Three lessons from three amazing women

If you listen, the lessons will come.

The world is in a state of constant change and this is certainly evident in the halls – and Teams meetings - of corporate America.?Early in my marketing career, being a woman in a sales-focused environment created many challenges. It was then I discovered that the goal wasn’t to speak loud enough to be heard but instead listen loud enough to learn. That is when I heard lessons from three amazing women that I still carry with me today. Lessons that have influenced how I navigate the world at large and certainly how I lead.

Three lessons that have helped shape my role as CMO.

Build your team.

A Wharton School graduate and Group President Nancy Collins told me to “build your team.” She said not to wait for the perfect time, the perfect budget, or the perfect resume. You must be constantly and proactively building your team because people are your most important asset.

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At face value this lesson could be interpreted to be about adding head count. I have learned that is not the case. Building a team is an intentional mix of art and science. Think of any high-reliability teams – SWOT or ER – each member functions at their highest and best use, precise roles matched to their talent. But they also navigate situations with the grace and ease of dancers – no one is seen smashing into one another.

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That is where the magic lies. It’s understanding how differently people think and how to best utilize and embrace those differences.

It’s knowing the capabilities the team has today and those that are yet to be developed then activating the talent around you. It’s about caring and understanding about the true needs of your team – not just from a resource standpoint but also motivation and guidance.

?I know full well that business success depends on building your team because great teams allow you to grow, scale and thrive in a way otherwise impossible.

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Have a long game.

From global sales and marketing executive Patricia Elizondo I learned how important it is to “have a long game.” To resist reacting to what is right in front of you and instead create a strategic roadmap that builds on itself.

As a marketing leader, the “what is right in front of you” can be quite compelling – your CEO, a sales team, quarterly numbers, a new competitor. The pressure to drive positive results - sales revenue, PR coverage, vanity metrics in media such as impressions and clicks?- in the short-term can be intense. This is when I go to true north – the long game.

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Playing the long game means making sacrifices today to stay committed to stated strategic goals. It means avoiding instant gratification and focusing on building a foundation that will serve your team and the organization well in the future. Marketers have the perfect example of this bearing fruit – successful brands are built over years, even decades, not quarters.

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I do not aim at today’s goals, I aim further out – at where your clients are heading or, ideally, where the industry doesn’t know it is heading - yet. In a long game you get rewarded with consistently positive results that come from an intelligent strategy and keen focus on the quality of every execution.

Know your numbers.

A healthcare trailblazer Mary Scanlon was expert at developing markets in differing leadership roles all tied to business growth. She was unwavering on the importance to “know your numbers.” ?She knew that while marketing is about storytelling, business is all about numbers. Therefore, the numbers are the ones telling the story if you want to deliver business results.

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I find that expanding this beyond just the idea of financial numbers is key. Taking a holistic, enterprise view of the business. Going beyond Marketing and knowing the business financials impact. Taking a data driven approach to marketing that includes research data, customer data and marketing activity outcomes. Numbers that go beyond awareness, traffic, and conversions to even more meaningful ones such as pipeline velocity, opportunity, and deal size. Numbers that represent revenue generation, not just lead generation.

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Numbers matter. They?really?matter. And they should be the reason for your every move and decision when it comes to your marketing strategy. For anyone who thinks they don’t have the time, or can’t afford, to know their numbers, I’d say – as would Mary – that you can’t afford not to.

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Beyond business lessons.

All three of these incredible women are executives at large but also are passionate about and recognized for activities outside of business. Making time to promote STEM and the need for technology to be developed by a diverse population that includes women, serve on Boards and Advisory Councils and actively participating in their communities through volunteerism.

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It is their ability to go beyond business, to model the behaviors and values that matter to them in every aspect of their lives, that makes them so incredibly special. This is true mentorship that is based on a passion to make a difference and to inspire others to do the same.

Lessons learned emerge as new lessons.

As the well-known saying goes “When you get given good advice, take it and then pass it on.” I agree with the former but not the latter because what you pass on has now passed through your own unique experience, has weathered changing times and has been combined with other advice along the way. So, what you pass on is no longer the same advice but something that is uniquely yours.

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What lesson will I be passing on and be remembered for by my team and peers? It’s not for me to say, but I can only hope that it will be even half as impactful as what these three extraordinary women executives shared with me.