Unusual Breakthroughs: A Guide for C-Suite Brand Strategy

Many C-Suite leaders unintentionally dilute their brand presence, favouring safety over strategic boldness. True brand breakthroughs happen when leadership dares to align personal vision with public identity, moving beyond industry expectations.

As a Brand Breakthrough Strategist, I believe C-Suite brands achieve real breakthroughs by thinking unusually, acting boldly, and leading from a place of sharp clarity. It’s not about building a profile—it’s about creating a platform for strategic influence that reshapes markets.

This actionable guide will walk you through eight essential strategies for creating a C-Suite brand breakthrough. Whether you’re elevating your leadership brand or repositioning it, these approaches will help you craft a presence that moves industries—and minds.

1. Define a Signature "Non-Position"

Breakthrough C-Suite brands don’t comment on every trending issue—they clearly define what they won’t publicly engage with. Create a “non-position” to sharpen your leadership stance.

How to Define Your Non-Position:

Identify topics outside your strategic vision or expertise.
Publicly explain why you choose not to engage.
Reinforce your leadership focus and authority.

Example: Satya Nadella reframed Microsoft’s leadership brand by refusing to engage in consumer tech rivalries—focusing instead on enterprise growth and collaboration.

2. Challenge a Leadership Norm

Most C-Suite brands follow expected leadership tropes. Breakthrough leaders challenge accepted leadership norms—and offer a new model.

How to Challenge a Leadership Norm:

Identify a typical CEO or leadership behaviour that feels outdated.
Model a different, more powerful approach publicly.
Turn your personal leadership style into a brand pillar.

Example: Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, challenges traditional leadership norms by openly advocating for diversity and inclusion at the highest corporate levels.

3. Offer a Daring Leadership Promise

Ordinary C-Suite brands offer bland visions. A daring leadership promise is specific, emotional, and transformational.

How to Offer a Daring Promise:

Craft a bold, personal commitment tied to future outcomes.
State it publicly and measure yourself against it.
Turn your promise into an ongoing brand narrative.

Example: Marc Benioff of Salesforce promised to integrate philanthropy into the company’s DNA from day one—pledging 1% of profits, equity, and employee time to causes.

4. Build a C-Suite Ritual

Breakthrough C-Suite brands build leadership rituals that create emotional connections inside and outside their organisations.

How to Build a C-Suite Ritual:

Identify a core emotional moment for your team or audience.
Turn it into a consistent ritual linked to your leadership values.
Reinforce it personally and authentically.

Example: Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, made a ritual of writing personal letters to the parents of her senior executives—strengthening loyalty and humanising leadership.

5. Create a Signature Visual Style

Photos and headlines aren’t enough. Breakthrough C-Suite brands develop a distinctive visual style that reinforces leadership values.

How to Create a Signature Visual Style:

Choose wardrobe, settings, and photography styles that reflect your brand essence.
Stay consistent across interviews, events, and media appearances.
Let your visuals subtly communicate your leadership story.

Example: Mary Barra of General Motors often appears in strong, streamlined silhouettes that reinforce her image as a decisive, future-forward leader in a traditionally male-dominated sector.

6. Publicly "Fire" a Conventional Expectation

Instead of living up to every traditional expectation, breakthrough C-Suite brands selectively reject norms that limit true leadership evolution.

How to Fire a Conventional Expectation:

Identify legacy expectations that no longer serve your leadership.
Publicly move away from them with strategic explanation.
Invite others to embrace a redefined leadership standard.

Example: Elon Musk openly rejected Wall Street’s quarterly reporting obsession, urging long-term thinking over short-term shareholder appeasement.

7. Reveal Strategic Vulnerability

Most C-Suite brands maintain a facade of perfection. Breakthrough brands reveal strategic vulnerability—turning humanity into an asset.

How to Reveal Strategic Vulnerability:

Share calculated reflections on challenges, doubts, or mistakes.
Connect lessons learned back to your leadership philosophy.
Humanise yourself without undermining authority.

Example: Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, openly discussed his struggles growing up in poverty—making his leadership vision around opportunity and equity deeply authentic.

8. Celebrate the Team, Not Just the Title

Breakthrough C-Suite brands don’t just elevate personal power—they build leadership brands that celebrate collective success.

How to Celebrate the Team:

Highlight team wins more than personal achievements.
Share credit generously and visibly.
Frame leadership success as community-building, not empire-building.

Example: Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM, consistently credits the company’s research teams and engineers when discussing IBM’s innovations—positioning collective intelligence as IBM’s true competitive edge.

A Final Insight from an Unusual Brand Breakthrough Strategist

Building a breakthrough C-Suite brand isn’t about creating noise—it’s about crafting influence that lasts beyond titles or timelines.

C-Suite brands that move are built on strategic clarity, visible humanity, and a fearless commitment to be unusual by design. The future belongs to leaders who don’t just manage companies—but reshape industries and redefine leadership itself.

Are you ready to shift from executive to visionary? Let’s create a C-Suite brand strategy that moves you—and your legacy—with extraordinary power.

Take your brand from stuck to in motion − with one bold strategic shift

"As a Breakthrough Strategist, I help brands uncover clarity, shift perspective, and move forward with bold, differentiating ideas. If your brand feels stuck or you're ready to lead with sharper focus, let’s unlock the next big move. One breakthrough can change everything."

Shobha Ponnappa