Introducing: The Open Learning Collective

Establishing the Open Learning Collective

In 2017, I completed the Kellogg Chief Marketing Officer Program at Northwestern University. I immensely enjoyed my time at Kellogg, learning from top educators, CMO legends (I am talking about you, Jim Stengel) and peers to expand my own knowledge and sharpen my skills as a Marketer. I am a big believer that education is an individual responsibility. While many institutions and organizations like SAP provide opportunities to upskill and learn, it is up to us first to take action.

In my time post-Kellogg as the global CMO of SAP, I’ve attended my fair share of outstanding industry events with other CMOs, thought leaders, and influencers. Often, I walk away feeling a great desire to go deeper into many of the topics presented and wanting more time with the CMOs in-particular. So, I called Eric Leininger and Nick Caffentzis who run the CMO Program at Kellogg with an idea – The Open Learning Collective (OLC).

Elements of the Open Learning Collective

The idea for the Open Learning Collective (OLC) is to bring senior Marketing leaders together with the same desire to learn more, share best practices and discuss solutions to the most common topics we face as we lead our teams each day, and then ultimately bring our learnings in a curated way back to our organizations. I wanted it led by CMOs, with the support of my friends at Kellogg. Together, we crafted the OLC format and this past week at the Kellogg School of Management campus in Miami, the OLC came to life with 17 amazing Marketing leaders in attendance. We curated four topics that we discussed over a five-hour period:

1. Connecting Purpose to Commerce: We hear the word purpose a lot and it’s evolved over the years from a buzzword to a true strategic imperative. Understanding your brand’s purpose is about unlocking the reason for your existence, and it can be used to guide decisions across all parts of the business.
2. Driving Change Management: Change is a constant for all of us and hands down one of our biggest challenges; whether we are restructuring internally, rebranding, or adopting new technology. How we make change feel less “top-down” and drive followership is a must-do. Empathy must remain at the heart of driving change in order for change to be successful.
3. Marketing Talent Alignment: When seeking new talent, the disruptor and outside-of-the-box thinker is always appealing, but often that person fails. Why? Even though we like their boldness, the fit within the company culture can be a roadblock. How do we successfully integrate new ways of thinking and upskill current talent to meet our needs and stay agile?
4. Leading Customer Experience: Everyone claims they are customer-first and providing the best possible experience, but there is a disconnect between this intent and customer sentiment. How do we truly compete on the basis of experience and gain customer loyalty?

Another element of the program was to have each Marketing leader bring a “plus one” that serves as a critical leader on their team so they could learn together. We also packaged up snackable videos and content summaries that each leader can take back with them to their organizations. Through each discussion, I was inspired and took away practical examples. The value of an experience like this is immeasurable and I valued each minute with this incredible group.

I was super proud to see the OLC become a reality and host so many remarkable marketing leaders.

This is just the beginning! We cannot wait to expand and continue to go deeper into all the great information and opportunities that await us as CMOs to drive our leadership and value to greater heights for the brands we serve.

Special thanks to my amazing OLC cohorts! Eric Leininger, Nick Caffentzis, Andrea Brimmer, Jennifer Brockington, Roberta Cadieux, Andres Botero, Henson Gawliu, Sheila Morin, Alicia Hatch, Kim Rogers, Eric Lent, Meredith Latham, Megan Hernandez, Pablo Zurzolo, and Victoria Diaz Jorda.