As usual, each decision carried with it significant ramifications across the whole organization. And, if they didn’t hit the numbers laid out in the budget, Sarah knew all too well that their investors would be pressing for her to shift the company away from fast growth and towards profitability – a direction no one wanted to go in and which would likely force her to let go 15-20% of their staff.
As she came around the corner, she almost collided with a small posse of junior staffers who were exiting the lunch room. Engrossed in a conversation and smiling, only a couple of them noticed her – their eyes going a bit wider while offering up faint smiles. Were they on the product team? What were they working on? Were they going to hit their deadlines? If things didn’t stay on course, which of them might she have to let go?
Porque é que isto é importante
If you’re in a role where the impact of your team is not obvious to the overall financial performance of the company, this piece is for you. YOU know that what you do is critical for the business, but when push comes to shove (around budget season or in times of crisis), it may not be clear to everyone in leadership.
So here’s the challenge: in the C-suite, good intentions, effort, and even great feedback don’t get budget approval or protect you. Business leaders have to make difficult decisions based on the measurable return on investment, the risks avoided, and the impact on the bottom line.
The hard truth? If you can’t connect your work to the things your CEO cares about most – growth, retention, productivity, risk control, etc., you might be respected… but you might not get the resources you need to make the real changes you envision. And, worse, in times of crisis, your team may have a hard time withstanding budget cuts or layoffs if the enterprise value you deliver is not abundantly clear to those making the decision.
Step 1: Know the CEO’s Mental Checklist
A. Profitability & Financial Health
- How do we hit our profitability targets this year while still fueling growth?
- Where can we reduce costs or inefficiencies without damaging quality or morale?
- Are our investments (staff, resources, tech, etc.) actually producing a measurable return?
B. Growth & Market Share
- What’s the fastest, most sustainable way to grow revenue?
- Are we gaining ground on competitors — or quietly losing market share?
- What’s the next big growth lever we haven’t pulled yet?
C. Leadership & Talent
- Do we have enough leaders ready to step up as we scale?
- How do we prevent burnout and turnover in our most critical roles?
- Are we truly developing a strong bench, or just covering holes with duct tape?
D. Customer Value & Retention
- Are we delivering enough value that customers stay loyal even as cheaper options appear?
- How do we deepen customer relationships so they see us as indispensable?
- Where are we at risk of churn — and what will it cost us if we don’t act?
E. Risk & Resilience
- What’s the single biggest risk that could blindside us this year?
- Do we have the resilience — financially, operationally, reputationally — to weather a downturn?
- Are we compliant, secure, and protected from hidden liabilities?
F. Innovation & Future Positioning
- Are we moving fast enough to stay relevant in five years?
- What disruptions could make our model obsolete — and how do we respond before it’s too late?
- Are we balancing flawless execution today with experimentation for tomorrow?
G. Culture & Execution
- Is our culture strong enough to scale without breaking?
- Where are silos or dysfunction slowing us down or driving up costs?
- Am I spending too much time in the weeds and not enough steering the ship?
Every program you design, decision you make, every initiative you run, every hire you make – it’s an opportunity to help answer one or more of these questions. Or, to say it in reverse… if you’re NOT answering one of these questions, what exactly ARE you doing for the business?
Step 2: Translate Activity into Outcomes
A common trap for people in conversations with leadership is describing o que they do, not the impact it has. For example:
- What you might say now: “We rolled out a leadership development program for mid-level managers.”
- Translated to language the CEO will understand: “We reducing new manager turnover from current levels (15%) to our new target of 8%. If we are successful, we will save the business $1.5M in replacement costs while spiking our productivity on key projects.”
The difference? You’re connecting the dots all the way from: what your team did → the behavior change it brought about → the business result.
Step 3: Put a Dollar $ign on It
You don’t need to be a finance wizard to estimate the value of your work. Even a rough estimate that you can back up with some evidence is far more powerful than no number at all. Start with:
- Retention gains: Cost to replace an employee × number retained due to your programs.
- Productivity improvements: Hours saved × average hourly value.
- Engagement impact: how valuable is it to have your teams firing on all cylinders vs. showing up just to check the box? Every business calculates this differently but it is a powerful exercise to go through with your team.
- Our colleagues at the ROI Institute provide these powerful guidelines for measuring the impact of engagement which you can use as a starting point.
- Risk avoidance: Potential cost of compliance violations, lost clients, or project delays prevented.
- Revenue impact: Sales enablement or customer service training that increases conversion or retention.
Step 4: Use the “Without Us” Test
Ask yourself: If we stopped doing this tomorrow, what would it cost the organization?
- Would turnover spike?
- Would customer satisfaction dip?
- Would we lose compliance certifications or contracts?
These counterfactual questions paint a vivid picture for decision-makers. And, in times of crisis can help illuminate your impact that might otherwise be missed until too late.
Step 5: Future-Proof the Business
Don’t only talk about yesterday’s wins – connect your work to the company’s long-term health:
- Preparing leaders for market changes.
- Building resilience into the workforce.
- Developing skills for roles that don’t even exist yet.
- Strengthening the employer brand to attract top talent.
Speaking about the future, often the CEO feels like the only one who is looking out at the horizon. If you can show them that you’re looking ahead too, whether that is spotting risks or opportunities, you might be surprised at the conversations and trust that sparks. Imagine yourself on the bow of the ship looking out at the waters ahead and relaying information back to the captain at the helm; you quickly become a conduit for important information and a trusted resource.
Why This Works
When you speak in terms of solving expensive problems and creating measurable value, you’re increasing the odds that your project/work is heard, understood and funded.
Quick Checklist:
- Identify 3–5 business challenges your leadership team keeps telling the company they are worried about in the all-hands meetings.
- Match each challenge to an outcome that you influence directly.
- Estimate the financial impact – growth, savings, or risk avoided – of what you are working on under that challenge heading.
- Put real dollar signs next to your impact and explain your math.
- Be ready with one powerful “Without Us” example.
- Share your results in leadership’s language: outcomes and numbers.
Final Thought:
Maybe you didn’t choose your career to crunch numbers and focus on the bottom line – but those numbers are the key to protecting and expanding the work you care most about. So, put yourself in Sarah’s shoes… feel a bit of the stress she does, and think like a CEO: speak in outcomes, provide financial backup, and watch how quickly your ability to make an impact grows.
