What Makes a Great Field CXO: Lessons from the Front Lines

In recent years, Field CXO positions (e.g., Field CISO, Field CTO, etc.) have become commonplace across the industry.  Like any professional position, the people filling these roles vary widely in their style, approach, and success level.  If you are recruiting for one of these roles or are looking to leverage a resource at your company in one of these roles, what are some things you should be aware of?

Having been a Field CTO at FireEye and now being a Field CISO at F5, here are my thoughts on a top 10 list for what makes for a good Field CXO:

1. Get over yourself: First and foremost, get over yourself.  The best Field CXOs are selfless and put the needs of the field teams, customers, partners, and distributors ahead of their own egos.  It’s not just the right thing for a Field CXO to do – it’s also smart.  People sense this, recognize it, and appreciate it – that helps a Field CXO resonate with their audience and gain trust with the field teams they support.  Sometimes people see the Field CXO title and roll their eyes, and that’s okay.  Don’t take it personally – unfortunately, there are some in the field that ruin it for the rest of us.
2. Listen and engage: Listening to those we meet with and engaging with them in an appropriate and responsive manner is not easy.  Like many things, it is a skill that is developed and honed over time.  The best Field CXOs don’t just hit play on the talk track – they actively listen to and engage with those they meet.  They also add to the conversation and provide helpful insights that bring value to those they engage with.
3. Develop new content: I can guarantee you that whatever your audience, whether a big crowd, a small and intimate group, or a private one, they aren’t interested in hearing the same regurgitated content they’ve seen many times elsewhere.  Developing new, interesting, and thought provoking content is probably one of the more challenging aspects of a Field CXO’s job.  But it is the one aspect that I believe allows a Field CXO to really differentiate and show value.
4. Test your material: Once you’ve developed new content, it’s a good idea to sanity check it.  Why?  As one example, I was once on a panel with someone who started talking about the zombie apocalypse – no, not as a joke, but as a real threat they expected CISOs to be putting on their risk registers.  This is an extreme example, of course, but I have heard plenty of panic-inducing, “the sky is falling” material over the course of my career.  Not only does no one find this type of material interesting, it also turns the audience off.  The audience understands the challenges – they are interested in new approaches, new ideas, and helpful, practical suggestions.
5. Stay focused: As an industry, we almost seem to move from one hype cycle to the next.  While various different topics may grab headlines, they seldom alter customers’ strategic priorities drastically.  As such, the Field CXO’s stakeholders need a focus on customer problems – not talking points for the latest hype cycle.  It is not always easy to maintain this focus amidst a sea of noise, but it is well worth it in my experience.
6. Know who you support:  Field CXOs benefit from reminding themselves who they are there to support – sellers, SEs, analyst relations, PR, marketing, partners, customers, distributors, and perhaps a few other stakeholders.  The best Field CXOs resist the temptation to manage up – it may grab attention in the near-term, but it alienates stakeholders in the long-term.
7. Don’t hoard information: The information that a Field CXO gathers throughout their travels shouldn’t be treated like nuclear secrets. Chances are, if a peer is a good Field CXO, they will likely already have a feel for what you are going to share.  In fact, through the exchange of information and sharing of ideas, they will probably even add to and enrich your understanding.  If they aren’t a good Field CXO, well, they probably won’t be able to do much with that information anyway.
8. Don’t be in love with technology: This may sound provocative, but customers don’t care about your product line, solution set, or org chart.  They care about their problems, and it is your job to help them understand how you can help them.  This involves mapping their problems to your capabilities in an outside-in manner that isn’t overly focused on products or solutions.  This is a skill that Field CXOs can develop and hone over time, and it is an extremely useful one.
9. Don’t use ghostwriters or AI: This may be news for some, but most people can tell when something is ghostwritten or written with significant help from AI.  It takes considerable time to write well, but in my judgment, it is worth it.  A Field CXO cheapening their name and professional reputation by putting out content that is ghostwritten or written with significant help from AI is not a great career move.
10. Be responsive: Last but not least, responsiveness is important for a Field CXO.  Believe it or not, responsiveness is a challenge for some people.  Naturally, this does not help to build trust and confidence in a Field CXO.  Beyond responsiveness, putting things with actual meaning in writing is another trait that people value but that is a challenge for some.  Why?  Putting things in writing means committing to something – with the possibility that you might be wrong or that your thought processes might be exposed. This is a risk worth taking, however, as it shows the Field CXO’s stakeholders that the Field CXO is not afraid to put a stake in the ground.

Like in any professional role, some Field CXOs are better than others. While the above list is not an exhaustive one, I believe it is a good start. By understanding the traits that make a good Field CXO, employers can ensure they hire the best candidates for these roles, and field teams can understand how different resources available to them may best be able to help them. Though the Field CXO role is relatively new in our industry, as time goes on, one would expect the Field CXO role to continue to mature.

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