CEO Communication
Almost more important than breaking down the silos and marketing in the round, however, is getting senior leadership buy-in. Your CEO must consistently communicate the change. If that doesn’t happen, it won’t matter how well the group is working together; the change won’t stick.
Make the CEO’s job easy. Provide the messages. Schedule the all-staff meetings. Make sure the CEO is walking around and talking to people in every department once a day.
Communicate every week on how it’s going: what’s working, what’s not working, changes you’d like to make. Keep the vision top-of-mind, and make sure it’s being communicated at every meeting, even if it’s in a small way.
It’s been said it takes six weeks to create a habit. Those six weeks are going to be very painful for you. You’ll work really hard. Your CEO will tire of your asking of continually being asked to deliver the vision to all employees. There may even be some animosity.
In the words of Steve Jobs,4 though, if you know you’re right, keep pushing forward and everyone else will eventually join you.