When a new CEO steps into the role, it’s natural to focus on big priorities: strategy, stakeholders, and structure.

At the same time, attention quickly turns to the executive team itself. Some CEOs make early changes. Others take time to observe, wanting to understand the existing capability and team dynamics before making decisions.

In some cases, there’s a quiet tension,  a sense that the team may not yet be the right one, which can make it tempting to hold back from investing in how the group works together.

But regardless of whether the team changes or stays the same, there is another factor that quietly determines success: how the executive team actually works together.

The operating pattern of the executive team is set early in a CEO’s tenure. If trust and honest conversation aren’t established in those first twelve months, three things tend to happen.

First, leaders retreat into their portfolios.

The team meets regularly, but discussion becomes reporting at best, and turf protection at worst. The opportunity for real collective problem-solving is lost.

Second, difficult conversations get softened or delayed.

Issues are known but not always addressed directly, particularly when the stakes are high. Decisions are made, but not always fully tested,  often needing to be revisited when the real issues surface.

Third, strategy execution slows because alignment isn’t real.

Decisions may be made in the room (often influenced by the loudest voices or most senior people) but valuable perspectives and dissenting views are overlooked. Ownership across the team becomes uneven, with decisions communicated as ‘the CEO said so’.

These dynamics are rarely dramatic. More often they appear as subtle patterns: cautious language, guarded contributions, or leaders protecting their territory. And over time, these patterns extend beyond the executive team and shape the broader organisation.

Over time, many CEOs come to a quiet realisation: the strategy is clear, but the team isn’t truly aligned around delivering it.

On the surface, everything looks in order. Beneath it, conversations are cautious, perspectives are held back, and ownership is uneven.

This is where executive team trust becomes critical.

Trust does not mean agreement on every issue. Strong leadership teams challenge one another robustly. But when trust is present, those conversations happen openly. Decisions are owned collectively and communicated consistently once they are made.

The first year of a CEO’s tenure offers a unique opportunity to shape these dynamics. Expectations are still forming, and the tone for how the team works together is being established.

CEOs who invest early in building trust at the executive level often find that everything else, decision-making, alignment, and execution,  becomes significantly easier.

This is the work of Fearless Leadership®. Creating the conditions where leadership teams can think clearly, speak honestly, act decisively, and trust the team around them when it matters most.

Because strategy may set the direction, but without an aligned executive team, progress will always be slower,  and harder,  than it needs to be.

Go Fearlessly – Corrinne