Insights from the Marketing Leadership Masterclass

I've just completed The Marketing Leadership Masterclass - a 12-week program full of very insightful hands-on content on how to win over stakeholders, mobilize colleagues, and lead?teams. The course program is based on the largest study on marketing leaders created by Thomas Barta and enhanced with expert insights from Syl Saller, former CMO at Diageo. The final assignment is to share what I've learned with my network, so here are the top 9 things that resonated with me the most:

1. Prioritize the projects that lie where customer needs and company needs overlap, and where you can add the most value. They will create the most value for the company & customers.
2. Know when to zoom in and when to zoom out. Not all things need your 100%?attention. It can be hard to let go when you got used to doing so many things by yourself, but this is the way.
3. Your team is only as strong as the challenge they can handle and the discussion they can have. Trust & communication will take you a long way.??
4. Bitesize the big projects to make it easier for people to get on board. Avoid dramatic terms like revamp, redesign, and transformation they convey complexity and uncertainty (think of customer experience transformation or website redesign). Instead talk about improving, upgrading, co-creating and provide a clear plan of action, and offer help.
5. When mobilizing people for a project go around the roots: listen to people's concerns and take them into account as much as possible. Communicate your decisions by sharing which suggestions you've implemented. A project that meets 75% of your objective and is widely accepted is much better than one that meets 100%, but that people fight about later on.
6. Interesting fact:?According to a study by INSEAD about 80% of projects proposed by senior executives fell short or failed, meanwhile 80% of the projects initiated by the middle managers succeeded. When working on a change proposal make sure to involve those who don't have formal power but pull the string behind.
7. When faced with Give Me One Of Those (the "great" ideas on what marketing should do) - you can push back by showing the alternatives, what we spend our money instead, and what we will have to say NO to in order to make the suggestion happen.
8. With time your actual job might deviate from the job description. It might be an opportunity for growth or the other way around. Ask yourself how much of your time at work you spend on things that truly add value and will be recognized.?If you are not working on things that are really important - it's time to rethink what you are doing, have a conversation with your boss and team, and reprioritize.
9. To inspire others learn what inspires yourself. Knowing your whys can help understand what drives you in work and life. Here is a simple exercise to get started: write down 10 roles you have in your life, for each role write 10 whys (why do you do that), then look across your 10 x10 list and find similarities. Write down the top 10 whys.?For example, I learned that I draw inspiration and satisfaction in progress, a sense of moving or growing. I value the journey as much as the destination. Hence my love for learning languages and cycling :)?

I've really enjoyed the course, it has given me a lot of ideas to take back to my work. Special thank you to Solibri for giving me this opportunity.

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