Six Months as CMO of ServiceNow: Early lessons from My “CMO Era” ????

Six months into the CMO role at ServiceNow, and wow—it’s been a ride. I’ve learned a ton, and returning from the final stop of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, I realized her song titles were a hell of a way to frame my experience so far. So here goes:

1. ?? “…Ready For It?”— Imposter syndrome: We've all got it. CMOs, CEOs, board members—no one's immune. Stepping into this role after 13 years at a company where I felt entirely at home was like jumping into cold water. I knew that feeling of doubt would creep in, so I decided to welcome it like an old friend and dive straight in.

The truth is imposter syndrome hasn't disappeared. It's there every day. But it’s become fuel—because I’m a real tough kid. I can handle my sh*t. They said “Babe, you gotta fake it ‘til you make it” and I did.

2. ?? "You're on Your Own Kid" — There’s a saying: Leadership is lonely. I’ve felt this most when making bold decisions to drive change at a company with 25,000+ employees, $230B+ valuation, and the world watching. But that loneliness is also where growth happens. You learn to trust your gut. To align your decisions with the bigger picture. To listen deeply to your team.

Because even when it feels lonely, you’re never truly alone.

3. "It's Nice to Have a Friend" — One of the biggest surprises has been the incredible support from the marketing community. Badass leaders have gone out of their way to share advice, offer an ear, and remind me I'm not alone. To Sarah Franklin , Peter Weinberg , Jill Kramer , Melissa Selcher , Nick Tzitzon , Marty Homlish , Paige Young , Jody Rennick Kohner , Scott Holden , Jim Sinai , Kate Bullis , Scott Mager , Bill McDermott , my leadership team, and countless others—thank you. You've taught me that no matter how "lonely" leadership can feel, there's a community ready to help you succeed.

4. ?? ?"Never Grow Up" — The tech world moves scary fast. One of the best muscles I've learned to flex is genuine curiosity—that childlike drive to ask, "what if?" and get excited about exploring the unknown.

For example, it's easy to feel intimidated when it comes to AI. My advice? Start by starting. Get lost in learning. Embrace it. Steal ideas from brilliant marketers (don't lie, we all do it). And ask for advice from those further along than you.

I'm encouraging my team to embrace this as well. The world is changing, and if you sit still, you fall behind.

5. "How Did It End?" — I've been lucky to be part of two legendary growth stories—Salesforce and now ServiceNow (OK, three if you count my racing career with Red Bull). But growth has a tough side, too. When you're focused on scaling fast, it's tempting to simply do more. Produce 20 widgets instead of 15. Launch 10 campaigns instead of 7. Sometimes, there's no time to stop and ask, "Is this working? Does this even matter?"

This year, we boldly decided to cut content creation and vendors by 50%. Why? When we stepped back to measure, we realized that not everything we produced resonated. We call it "Project Marie Kondo"— keeping only what sparks joy for our customers. It's been tough on the team, and I’ve learned loads about change management, but we're better for it. Less noise, more impact. And I'm SO proud of the elite work we're about to launch to the world.

6. "Shake it Off" — Not everyone will agree with your decisions, and that’s OK. You're bound to face skepticism as a CMO—or any leader. The key is learning to separate the helpful from the noise.

Embrace constructive criticism. Use it to refine your thinking. Negativity or distractions? Shake it off. Focus on your vision and what you’re trying to build. Just make sure that vision is SUPER aligned with the business. Leadership isn’t about pleasing everyone—it’s about staying true to your goals and making bold moves, even if they ruffle feathers.

Let the work speak for itself.? And always be careful not to ship your org chart.

7. “This Is What You Came For” — Building a team isn’t just about recruiting—it’s about creating something extraordinary together. It’s about finding people who are excited to make an outsized impact. They’re hungry (but humble), curious, resilient, and they’re united by a stubborn intolerance of mediocrity.

The real work starts beyond hiring: establishing a vision, fostering collaboration, building trust, and creating a culture where people can do the best work of their careers. The energy is palpable when a team clicks and starts achieving things they didn’t think were possible. And honestly, it’s what I came here for.

8. "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" — One of the things I love most about ServiceNow is its ambition. We genuinely believe we'll be the defining enterprise software company of the 21st century. (We even have an acronym for it: #DESCO21C. Thanks, Jim Lesser .) And when your CEO uses it 100 times a day, it sticks.

But breaking into the next era requires more than ambition. It demands exponential thinking. It means breaking things that are working and putting them back together in entirely new ways. It's about taking risks, exploring the unknown, and resisting the pull of incrementalism.

Our growth—from an ITSM leader to the AI platform for business transformation—has ruffled some feathers with companies much larger than us. That's not our goal, but perhaps it’s inevitable. We're playing to define a new era, not play in one created by others.

It was amazing to see the G.O.A.T. wrap her game changing tour in Vancouver. And while the Eras Tour may be behind us, it feels like this “CMO Era” is just getting started. I’m grateful to have landed in a truly one-of-a-kind culture with such a supportive executive team - thank you.

Oh, and we’re hiring.