¿Cómo lideras tu equipo de marketing?

Nobody introduces a leader like Steve Jobs as, “He is an extraordinary manager” 😄 Great leaders inspire action. While managers are viewed as authorities, leaders are seen by their teams as influencers. You become a leader when you paint a clear vision, foster connections, and eventually your team can run—without you. Their independent progress mirrors the strength of our leadership :)

There are two strategies I implement when I think about how I lead my team. The first is with a growth mindset — the people I work with should always be asking questions, innovating, and inspiring others. Not only will they progress in their careers, but they'll contribute new and exciting concepts to our company. The second is similar to how we create campaigns: with audience-centricity in mind. But in this situation, it's employee-centricity. Every individual deserves a manager who understands and supports them and their goals, in addition to the team's!

Leading is difficult. I recently read how the majority of people have capacity to be a great individual contributor. A small amount of people are able to become a great manager and an even smaller amount of those individuals can become an executive. The reason is because the split between producing and directing requires processes. Often processes that you as the leader must define, all while juggling a team, tasks, personalities, and more. I'm currently in the process of bringing further definition to my marketing team's vision and goals. I've been regularly checking in with my team to make sure the direction resonates with them. It has been helping to build buy in. My planning starts with a digital whiteboard and builds from there.

As a leader, I prioritize clarity in articulating my vision and goals to the team, ensuring everyone understands their role in achieving success. Inclusivity is paramount. I foster an environment where every voice is valued and respected, regardless of background or perspective. Openness to suggestions and different opinions enriches our decision-making process, leading to innovative solutions. Embracing a growth mindset, I encourage continuous learning and development, empowering team members to push beyond their comfort zones. Empathy underscores every interaction, as I strive to understand and support each individual's unique challenges and aspirations, fostering a cohesive and thriving team dynamic.

"Without a vision, the people perish," aptly paraphrases a biblical proverb. As a marketing leader, defining your vision isn't just about setting targets; it's about articulating a dream that magnetizes the collective ambition of your team. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry beautifully puts it, “If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

I have found that communication is the key here. I empower my team to manage all their tasks. I let them know that I've chosen them for this task because... and then we discuss it. It helps to challenge them to build a case around specific projects that they can defend as in: "Though there are many options that I vetted, I chose this direction because XYZ". This helps them feel empowered, grow, think through the why. It also has shown them my door is always open and that I don't have all of the answers but am looking to them to help "all of us" find the right solution.

Keep an ongoing feedback loop with everyone, avoiding excessive formality and rigidity to prevent delays in the process. Feedback should be timely and dynamic, fostering constructive dialogue. Offer feedback in various scenarios, embracing both positive and negative situations. Support your feedback with examples of what transpired, what actions are recommended, and the expected outcomes. This clarity facilitates actionable insights. Reciprocity is key; encourage peers and colleagues at all organizational levels to provide feedback. Diverse perspectives enrich your understanding and help identify areas of improvement you might overlook. In this spirit, continuous growth and enhanced performance become achievable.

Empowering your marketing team is like giving them the keys to a shiny new sports car - they'll drive it with confidence and creativity, and you'll get to enjoy the ride! Trusting your team to take the wheel not only boosts their morale but also frees up your time to focus on the bigger picture. Remember, a little autonomy goes a long way in fueling innovation and productivity. So, delegate like a pro and watch your team zoom towards success! 🏎️💨 #LeadershipGoals #Empowerment #MarketingStrategy

Leading with example is one thing I have noticed and within the internal community developing a feeling of passion for working on marketing projects really bring out the zeal in the working team in the organisation.

Handing over the reins is often as nerve-wracking as watching a toddler take their first steps. But just as with parenting, in marketing, you have to trust and empower your team to stand on their own. Empowerment in delegation is like Sir Richard Branson’s ethos: “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”

Qué interesante poder aplicar endomarketing, a un equipo de marketing, por redundante que parezca, podría tener grandes beneficios. Liderar un equipo de marketing con enfoque en endomarketing requiere más que estrategias; implica humanizar nuestra gestión, valorando cada voz y fomentando una verdadera colaboración. Es crucial escuchar activamente, crear un ambiente donde todos se sientan empoderados para compartir ideas, y construir una cultura de apoyo mutuo. Al hacerlo, no solo mejoramos el rendimiento, sino que cultivamos un sentido de pertenencia y propósito, que impulse efectivamente la innovación.

Suppose you, as a marketing leader or the CEO, do not communicate the exact vision you have for the particular campaign or product as a whole --- what happens next? Your team will be clueless about the extent they can go in terms of creativity, wilderness, and logic. The outcome of their work? Don't even think about it. Your marketing team needs a leader who can communicate well -- the good and the bad. Collaboration follows suit. Of course, having a collaboration tool would make things better. But this comes at the last. You need to have a proper channel to make it easier for your team to discuss with you the challenges, ideas, misconceptions, blockages, and excitements.

I think this point is more about culture and not using tools to measure performance. And I would say as leaders we should always create a safe space for our teams to thrive in - that means having no judgement of anyone's opinion and everyone's free to express their thoughts. When people feel safe, the rest fall into place. When they don't feel respected and free, no amount of incentives or tools can boost their output.

All getting involved with a clear plan is just awesome! Marketing is all about placement of knowledge for clear reasons WHY! That forms the basis of clear communication and leads to a happy team and results!

Communication should be as seamless as the narrative of a well-crafted story. Collaboration in marketing teams shouldn't be a forced alliance like a hastily arranged marriage but a free union of minds that desire mutual success. As George Bernard Shaw says, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” Thus, as a leader, one must ensure that the message is not just broadcasted but received, understood, and acted upon.

If managers don’t provide support to their teams, they damage any trust between themselves and their employees. *Allow your team to lead on projects in their area of expertise *Give your employees a platform to share their ideas with the rest of the team *Take your team’s ideas to other senior leaders and credit them for their work

Borrowing from Sun Tzu’s 'The Art of War', “Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." In our arsenal as marketers, the strategy is the blueprint, while analysis and optimization are the fine adjustments on our path to victory. Continuous evaluation isn’t just about answering “how well are we doing,” but “how can we do better?”

It's essential that you align your team's understanding of how their efforts are measured, analyzed, and optimized. Teams should share a foundational understanding of the following 4 things in relation to metrics: 1. What metrics have the most impact on actual goals versus what metrics are vanity-focused 2. How metrics are captured, interpreted, and reported 3. How to pivot efforts based on the actionable insights derived from the metrics 4. How to clearly and concisely communicate the metrics to audiences outside of the marketing department (as needed) Neglecting to create such alignment on metrics can cloud people's judgment in terms of priorities and opportunities.

Navigate the marketing maze with analysis and optimization as your compass. Here's how: - Monitor, measure, and evaluate. Three pillars of insightful analysis. Every data point tells a tale. - Metrics are your map. They depict where you stand and where you could head. Dive into data, unveil the story, and chart the course. - Identify the hits and misses. Central to optimization. Adjust, improve, evolve. It’s an ongoing journey, not a pitstop. - Goal achievement, resource optimization, value demonstration - the triumvirate of optimization outcomes. - Sharpening your marketing strategy is about being an astute analyst and a savvy optimizer.

I stress the importance of aligning the team's understanding of metrics to facilitate effective analysis and optimization. By ensuring clarity on metrics' impact, interpretation, and communication, we avoid misjudgments and prioritize efforts based on actionable insights, thus optimizing our strategies.

I think one area that can be helpful is to allocate a % of marketing budget towards areas that are easy to measure. Allocate the rest to making bets that are a longer term play, or simply put - harder to measure. If you allocate 60-80% towards outbound, digital, events, etc and crush your pipeline and revenue targets… Then use the rest to make bets! Start a podcast. Do a unique field event. Encourage your team scrape their knees. Creativity is often bred from taking Risks.

"To see how great your marketing is, take their budget away." 😳 Not a phrase that a marketer wants to hear, but it's one that someone told me some time ago and it had me thinking. 🤔 Till I tried it with my team. It was an enlightening experience.💡 We realized in our brainstorming that all kinds of creative and innovative marketing ideas can come, when you are working with a reduced budget.

One more thing that I've seen amazing results from is giving my team the autonomy to make decisions. When I give them the freedom to take ownership of their work, they are more likely to be creative and innovative. They are also more likely to be motivated and engaged. Of course, there are still times when I need to step in and provide guidance or direction. But by giving my team the autonomy to make decisions, I am showing them that I trust them and that I believe in their abilities. I would also add that it is important to provide clear expectations and regular feedback to your team. This will help them to stay on track and to know how they are doing.

Innovation isn’t simply inventing for the sake of newness, it's uncovering better pathways to connection. Thomas Edison once remarked, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Encourage your marketing team to cultivate a test-and-learn approach that embraces both the triumphs and the learning curves.

When you feel safe, supported, and heard, we're more confident in sharing our boldest thoughts and testing uncharted waters. It's not just empathy and compassion at play; it's also a generous dose of love for what we do. Listening is everything. Your audience - the heartbeat of your marketing efforts - holds the keys to success. One of the fastest routes to stifling growth is the "because we've always done it that way" mentality. Stay adaptable and flexible; evolution is the name of the game. So, don't just navigate the marketing landscape; enjoy the wild ride and embrace change. It's not only more fun, but it's also the surefire way to keep your marketing strategies fresh, engaging, and dynamic. jmo

When managing large teams, remember all success is US, all failure is ME. Simple. That's how your team knows that you have their back and they will do what is needed to win.

Each team member comes from varied backgrounds, culture, which adds magnificence to the entire blend. Spending and mapping time to develop a growth mindset with out invading their privacies and learning how to get the best out of individuals is one of the key priorities for every manager Transparency is often misinterpreted for bossing, hence developing an instant feedback mechanism helps in the overall implementation & success of the work stream One of the most ignored aspects, mental health. Assess response mechanism, platform to share perspectives, navigating challenges together helps to keep the stress levels in check. Calendarizing dates - work anniversaries, milestones, public recognition helps building cohesive environment.

To light the fire of motivation within a team, one must channel their internal Prometheus. It’s said that “people don’t leave bad jobs; they leave bad bosses.” Therefore, to lead is to serve as a beacon, not as a commanding overwatch. Empathy, encouragement, and recognition should be the threads that bind the fabric of team dynamics.

Having experienced both I can state with conviction that leadership is like parenting; the output relies on the quality of your input. Think of your team members like your children, understand their uniqueness, invest in their growth, connect with them emotionally & most importantly, work for them instead of making them work for you. Leaders who continuously equip themselves with knowledge & never shy away from rolling their sleeves will be the most effective one because they understand the efforts it take to do the work & therefore they naturally empathize with their team.

Leading by example is essential for building a successful marketing team. When team members see that their leader is willing to do the work, they are more likely to be motivated and engaged. I've seen amazing results from leading by example. When I show my team that I am willing to put in the hard work, they are more likely to do the same. I also make sure to set clear expectations and provide regular feedback. This helps my team stay on track and know how they are doing. I would also add that it is important to be approachable and build relationships with your team members. This will help them feel comfortable coming to you with questions or concerns. Leading a marketing team can be challenging, but it is also very rewarding.

Leading a team isn't just a role; it's a sacred responsibility. It transcends supervision and delves into mentorship, guiding individuals on their career journeys, and much more. At its core, it all comes down to one powerful word: TRUST. Trust is the bedrock, the lifeblood of these connections, fostering an environment of candid communication, where sharing perspectives and addressing concerns is the norm. But consider the flip side - without trust, it's as if the very glue holding the team together vanishes. Communication becomes guarded, transparency erodes, and sharing falters.

Routinely set aside time each month for your team to focus solely on a learning and development activity. Put it everyone's calendar. A bi-monthly lunch and learn session, for example, is a great idea. Leading a marketing team involves making sure that your team is routinely exposed to learning and development opportunities that help them to level up how they perform in their roles. The tools and techniques that we have at our disposal are constantly evolving and our teams need to stay ahead of the game. Be deliberate about supporting them.

When leading a team it's really important to be authentic and kind - realising that we're all human, listening, including everyone and having the difficult conversations when neccessary. You basically have to lead by example... Company leaders are the ones creating the culture of the business - what sort of environment do you want to create? And specifically in marketing I'd say giving space and time for creative process. Often best ideas come when people have time to think, dream and reflect so ensure you team has the space to do that.

Beyond these structured steps, acknowledge the human element. Sometimes a team doesn't need a cutting-edge strategy but a listening ear or a moment of levity. Business is a human endeavor, after all. As Maya Angelou beautifully conveyed, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” The mark of a truly great leader is the legacy they leave in the hearts and minds of the people they lead.

In my opinion, the key is leading with heart, and vision. Remember these 11 words: H - umility E - mpowerment A - daptability R - espect T - ransparency V - alue I - nspiration S - tructure I - ntegrity O - utlook N - urturing