlight will be on you for more reasons that just your work. The universe will find you a point of interest even for those matters you consider trivial and depending on how you conduct yourself, it could define your whole professional outlook”. I thought it something to always be aware of.

Thank you for your kind attention and let’s continue to share!