by Carla A. Fleming | Jan 4, 2026 | Business, Business Strategy, CEO, CMO, Growth, Leadership
Lou Gerstner. I’m sorry to hear of the December passing of IBM’s former CEO. I was lucky to join IBM as a graduate school co-op a couple of months after he did. What none of us knew was how the transformation he engineered still has people talking long after he... 
by Carla A. Fleming | Nov 9, 2025 | Alignment, CEO, CMO, Product Management, Sales, Software
You know the moment of misalignment. As the VP of Marketing, you’ve shared customer insights multiple times with the Chief Product Officer (CPO) as part of roadmap discussions. A curt “Thanks for the input, we’ll consider it.” The Painful Present Economic buyer... 
by Carla A. Fleming | Oct 26, 2025 | Alignment, Business Strategy, CEO, CMO, Leadership, Sales, Software
An 11 am meeting ends at 11:05 am. The CEO just torched your second-half launch plan. No warning. As the VP of Marketing, your ears are ringing with the words, “Just get it done.” The Painful Present • CEO wants to leapfrog the competition with the new AI product and... 
by Carla A. Fleming | Oct 12, 2025 | Alignment, Business Strategy, CEO, CMO, Growth, Sales, Software
You’ve been in this meeting before. The Painful Present: When Consensus Feels Like Quicksand The topic? “Customer Strategy Alignment.” For two hours, everyone nods in agreement. Yes, we need more focus. Yes, our messaging should be consistent. Yes,... 
by Carla A. Fleming | Oct 8, 2025 | Alignment, CEO, CMO, Growth, Sales
4 p.m. The CRO just dropped a forecast bomb. Again. As CMO, your temples throb as you process the implications: The Painful Present: Product Management delivered a launch no one wanted. Customers were lukewarm about the last launch. The top Account Executive heard... 
by Carla A. Fleming | Sep 28, 2025 | Business, CEO, Services, Software, Strategy
3 AM. Again. You’re staring at the ceiling, mind racing. The Painful Present: 🔥 Sales team turns every software pitch into a services conversation 🌋 Best clients “love you” but won’t buy your product 💣 Marketing still writing about...
