From the outside, your leadership team might look aligned. But behind the scenes, the data tells a different story.
In ForceBrands’ 2025 State of the Consumer Brands Industry Report, a striking perception gap emerges at the top: nearly 60% of C-suite leaders say they’re open to or planning a transition out of their role. Yet 62% have no succession or backfill plan in place.
Confidence in the organization’s readiness also depends heavily on where a leader sits:
This readiness misalignment is an enterprise risk set to surface at the worst possible time.
When Leadership Aligns, Execution Follows
In fast-growth environments, alignment at the top is what separates category leaders from everyone else. Research from McKinsey shows that organizations with aligned executive teams are nearly 2x more likely to deliver above-median financial performance. When that alignment breaks, the symptoms appear fast:
According to our findings, the capability gap executives worry about most is the mid-level bench. Forty-one percent of C-Suite/EVP respondents flagged it as the greatest structural risk, yet few organizations have a roadmap to develop or even define that layer effectively.
When C-suite leaders start pulling in different directions, execution bottlenecks are inevitable. And if those leaders are actively planning exits? The risk compounds fast.
False Alignment. Real Risk.
Executive misalignment is deceptively disruptive. Leaders begin operating on divergent assumptions about what’s next, and who’s meant to lead it. As Harvard Business Review puts it: "Strategic misalignment is rarely about conflict. It's about unspoken assumptions and divergent mental models.”
In the 2025 State of the Consumer Brands Industry Report, founders were the most skeptical: only 22% expressed confidence in their current structure. VPs, who are expected to deliver within that structure, were even less convinced. CEOs often hold the most optimistic view, but optimism alone doesn’t build readiness for scale.
That disconnect creates a false sense of alignment. And by the time succession gaps or execution breakdowns become visible, the business may already be losing ground.
Loyalty Is Noble. But Not a Growth Strategy.
Much of the misalignment at the top stems from legacy dynamics. Founders, deeply connected to the company’s origin story, often hesitate to make leadership changes even when performance has plateaued. CEOs, under pressure to deliver, may delay action to preserve team harmony. And senior executives may hold back concerns in a fragmented leadership environment.
But clarity won’t emerge on its own. It must be designed, tested, and sustained.
That’s why future-ready organizations don’t wait for disruption to happen. They proactively recalibrate, using tools to identify readiness gaps, surface succession blind spots, evaluate capability risk, and build a shared plan for what’s next. ForceBrands designed our Leadership Diligence Scorecard specifically for this purpose.
Because if your top leaders aren’t aligned on readiness, the rest of the business can’t move forward with confidence.
The Cost of Doing Nothing Is Rising
For high-growth brands with scaling ambitions, succession planning is a strategic requirement. In Deloitte’s latest Human Capital Trends Report, companies with robust succession models outperformed unprepared peers by 20% during periods of change . Yet, 2025 State of the Consumer Brands Industry Report data shows that fewer than half of companies have coverage for even their top three strategic roles.
Our findings also show that nearly every executive acknowledges that performance plateaus within 2–3 years in-role. Despite that, few are actively planning for what or who comes next.
Align Your Team for What’s Next
Misalignment at the top is a solvable problem when surfaced and addressed head-on. Your team needs a shared picture of where the business is going and the structure that will get it there.
Download the 2025 State of the Consumer Brands Industry Report to explore where your organization may need support and how other leaders are responding.
Download the Full Report Here.
Let’s make sure your leadership team isn’t just in the same room, but moving in the same direction.