New Research: How to Future-Proof Yourself as CRO in 2025

In 2025, the role of the CRO is both an incredible opportunity and a precarious balancing act. With high stakes and even higher expectations, it’s a position that demands both vision and precision.

But all too often, the path to success is clouded by misalignment, unclear roles, and resistance to change.

So, how can you set yourself up to thrive in this environment? As the 30+ chief revenue officers shared in our CRO Insights Report, future-proofing yourself as a CRO isn’t just about keeping up; it’s about staying ahead.

Here’s what top-performing CROs told us about the competencies, tools, and strategies that are defining the role’s future – and the steps to making them part of your playbook.

Key CRO competencies CRO insights report revenue operations data Clari Gainsight How to future-proof yourself as CRO in 2025

1. Master cross-functional leadership

If there’s one competency that came up again and again in our conversations with CROs, it’s this: the ability to align and lead across sales, marketing, customer success, product, and the C-suite.

“Cross-functional leadership is non-negotiable… the CRO is the connective tissue.”

– Naomi Brezi, CRO, Ruffalo Noel Levitz

Your role is less “sales commander” and more “chief orchestrator.” You’re responsible for unifying functions that have historically had their own goals, budgets, and KPIs. And you have to do it in a way that drives both revenue and morale.

How to build it into your day-to-day:

Create shared KPIs that every revenue-facing function contributes to.
Bring all GTM leaders into joint planning sessions and QBRs.
Use the customer journey as the ultimate alignment blueprint.

When you succeed, you don’t just get better collaboration – you get a revenue engine that moves in sync, instead of burning fuel fighting internal friction.

CRO insights report revenue operations data Clari Gainsight New research: How to future-proof yourself as CRO in 2025

2. Become a strategist with market foresight

The CRO role is no longer about “hitting the number” this quarter. It’s about translating market signals, customer data, and financial performance into a GTM strategy that balances short-term revenue with long-term growth.

“Strategic clarity is essential… That means understanding where the business is headed while staying close to execution.”

– Naomi Brezi, CRO, Ruffalo Noel Levitz

It’s a high-stakes skill: get it right, and you’re the growth architect; get it wrong, and you’re reacting to events instead of shaping them.

How to capture market foresight:

Develop dual operating rhythms – one for immediate revenue performance, another for big-picture growth bets.
Block time in your calendar for “slow lane” thinking – go through market expansion, pricing strategies, and product-channel fit.
Build a feedback loop between your customer-facing teams and your strategy work – frontline insights are often the earliest indicators of market change.

3. Lean into AI, but don’t lose the human touch

A large majority of the CROs surveyed in our report are already integrating AI into their revenue processes. The tech is everywhere – from real-time dashboards blending CRM, product usage, and financial data, to AI-driven deal forecasting, next-best-action tools, and automated proposal generation.

But here’s the caution: AI is a tool, not a replacement for judgment.

“Emotional intelligence hasn’t been replaced (yet) – and someone with a high EQ using AI in a customer-facing role is powerful.”

– Bobby Fowley, CRO, Monite

Best uses for AI in your CRO toolkit:

🔄 Repetitive task automation: Prospect research, meeting prep, internal handoffs.

💬 Rep enablement: Real-time coaching via conversational intelligence, automated call summaries, pipeline risk alerts.

🧩 Strategic decision support: Scenario modeling, resource allocation analysis, customer segmentation.

But tread carefully, AI-generated cold outreach is still more likely to alienate your audience than convert them. Use AI to augment human connection, not replace it.

4. Build your emotional intelligence and people leadership

EQ, or emotional intelligence, isn’t just a “nice to have” for modern CROs – it’s a competitive advantage, and most CROs cited it as critical to their success.

“Be the first one to break through barriers and lead by example. Revenue teams respect people who walk the talk.”

– Sara Rasmussen, CRO, Telness Tech

Great CROs adapt their communication style to fit the audience, whether they’re in a boardroom, on a customer call, or coaching a new SDR (sales development representative).

They understand what motivates each team and can inspire collective performance without leaning on positional authority.

Practical steps:

Schedule regular skip-level meetings to hear directly from frontline staff.
Practice transparency – share not just the “what” but the “why” behind strategy shifts.
Use recognition strategically – public praise for wins, private coaching for course corrections.

5. Get fluent in data – and use it to influence

Data storytelling is now one of the most persuasive tools in a CRO’s arsenal. It’s how you get the CEO, CFO, and board onside for strategic plays that may not pay off this quarter but will in the long run.

“Data-driven decision-making capabilities have become non-negotiable…

Leveraging advanced analytics and AI to identify growth opportunities, optimize resource allocation, and make evidence-based forecasting decisions.”

– Rohit Sood, CRO, Sorcero

Your data fluency checklist:

Know your dashboards inside out and be able to explain the “so what” behind every metric.
Integrate data from sales, marketing, product usage, and finance for a full-funnel view.
Use data to tell a story, framing decisions in terms of risk, opportunity, and timing.

Remember: the goal isn’t to drown your audience in numbers – it’s to make a compelling case for action.

6. Design your AI + human operating model

Future-proof CROs aren’t just “using AI” – they’re designing deliberate operating models where tech and human talent complement each other.

For example, Peter R. Platten, CRO at Protos Security, is developing an industry-first intelligence tool to surface reliable insights without automating in bias or inefficiency.

Meanwhile, Tony Aurigemma, CRO at Anomali, is building custom AI agents for competitive analysis and market trend mapping – while keeping humans in the loop for judgment calls.

Your goal: maximize efficiency without eroding trust or customer experience.

7. Stay adaptable – because the CRO role is still evolving

The CRO role in 2025 is still “being invented in real time”, as one CRO shared. That means the best future-proofing strategy is to keep learning, keep scanning the horizon, and be ready to pivot.

That adaptability isn’t just about market conditions – it’s also about internal politics, new go-to-market models, and emerging technologies. The most successful CROs we spoke to see themselves as both strategist and builder, willing to recalibrate their approach without losing sight of the end goal.

Final thoughts

AI, strategy, and data mastery matter – but without alignment, none of it sticks.

Your ability to unify teams, keep the CEO partnership strong, and ensure everyone’s driving towards the same customer-centric goals is still the number one predictor of CRO impact and tenure.

As we uncovered in the previous article in this series, your best lever for impact is still alignment. Pull that lever first, and you’ll not only survive the average 18-month countdown – you’ll redefine what’s possible in the role.

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New research: How to future-proof yourself as CRO in 2025