As the new general manager of a technology company, Zach prioritized what he believed would make his business unit successful: great products, smart pricing, and strong customer success. He became increasingly frustrated when his new chief executive, Marni, seemed disinterested in the things Zach knew were important. Marni kept asking Zach about the sales pipeline and new business development while Zack kept trying to focus on what he saw as market differentiators.

As a result, their relationship began to deteriorate. Zach’s onboarding acceleration coach helped him consider why Marni was so concerned with sales, with the aim of increasing their alignment. Zach closely observed Marni and began to look at the world the way she did. Realizing their investors were focused on short-term growth, Zach shifted to start all his meetings with sales-related performance; he spoke about other subjects only after they had reviewed these issues. The relationship with Marni quickly improved and Zach was still able to improve product development and customer engagement.