Why HR Projects Keep Dying at the CEOā€™s Desk ā€” and How to Finally Get a YES
By Thea Brockmeyer — Executive Coach & Strategic Consultant
Why Most HR Projects Fail at the CEO’s Desk
It’s 10:05 a.m. on a Tuesday. You’ve been waiting weeks for this meeting. The CEO is sitting at the head of the table, the CFO to his right, the COO scrolling on her phone. Your laptop is connected, the deck is loaded, and your heart is racing.
You click to the first slide of your new initiative — a leadership academy that could transform your company’s culture. You’ve worked evenings and weekends to polish the concept. You’ve even run a small pilot that went well.
And then… 12 minutes into your pitch, the CEO leans back, looks at the CFO, and says the words that crush you:
“This sounds interesting… but we don’t have the budget right now.”
You close your laptop, pack up your notes, and walk out with that sinking feeling in your stomach. Another good idea, dead at the CEO’s desk.
Sound familiar? I’ve been there too. And after 20+ years of coaching executives and HR leaders at Siemens, Bayer, McKinsey, Bain and beyond, I’ve learned a painful but liberating truth:
Your project doesn’t live or die based on how good the idea is. It lives or dies based on how you pitch it.
The Lesson I Learned at 30,000 Feet”
As a consultant, I often flew with the CEO. On one of those flights, I thought I had the perfect opportunity. Sitting side by side for hours, I started pitching my idea for a year-long leadership program.
At first, the conversation felt smooth. But mid-flight, I realized something crucial: I was aiming at the wrong target. The CEO wasn’t the one who would actually unlock the money.
Right there, on that flight, I changed my strategy. Instead of pushing harder, I asked sharper questions:
Where is the money?
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Who is going to pay?
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Who needs to see the benefit?
CFO and the business unit directors who were under pressure to deliver $50M and $100M projects.
So instead of coming back alone with more slides, I brought the CFO and a BU leader into the room. The three of us went together to the CEO. And this time, I didn’t have to push. I just listened as they explained the risks, the missing skills, and the cost of not acting.
That changed everything. The CEO didn’t hear “an HR program” or “consulting spend.” He heard his CFO and BU leader framing it as a business-critical solution. My project was no longer seen as training hours — it became an investment in delivering multimillion-dollar results.
The 5 Fatal HR Mistakes That Kill Your Pitch
Mistake 1: Working in a Vacuum
When HR designs a project without linking it to a real business problem, the CEO only sees cost.
I once pitched a culture transformation project with a 60-slide deck. It looked amazing… until the CEO asked one simple question:
“So what does this solve in financial terms?”
I didn’t have an answer. Meeting over. CEOs don’t buy programs. They buy solutions to business problems.
My Insight (DISC & SCIL)
I was speaking in my own “S” comfort zone — focusing on people, harmony, culture. But my CEO was a strong “D” type — direct, results-driven, ROI-focused.
In SCIL terms, I was heavy on Sensus (emotional impact) and Lingua (language), but zero Intellectus (business logic). The mismatch killed the pitch before it even began.
That’s why the first step is always a goal alignment conversation with stakeholders. If Sales or IT define the problem in hard numbers, I can then translate it into the CEO’s language.
Mistake 2: Selling Past Experience Without Analysis
Another time, I copied a successful HR academy model from my last company. I thought, “If it worked there, it’ll work here.” Wrong.
“This isn’t your last company,” the CEO said bluntly.
I learned the hard way that every organization has its own culture, priorities, and politics. What worked before doesn’t automatically work again.
My Insight (Stakeholder Alignment)
Today, I never walk into the CEO’s office without first interviewing key stakeholders — Sales directors, business unit leaders, IT, finance. They tell me their pain points in their own words.
Then, when I present, I don’t just say, “HR believes we need this.” I can say, “Sales told me they are losing €5M in revenue due to skill gaps.”
That shift changes everything — the CEO hears it as a business problem, not an HR wish list.
Mistake 3: Asking for “All the Best at Once”
I’ll never forget the time I asked for a multi-million euro budget for a complete HR transformation. The CFO’s face told me everything. It wasn’t just “no.” It was “Are you out of your mind?”
Big asks feel risky. And in uncertain times, risky = dead. Now I always start with small pilots and quick wins. Show impact, prove ROI, and then scale.
My Insight (DISC & Project Goals)
High-energy “I” profiles love to promise big visions. But to a cautious “C” type CFO, that feels reckless.
Now, I always present phased goals:
- Short-term quick wins: 1 pilot project
- Medium-term outcomes: scale to 1 business unit
- Long-term transformation: enterprise rollout
This is pure project goal alignment: linking each phase to measurable outcomes that different stakeholders value.
Mistake 4: Projects That Don’t “Shoot”
Sometimes HR pitches projects that sound nice but don’t hit business priorities. I once tried to push an “employee happiness” initiative. Guess what? Nobody cared.
But when I reframed a wellness program as an absenteeism reduction plan that saved €5M annually, the CEO approved it instantly.
My Insight (SCIL Performance)
In one case, my presentation was heavy on Corpus (body language impact) and enthusiasm. People smiled, nodded — but the CEO didn’t see urgency.
Later, I rebuilt the same initiative anchored in Intellectus (rational logic): absenteeism reduction, risk mitigation, cost savings. Same idea, completely different result.
Mistake 5: No Measurable Trust Credit
Perhaps the hardest lesson: even a good idea fails if the CEO doesn’t trust you. I once went in with the right numbers but the wrong delivery. Nervous, 50 slides, too many words. The CEO stopped me at slide 8.
My Insight (DISC & SCIL)
A nervous “S” or “C” communicator who overloads slides often loses credibility. The CEO — often a “D” or “I” — wants brevity, energy, and conviction.
Now I coach HR leaders to balance their SCIL profile:
- Intellectus (facts, ROI)
- Lingua (clear message)
- Corpus (confident delivery)
- Sensus (a touch of emotion)
That balance builds measurable trust.
The PITCH Method: A Framework for HR Leaders
After years of trial and error, I built a simple method that has changed everything: PITCH.
- P – Problem First: Diagnose before proposing.
- I – Insights: Adapt ideas to this company.
- T – Test: Pilot and quick wins.
- C – Communicate: Use CEO language (ROI, risk, growth).
- H – Hold Credibility: Deliver with clarity and confidence.
Why the CEO’s “Yes” Is Not Enough
One of my biggest failures came when I convinced the CEO — but lost the CFO. He had already decided “no” before I walked into the room. Another time, I won both CEO and CFO, but line managers sabotaged the rollout.
Projects don’t fail because of the CEO. They fail because of stakeholders.
My Insight (Stakeholder Alignment & Project Goals)
I’ve seen brilliant HR projects collapse because stakeholders weren’t aligned on goals. Sales wanted revenue impact. Finance wanted cost reduction. Line managers wanted less admin work.
If you don’t align those goals upfront, your project will die in “death by a thousand cuts.”
That’s why I now teach HR leaders to use a Stakeholder Alignment Map:
- Identify all players (using RACI or power/interest matrix).
- Map their goals against the project outcomes.
- Adapt the pitch so each person sees their win inside your initiative.
Why I’m Sharing This
I wrote this because I wish someone had told me these lessons 20 years ago. That’s why I created a free workbook:
How to Finally Get CEO Buy-In for Your HR Projects
It’s short, practical, and filled with the exact tables, checklists, and insights I use with my clients at Siemens, McKinsey, and Bain. Download it here and start turning your “No’s” into “Yes’s.”
Next Steps
- Step 1: Download the workbook.
- Step 2: Score yourself on the PITCH self-assessment.
- Step 3: Rewrite one project idea using the method.
- Step 4: Watch what happens in your next CEO conversation.
And when you’re ready for the deeper game — stakeholder influence and trust positioning — I’d love to see you in my training or 1:1 coaching.
Final Thoughts: From No Budget to CEO Buy-In
Every failure I had taught me something valuable. Every “no” sharpened my skills. Today, those same skills help HR leaders around the world get budgets, credibility, and impact.
Your ideas deserve to live. Your projects deserve to get funded. And your career deserves to grow.
The only question is: Are you ready to PITCH?
