Below is an archive of every blog post shared through this site since 2010. For posts by topic, check out articles on marketing, leadership, and building new products.
For new posts, check out my Substack newsletter and subscribe:
To create value, you have two choices:
You can raise the ceiling
You can lower the floor
This applies to generating value of any kind.
Driving growth to hit your revenue targets
Navigating hard conversations where you can be the bigger person
Choosing between brand marketing versus performance marketing tactics
This is Part III of a series focused on hiring and building marketing teams. Previous posts were about ignoring interviewing rules and how to interview marketing candidates quickly and carefully.
Interviews are artificial situations. Everyone is on their best behavior and arrives wearing a good, thick layer of armor.
I don’t care how you are on your best day. I want to know how you are on MOST days. Your goal, as an interviewer and hiring manager, is to get to the truth. You want to know how the candidate behaves and performs on a daily basis.
That’s the version of them you’ll spend the most time with, so that’s the version of the person you want to know.
The questions below are a start. It’s your job to read between the lines for both what’s said and unsaid. This active posture will help you get a holistic sense of the candidate’s approach, intent, skill set, and attitude.
Read MoreThis is part I of a series of posts focused on hiring marketers and building marketing teams. Other posts are about interview rules to ignore and my favorite interview questions for marketing candidates.
In my decade in-house, and now as interim CMO/Head of Marketing and as a strategic consultant to CEOs building their teams, I’ve interviewed a lot of marketing candidates. In this series, I’ll share insights and practical takeaways I’ve learned over the years that you can apply to your work too.
Read MoreWe don’t need more people who can only follow directions. We need leaders who can survive ambiguity—then pave the way by asserting what to do.
Here’s a reframe:
Instead of saying “What do you want me to do?”
Say, “I would like to do this and here’s why it makes sense. Does this sound good to you?”
Read MoreWhen someone says they are open to feedback, it does not mean you should share all of your frustrations.
Contrary to popular belief, this is not your chance to express how you feel.
A feedback conversation is actually a sales conversation. To empathize with what matters to them. Then craft your message around that.
It’s a chance to understand what is most likely to motivate the specific person you’re speaking with.
In other words, it’s an opportunity for behavior change.
Read MoreOne of the by-products of having bold ideas is you will often pitch your ideas to groups of people. And whenever you have more than one person in a room, there’s the chance that the conversation gets derailed.
What if you’re caught off guard because people have taken over your meeting?
It’s important to control the meeting so you can move your project forward.
I’ve read advice on this topic in the past, but most recommendations are too abrasive to say to people you actually want to continue working with. "I COULD say that… But my team would be shocked/horrified by how blunt I sound and end up hating me."
For those of us with a collaborative leadership style, it’s important to have scripts you can realistically picture yourself saying.
Here’s what to say to get your meeting back on track and why it works.
Read MoreYou might get blind-sided by a project detail you are not prepared to talk about. Moments like this can make you look bad and make others doubt you.
That’s why I’m a big fan of having go-to phrases you can use in 80% of situations when you’re surprised. The benefit is you won’t have to scramble in the moment. You can relax because you know what to say, which allows you to be more present. Plus, it's an elegant way to buy yourself time.
Here what to say:
Read More“I’m coming out of another meeting, so I'll need some time to context switch and make sure I give this the attention it deserves. Let’s set up a meeting for later this week so we can carve out time and go deep on this issue. How does that sound?”
You and I rarely have enough leverage to get something done all by ourselves.
I know, I know. Sometimes, it would be a lot easier if you could use your sheer willpower to push things through. (Believe me, I’ve tried.) But the reality is, we live in an interconnected world and we need other people's cooperation to make change happen.
Having cooperation and support from stakeholders is a game-changer. It means more momentum for your project. More confidence and speed. More energy spent doing great work you're proud of. And a lot less worrying.
Read MoreCompeting to get high performers on your team can make or break your growth. To gain an edge, shift from a passive approach to actively marketing and selling why a role will help a high performer become even stronger.
Read More