Finding Success and Satisfaction in a Career in Marketing and Beyond

I recently joined the Association of National Advertisers Educational Foundation at their “Future of Marketing Leadership” conference to speak about the state of work right now, and how marketers (and others) can find success and satisfaction in a career. It’s up to organizational leaders to create strong work cultures, but it’s also important for us, as individuals, to take meaningful actions to build the career we want.

We are at a critical juncture in the workforce. Many of us are reevaluating how and where we spend our time at work, and how that impacts our personal and professional growth. Leaders of tomorrow want work to be intentional, with closer ties to colleagues and authentic opportunities to learn, grow, and build skills. We need to consider how organizations can make their colleagues feel seen, but also, what different generations need and want from their leaders.?

At American Express , we refer to employees as colleagues – setting the tone for all to have an equal voice at the table. We have our “Colleague Value Proposition,” which gives colleagues the tools, trainings, and opportunities to deliver their best every day. In building it we took a page from the marketer product playbook, gathering many inputs and linking it to our global brand platform: Powerful Backing. I believe when we powerfully back our colleagues, it translates to backing our customers and communities. And, I felt it was incredibly important that our external brand platform be exactly the same as our internal one. That’s what’s so powerful about it - no pun intended.

A recent study ?showed that only one-third of employees feel their organizations back them in both their performance and career aspirations. That’s quite an upsetting number if you ask me. Leaders want support in developing their careers. ?In 2023, we introduced a program called “Career Growth @ Amex.” ?As the name implies, this program gives our colleagues the tools they need to navigate and grow their careers at the company. And, it’s built on four principles: Deliver, Reflect, Learn, and Connect.

Take Time to Reflect and Build Self-Awareness?

When I think back to my journey to CMO, self-awareness is something that helped me find fulfillment in my career.?Many years ago, when I was a Senior Manager at American Express, all I wanted was a promotion to the next level as a Director. I think I worked smart and hard, but I was laser-focused on the next job title. I was always comparing myself to everyone else getting promoted around me and wondering, “why not me?” It was all I would talk about.?

The problem was, I lacked the self-awareness at the time to understand the difference between success and satisfaction, and how other people were viewing my quest for that promotion. I was lucky - a mentor pulled me aside to tell me my approach was not working, and they were absolutely right. It truly put things in perspective. I did eventually get the Director promotion, but it was about seeing the bigger picture and finding the value in the work at hand.?

Delivering strong and consistent results should be the common thread throughout your career. It is what gets you in the game and keeps you in the game.

Always be Curious and Keep Learning?

Early on in my career I spent a few years as a high school biology teacher, and that passion for continued learning has stayed with me ever since. Learning is a critical part of the colleague experience at American Express.?Colleagues commit more than 17 hours to training annually, including through a program built for our marketers, by our marketers, called “Amex Marketing U.” One of our biggest events is the annual Marketing U "Back to School" Week, and last year thousands had the opportunity to join 20 different live discussions hosted across four time zones.?

There are always more questions to ask and novel ideas to wrap your head around - no matter where you are in your career.

Build Meaningful Connections

As a marketer, we have less time than ever to capture someone’s attention. Most ads get less than 1 second of active attention .? So, you have 1 second to capture attention, but you need a whole lot more time than that to build trust. ?It’s all about making those connections, developing those relationships, and earning that trust.? Which - keep in mind - can also be lost in a second. You must be thoughtful. A relationship requires you to listen with empathy…and keep on listening. You must also focus on growing the pie together, rather than spending time on who gets what slice of the pie.

For Amex, that is how we approach relationships with our customers, communities, and our colleagues. Connection is not just important, but essential. Don’t underestimate the power of relationships.?

There’s no single formula for finding the perfect balance between career success and satisfaction, but I hope these takeaways provide some valuable inspiration. I’d love to know, how are you and your companies navigating this?