How to Get the Most Out of a Strengths-Driven CMO: A Guide for Founders & CEOs
Most founders hire a CMO for their past experience.
But the most successful partnerships are built on something deeper:
Understanding how your CMO naturally thinks, communicates, and leads.
This post is Part 3 of my series on strengths-driven marketing leadership.
If you missed the earlier parts, you can explore them here:
Part 1: Why All CMOs Are Different — And How to Choose the Right One
Part 2: Understanding CliftonStrengths and How They Shape Executive Leadership
As a Fractional CMO, my Top 5 CliftonStrengths (Input, Learner, Strategic, Achiever, Activator) shape everything about how I drive growth, collaborate with teams, and support founders.
Below is a clear, practical guide on how CEOs can nurture the relationship with me — or with any strategic CMO wired similarly — and unlock the greatest return on the partnership.
1. Give Me the Full Picture — Context Is Rocket Fuel
Strengths behind this: Input, Strategic, Learner
I synthesize massive amounts of information into clarity.
The more context I have — data, history, goals, constraints, customer insights, team dynamics — the faster I can build the right strategy.
How to work with me:
Share internal conversations, even the messy ones.
Keep me close to leadership decisions.
Over-communicate in the beginning so I can map the system.
This allows me to become not just your marketer — but your strategic partner.
2. Let Me Think, Then Let Me Move
Strengths behind this: Strategic, Achiever, Activator
My process has two gears:
Deep thinking and pattern recognition
Decisive movement and execution
Rushing the first gear or slowing down the second weakens the output.
How to work with me:
Give me space to explore ideas before locking decisions.
Let me move quickly once the direction is clear.
Avoid micro-management — clarity is more powerful than oversight.
3. Use Me as Your Strategic Sounding Board
Strengths behind this: Strategic, Learner
I naturally think beyond marketing — into operational efficiency, sales alignment, product positioning, customer experience, and long-term brand evolution.
How to work with me:
Bring challenges to me early.
Ask me for perspective on decisions outside of marketing.
Share your instinct and vision — I shape it into the roadmap.
You don’t hire me just for marketing.
You hire me for the decisions marketing touches — which is everything.
4. Keep Momentum High — It Activates My Best Work
Strengths behind this: Activator, Achiever
I thrive when there is movement, energy, and a sense of progress.
When things stall, my strengths have nowhere to go.
How to work with me:
Make decisions quickly where possible.
Keep communication flowing.
Let me help the team break inertia.
When we move fast together, results compound.
5. Be Direct, Clear, and Transparent
Strengths behind this: Strategic, Achiever
I appreciate clarity and candor. I don’t need softening — I need truth.
This allows me to adjust instantly and refine the plan.
How to work with me:
Tell me what feels off.
Share concerns early.
Be honest about priorities, resources, and capacity.
Directness protects momentum.
6. Let Me Build Systems That Last
Strengths behind this: Input, Strategic
I naturally build frameworks, playbooks, and scalable systems — not one-off tactics.
This is how companies evolve from “founder-dependent” to brand-driven and scalable.
How to work with me:
Give me the autonomy to build processes.
Let me align cross-functional teams.
Allow time for systems to be documented and refined.
This is where long-term transformation happens.
7. Match My Curiosity With Openness
Strengths behind this: Learner, Input, Activator
I ask questions because I’m designing clarity.
I challenge assumptions because I see pathways others don’t.
I move quickly because stagnation kills creativity.
How to work with me:
Be open to new ways of doing things.
Share your instincts — I deeply value founder intuition.
Co-create — my strengths amplify your vision.
The CEO–CMO Fit That Creates Exceptional Results
When a founder understands how their CMO is wired, everything accelerates:
Strategy becomes sharper
Execution becomes more aligned
Decisions become easier
Communication becomes clearer
Growth becomes intentional instead of accidental
The right CMO doesn’t just grow your business.
They expand your capacity as a leader.
But just as important as understanding my strengths…
is understanding what I am not — and what roles don’t align with my highest value.
This clarity ensures our partnership is built on fit, honesty, and realistic expectations from day one.
What I Am Not — And Why Naming This Matters
Strong partnerships are built on transparency.
So here is what falls outside my zone of genius — not because I can’t do these things, but because doing them diminishes the ROI you should expect from a C-level leader.
1. I Am Not a Day-to-Day Marketing Manager
My strengths (Strategic, Input, Learner, Achiever, Activator) position me as a leader, not a task supervisor.
While I can manage a team, my greatest value is not in:
tracking tasks
monitoring daily performance
managing one specific channel
being the bottleneck for tactical execution
I operate best at the leadership table — guiding direction, solving problems, aligning teams, and driving momentum.
Your team executes.
I lead, clarify, elevate, and connect the dots.
2. I Am Not a One-Person Marketing Department
A CMO should never be hired to replace the entire team — and my strengths reflect that.
I am not the right fit if you expect me to:
write all content
build every automation
design all creative
run all ads
execute all campaigns
That’s not a CMO — that’s a full marketing team.
To get the most out of me, you either need:
an internal team, or
contractors/specialists I can direct
My strengths shine when I orchestrate, not when I’m asked to do everything with my own hands.
3. I Am Not an Order-Taker
If you want someone who executes exactly what you dictate, hire a coordinator.
With my strengths in Strategic, Input, and Learner, my natural role is to:
identify what actually needs to happen
think several steps ahead
challenge assumptions
provide clarity
shape direction
My greatest impact comes from partnership — not instruction.
4. I Am Not a Quick, Tactical Band-Aid
If you only want a funnel built, ads spun up, or a one-time project, I am not the right fit.
My work is:
foundational
holistic
systemic
long-term
transformative
I build ecosystems, not quick fixes.
5. I Am Not an In-the-Weeds Operator
I do not live inside tools, dashboards, or templates all day.
My strengths support:
vision
clarity
decision-making
alignment
systems
creative direction
strategy + momentum
Your operators thrive on tactics.
I thrive on designing the system they operate inside.
Why This Matters for CEOs
When you know:
what I bring,
how my strengths operate, and
what I’m not meant to do,
you can place me exactly where a CMO belongs — in the role that produces the highest leverage, the fastest momentum, and the deepest clarity for your business.
If you’re a founder who wants a strengths-driven strategic partner with the ability to create momentum and elevate your entire marketing ecosystem, we will work exceptionally well together.
If you missed the earlier parts of this series, start here: