The relationship between a CMO and CEO is one of the most complex dynamics in the executive suite. For CMOs, success hinges on their marketing strategies and their ability to align with the CEO’s vision and navigate the delicate balance between creativity, business goals, and financial expectations. Yet, many marketing leaders find this relationship challenging—misunderstandings about the role of marketing, conflicting priorities, and misaligned expectations can lead to friction and, in some cases, a shortened tenure.

In our Mavuus Coffee Chat on “The CMO-CEO Relationship: 5 Dos and Don’ts,” marketing leaders and executives discussed how CMOs can build stronger relationships with their CEOs and secure their place at the leadership table. Joining us were industry experts Daniel Incandela (6x CMO & Board Member), Vinay Nair (Fractional CMO & Executive Coach), Steve Byrne (CEO & Board Member), and Kristina Cleary (Ex-CMO at Ceridian, Founder & Chief Leadership Coach at ACCELLE).

From setting clear expectations to managing competing ideas with diplomacy, this post will break down five critical “dos” and “don’ts” to help CMOs foster stronger, more productive relationships with their CEOs.

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Table of Contents

1. Set Clear Expectations from the Start
2. Build Strong Relationships Beyond the CEO
3. Align on Financial Expectations Early
4. Manage the CEO’s Ideas with Tact
5. Stay Transparent and Data-Driven

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1. Set Clear Expectations from the Start

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One of the most critical steps for CMOs when stepping into a new role is setting the right expectations from the beginning. According to Kristina Cleary, a crucial part of ensuring success in a CMO role is understanding how much the CEO values the marketing function. Without this alignment, it’s easy for misunderstandings and unrealistic expectations to develop.

Cleary emphasized the importance of addressing this head-on in interviews. During the hiring process, CMOs need to have honest and detailed discussions with the CEO to ensure mutual understanding about the role of marketing within the company. Cleary pointed out that many CEOs, especially those without a marketing background, might not fully grasp the function’s strategic importance. "When you're interviewing for a marketing role... it's great to include upfront as part of the discussion how much [the CEO] values the marketing function. It's not very often that the CEO comes from a marketing background."

During these early conversations, Clearly recommends focusing on three key areas: the CEO’s expectations, their definition of success, and the marketing budget. One of the first questions to ask is what the CEO envisions for the marketing function. “If we were to have this conversation a year from now, what does success look like for you?” she suggested, noting that this question helps uncover whether the CEO is looking for a true strategic leader or simply someone to handle day-to-day marketing tasks.

Budget discussions are equally critical. “Money talks when it comes to the marketing function,” Kristina explained. Without understanding the financial resources available, CMOs risk being set up to fail. CMOs should ask about the percentage of revenue allocated to marketing and how spending decisions are made, as these details often signal how much the company values marketing’s role.

Do: Ensure you have a clear understanding of the CEO’s vision for marketing, their definition of success, and how the marketing budget is allocated.

Don’t: Accept vague goals or unclear expectations—these are red flags that can lead to misalignment and underperformance later on. 

Setting clear expectations from the start ensures that the CMO and CEO are aligned on key priorities, responsibilities, and resources. Delaying or skipping these conversations can lead to confusion and missed opportunities later.

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2. Build Strong Relationships Beyond the CEO

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One of the most crucial aspects of a CMO’s success is forging strong relationships with the entire executive team, not just the CEO. Vinay Nair emphasized this point, explaining, “It's almost standard these days that you do a little bit of a ride along with the C-suite just to meet your peers before you get into a new opportunity.”

This relationship-building step is an opportunity to understand how each executive views the marketing function and whether the company’s broader leadership truly supports your vision. “You can still sometimes be able to read people and understand whether you’re getting the transparent truth,” Nair added. Getting insights directly from the CFO, CRO, or other C-level peers helps you assess if the culture and expectations are aligned with what you're prepared to deliver.

Do: Proactively ask to meet key executives, such as the CFO and CRO, before accepting a new role. This will give you a clearer understanding of expectations across the business and reduce surprises down the line.

Don’t: Rely solely on the CEO’s perspective. As Nair pointed out, “They’re all instructed there to try to recruit you, right?” This means the CEO—and even other executives—will often be incentivized to present an overly optimistic picture. You must go deeper to ensure you’re entering a sustainable and supportive environment.

But how do you get the real story from these executives? Nair noted that while they might be instructed to “present the place as a wonderful place to come work,” there are still ways to dig deeper. He recommends using platforms like LinkedIn and Glassdoor to research the company and its leadership. “Go on LinkedIn as well and see who are all the marketing leaders that have worked for this person before and how long did they stay? And that also is kind of telling for me.”

Doing this research and reaching out to your network can give you a clearer picture of how leadership operates and what challenges you may face.

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3. Align on Financial Expectations Early

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One of the most critical and often overlooked relationships for CMOs is with the CFO. As Daniel Incandela emphasized in the Mavuus Coffee Chat, the alignment between marketing and finance is pivotal in ensuring that marketing has the resources it needs.

Daniel explained, "You need that relationship with the finance team and the CFO. It is critical because... you may be driving a campaign that's delivering incredible results, and you want to ask for more money. Or at the very least, you may be walking into a board meeting where you need the CFO’s support."

Do: Work closely with the CFO from the beginning to ensure marketing's role aligns with financial expectations. This is essential for planning effective strategies and defending marketing spend when necessary. By involving the CFO in your budget planning and performance reviews, you can avoid surprises and keep them aligned with your goals.

To align effectively, start by asking the right questions. Incandela suggests three key questions to ask the CFO:

1. "What are your expectations of marketing?" This helps reveal how the CFO thinks and what they want to see regarding ROI.
2. "What does marketing need to do to be successful at this company?" This gets direct input on what financial leaders deem valuable, whether it's reducing customer acquisition costs (CAC) or increasing customer lifetime value (LTV).
3. "How can I partner with you to ensure that marketing delivers ROI back to the company?" Building this partnership early on ensures mutual accountability and alignment.

Don’t: Avoid discussing financial metrics or assume marketing data will naturally resonate with the CFO. As a CMO, you need to speak the CFO's language. Incandela notes, "You’re getting a good understanding of the psychology behind finance and what they expect from you, which allows you to set up your operations and reporting accordingly."

So, go beyond typical marketing metrics. Be sure to understand the key financial metrics that matter to your CFO—such as LTV, CAC, and the overall impact of marketing on the bottom line. Use this data to demonstrate how marketing contributes to long-term revenue growth, making a stronger case for your budget requests.

By aligning early on financial expectations and performance indicators, you ensure that marketing is seen as a key driver of business success—not just a cost center. As Incandela points out, "You need to be aligned to the way they think, which is often very different from how a marketer thinks, and that’s going to be really valuable."

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4. Manage the CEO’s Ideas with Tact

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One of the biggest challenges CMOs face is navigating the creative, sometimes unconventional, marketing ideas from CEOs. While some of these ideas may align with long-term goals, many can be unrealistic or impractical. Steve Byrne emphasized the need for CMOs to balance openness to these ideas while ensuring they don’t derail the company’s overall strategy.

Byrne recounted a time when he pushed for a partnership with the BAF Centre, a collaboration between his company and a fine arts institution. His marketing team initially thought the idea was too far-fetched. “My team thought I was absolutely bananas,” Byrne recalled. Yet, he remained convinced of the long-term value of this partnership, and in the end, it turned out to be a success. This example underscores the importance of giving ideas thoughtful consideration rather than dismissing them outright, even when they seem risky or unconventional.

However, not every CEO idea will be a winning one, and this is where the CMO’s judgment and strategic insight come into play. Nair highlights the importance of tact when CEOs propose creative but unrealistic ideas. “You’ll be exposed to a range of activities,” Nair explained. “I've had employers come and talk to me about getting Leonardo DiCaprio as a brand ambassador or [suggest] setting stuff on fire on the stage.” While the ideas may seem exciting or even extravagant, the CMO’s role is to guide the CEO toward feasible, effective strategies without dampening their enthusiasm.

Do: Acknowledge the CEO’s ideas, but shift the conversation toward data-backed decisions. This requires diplomacy—praising the CEO's creativity while ensuring the company’s marketing efforts align with strategy and budget.

Nair advises creating a system for managing these discussions: “I talked about...a parking lot where we kind of log all these nice, interesting brainstorm ideas and put them in places to be evaluated and processed and talked about later.” This approach helps keep the CEO engaged, showing that their ideas are valued but also ensures that only those with solid business potential are acted upon.

Don’t: Dismiss the CEO’s suggestions outright. Doing so risks damaging trust and could stifle the CEO's willingness to contribute to future marketing initiatives. Nair points out the balance required: “You can still make them feel heard and understood...but hold them accountable” by setting measurable expectations and outcomes for those ideas.

When evaluating a CEO’s idea, Nair suggests politely asking critical questions: "How much pipeline do you think we’ll drive out of that?” By encouraging the CEO to think in terms of marketing metrics and potential ROI, you can guide them toward more realistic expectations, all while fostering a collaborative, forward-thinking dynamic.

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5. Stay Transparent and Data-Driven

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Transparency is one of the most critical aspects of building a solid relationship with the CEO and the entire executive team. As Incandela explained during the Coffee Chat, it’s essential to share your marketing strategy openly and ensure that your goals and performance metrics align with the company’s broader objectives. Transparency allows you to push back when necessary and advocate for your team’s decisions.

“I try to be very transparent, and that's everything from the metrics we're measuring, the dashboards that show what we're producing, but also our quarterly and yearly roadmaps for marketing,” Daniel said, highlighting the importance of being open about both short-term tactics and long-term strategies. Publishing these roadmaps for the entire company to see helps build trust and opens the door for productive conversations when ideas or concerns arise from other parts of the business.

Byrne added another crucial dimension: CEOs crave predictability. As he shared from his experience as a CEO, "It’s like the weatherman—you’re happy if it’s accurate, regardless of whether or not it’s good." For CMOs, this means that consistently delivering measurable results is critical for building long-term trust with the CEO and avoiding unnecessary friction. Marketing teams that can show reliable outcomes backed by data will not only gain credibility but also reduce the chance of surprises—a key pain point for many CEOs.

Byrne also pointed out the unique challenge CMOs face compared to other executives: marketing is less predictable than finance or operations because it often involves creative and innovative strategies that don’t always have immediate benchmarks for success. As he noted, “In marketing, you’ve got to play a hunch…that’s what makes it harder for a CEO to trust in every case.” This makes data even more critical—when intuition is involved, it should always be paired with concrete evidence.

Do: Share your marketing roadmap quarterly and annually, with clearly defined KPIs. This not only sets expectations but also demonstrates how marketing supports the company’s overall vision. Incandela noted, “I publish that company-wide. Anyone can look at that. So, again, everyone is a marketer. If they think one of the ideas is bad, let's talk about it. If they have another idea, great.”

Don’t: Operate in silos or rely on intuition alone when it comes to decisions about marketing. Without solid data to back up your initiatives, it becomes difficult to justify the value of your marketing efforts. “You've hired me to do this position. Here's the plan I believe will make us successful. If you want me to do this other thing, it's going to affect this plan, and this is the plan I'm betting on,” Daniel said, emphasizing the importance of data-driven decision-making.

As Incandela suggests, publishing your marketing performance metrics company-wide ensures that everyone, from the CEO to other departments, understands how marketing contributes to the company’s success. This transparency not only fosters trust but also helps maintain alignment across teams, making it easier to adjust strategies if necessary and to push back on unrealistic expectations when needed.

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Conclusion: Becoming a Business Leader, Not Just a Marketing Leader

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A successful CMO is more than just a marketing leader—they must think like a business leader. As Cleary pointed out, “When you get to more senior positions, it is an expectation, I would say a requirement, for you to understand the business as much as possible.” This means going beyond marketing strategy and deeply understanding the company's financial, cultural, and operational aspects.

Ultimately, the alignment between the CMO and CEO and partnerships across the C-suite enables marketing leaders to drive long-term business success. As Byrne shared, CEOs value predictability and trust, and “it’s the CMO’s job to make marketing a team sport inside the business.”

For CMOs and marketing leaders who want to sharpen their skills and strengthen these essential relationships, Mavuus offers a wealth of resources and community support.

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