Why Big Ideas Stall — And How Marketers Can Become the Chief Alignment Officers

Susan Schramm on De-Risking Strategy, Moving People to Action, and Fast-Tracking Ideas in a Fragmented World

When bold ideas stall, marketers are often the first to feel the friction. They see it in the brief, hear it in the rooms where decisions wobble, and feel it when a campaign that should work never gains traction.

In a recent Trendsetters podcast conversation, Deborah Malone sat down with Susan Schramm, author of Fast Track Your Big Idea!, to unpack why even the smartest initiatives go off course—and why marketers are uniquely positioned to accelerate strategy inside today’s complex organizations.

Susan’s career across Fortune 500 companies, startups, and nonprofits led her to a powerful conclusion: ideas don’t fail because of technology, budgets, or competitive pressures. They fail because of people-related risk—misalignment, unspoken concerns, unclear expectations, and a lack of psychological safety.

And marketers, she argues, are often the only ones who can see these gaps early enough to fix them.

Marketing Is More Than Messaging. It’s Alignment.

Schramm described marketers as the quiet truth-tellers of organizations—the ones who ask the uncomfortable questions:
Who is this really for? Why now? What assumptions are we making? Have we thought through the risks to adoption?

Marketers, she says, are “the Chief Alignment Officers,” bridging internal teams, agencies, customers, and partners. Their vantage point gives them a unique ability to spot broken logic, missing insights, and unaddressed conflicts long before a strategy goes public.

But alignment isn’t just agreement. It’s clarity. It’s coherence. It’s honesty about what could go wrong—and what must go right—for the idea to actually take hold.

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The People Side of Risk: Why Ideas Go Off Course

Susan Schramm reframes risk in a way marketers will recognize: not as danger, but as the unknown—the unanswered questions that create hesitation, anxiety, and lost momentum.

Left unaddressed, these risks multiply:

• Assumptions go unchallenged.
• Teams stop communicating clearly.
• Stakeholders work at cross-purposes.
• Trust erodes.

Remote Work Unexpectedly Opened the Door to Better Alignment

Surprisingly, Susan found that remote and hybrid work environments can improve honest conversations.

In a major acquisition project during COVID, she asked leaders to respond individually to key strategic questions before meeting as a group. The result: fewer disagreements, more candor, and a much faster path to shared understanding.

Virtual spaces, she says, can create “safer rooms” where people feel freer to express concerns, surface risks, and course-correct earlier.

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 In our conversation, we discuss the following:

• You’ve helped countless leaders turn bold ideas into reality. What inspired you to write Fast Track Your Big Idea!

• Was there a specific moment or “big idea gone wrong” that made you think: there has to be a better way?

• How personal is this book for you? Did any of your own experiences as a leader make their way into the framework?

• Marketers are often under pressure to move fast — to launch, to adapt, to show ROI. But your book suggests that momentum isn’t about speed alone; it’s about alignment. Why do you think marketing strategies so often stall, even when they start with energy and excitement?

• You talk about reframing risk, especially the “people side of risk.” In marketing, that can mean internal teams, agencies, or even consumers. How should marketers rethink risk so it becomes a source of clarity and creativity rather than hesitation?

• If you applied your four principles — De-Risk, Align, Communicate, Adapt directly to marketing transformation — new brand platforms, repositioning efforts, AI adoption — which principle tends to make or break the success?

• Many marketers face resistance inside their own organizations — whether it’s skepticism about a bold idea, or fatigue from too much change. What’s your advice for “moving people to action” when the excitement isn’t shared?

• “De-risking” can sound like playing it safe, but your system shows it can actually accelerate bold thinking. How can marketers balance creativity with the rigor needed to make that creativity stick?

• We’ve both seen brands lose their way mid-launch — not because the idea was wrong, but because people stopped communicating or adapting. How do you help marketing leaders recover when their Big Idea goes off course?

• Marketing today sits at the intersection of uncertainty — AI, purpose, shifting trust. You write about leading with confidence despite uncertainty. What does that look like for marketers right now?

• If a marketer is sitting on a bold idea but hesitating — maybe because it feels risky, or their organization isn’t ready — what’s the first small action you’d tell them to take to build momentum?

• If you could give one “fast-track” tip to bring an idea to life, what would it be?

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The Strategy Reboot: When Marketing Momentum Stalls

For marketers facing a campaign that’s lost relevance—or leadership support—Susan advocates a Strategy Reboot approach:

• Validate whether the campaign still matters.
• Re-examine the target audience.
• Identify who must take action and why.
• Map the risks or objections standing in their way.

She encourages marketers to think in terms of risk personas: what different stakeholders fear, misunderstand, or question. Addressing these risk profiles upfront can radically accelerate adoption.

Slow Down to Go Fast: The Counterintuitive Path to Momentum

Marketers often feel pressure to rush, but she warns that skipping alignment slows everything down later. Her mantra:
“Slow down to go fast.”

Susan recommends ending every meeting with two simple questions:

1. What assumptions are we making?
2. What risks should we call out now?

Normalizing these conversations not only builds trust—it keeps the idea on track.

Why Marketers Hold the Keys to Fast-Tracking Big Ideas

Susan Schramm’s work offers marketers a refreshing message:
You are not just storytellers.
You are integrators.
You are risk translators.
You are the ones who help organizations turn vision into velocity.

By de-risking strategy, facilitating alignment, and advocating for transparent conversations, marketers can ensure that the ideas they champion—not only resonate—but deliver results.

Her book, Fast Track Your Big Idea!, provides the frameworks leaders need. But the mindset? That’s where marketers come in.

About Susan Bailey Schramm

Susan Bailey Schramm is on a mission to help people turn big ideas into reality. Whether in a boardroom, on a stage, in a classroom, or at a coffee shop, she finds joy in equipping and encouraging people to overcome obstacles and drive meaningful impact.

After decades of working with Fortune 500 companies, startups, and nonprofits to launch new products, programs, partnerships, and ventures, Susan founded Go to Market Impact, a business consultancy dedicated to helping leaders navigate the complexities of high-stakes strategies.

Susan created the De-Risk System for Impact(R) to help leaders proactively plan for the “people side of risk,” a critical yet often overlooked factor in strategic success. She brings energy, experience, and practical insights that inspire fresh perspectives and drive lasting results.