The Integrator: Why Every CEO Needs One

The relationship between a Visionary and an Integrator is unlike any other in business.  Done well, it is the force multiplier that turns vision into execution. The Integrator is not just the CEO’s right hand, they are the implementer, the person who makes sure that ideas, strategies, and priorities don’t stay in the clouds but land on the ground.  The integrator is not to be confused with a COO role, or that of a CFO who have their own functions to lead and manage.  It is a standalone role that works to ensure that what is intended to be is done.

While the CEO looks outward and forward setting direction, shaping culture, and pursuing growth the Integrator ensures that the moving parts inside the business actually work together.  Without this role, even the strongest vision risks stalling.

The CEO–Integrator Dynamic

A successful CEO–Integrator partnership is built on trust, clarity, and collaboration. The CEO must trust their Integrator implicitly to handle sensitive information, navigate ambiguity, and make decisions when needed.  The Integrator must be a communicator translating the CEO’s intent into clear priorities for the organisation and a collaborator who keeps the executive team aligned.

When the partnership clicks, the Integrator amplifies the CEO’s impact: freeing them to focus on the big picture while ensuring strategy is executed with discipline and speed.

The Qualities of an Effective Integrator

An outstanding Integrator brings a unique mix of skills:

• Strategic Execution: seeing across functions and aligning them to deliver results.
• People Skills: engaging effectively at all levels, from frontline to Boardroom.
• Problem Solving: creating solutions under pressure, when resources are tight.
• Parallel Processing: managing multiple priorities without losing focus.
• Systems Thinking: adapting quickly to change and experimenting with new approaches.

These qualities make the Integrator the glue that holds the leadership team together.

5 Tips for a Successful CEO–Integrator Relationship

1. Hire for impact, not just pedigree.  Look for resilience, judgement, and the ability to get things done in complex, fast-moving environments.
2. Set clear expectations.  Agree upfront on boundaries, responsibilities, and decision rights.
3. Communicate constantly.  Daily or weekly check-ins prevent drift and surface emerging issues.
4. Build implicit trust.  Share openly, delegate boldly, and back each other’s decisions.
5. Stay flexible.  Strategy is rarely linear. Adapt together when conditions shift.

Why the Integrator Matters

Vision and execution are both essential but rarely found in the same person.  Research suggests only around 8% of leaders can balance both¹.  The CEO provides vision. The Integrator provides execution. One without the other is incomplete: vision without execution is a dream; execution without vision is aimless activity.

As Steve Jobs put it, “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” The CEO may be the visionary, but it is the Integrator – sometimes known as the Chief of Staff – who ensures the team moves as one, turning strategy into reality.

Reference

1. Paul Leinwand, Cesare Mainardi and Art Kleiner, Only 8% of Leaders Are Good at Both Strategy and Execution, Harvard Business Review, 4 December 2015. Available at: https://hbr.org/2015/12/only-8-of-leaders-are-good-at-both-strategy-and-execution