The Truth About Marketing Transformation - and a Few Lies

Every week, senior marketing leaders and CEOs tell me they're anxious to transform their digital strategy, their culture, or the customer experience.

Sadly, some are lying to themselves when they use that buzzword. In fact, “transformation” gets lots of use these days. Yet it wasn’t until recently that I truly understood its meaning, and how much it’s used improperly. This is a setup for disappointment and failed initiatives.

Here’s an example. Recently I met with one of my clients--the CMO of a $3B organization. I observed that the client kept using the term “transformation” in our discussions. I wanted to dig deeper, and to validate why their re-branding initiative was facing its third year of fits and starts.

When I asked whether she was willing to upset the so-called sacred cows within the political structure, her response was quick and direct. She replied, “I have two teen teenagers who need to get through college. At this stage of my career, I cannot afford to get fired.”

This is a classic example of an executive who communicates transformation--but does not truly embody a transformational leadership role. I then explained that incremental change—improving an existing process, system, department, or brand—is quite different from true transformation and upheaval.

When she discovered that there was a distinction, it was almost as if I had relieved her of a burden. I applauded her for being honest. She then vowed to stop using the term, because it was misleading the teams and their stakeholders.

If you are wondering whether your marketing initiative is truly transformational, listen for these comments and clues:

1.   “I don't want to mess up the program.” My best clients earmark their mistakes as learning moments. They may even award marketing teams who learned the most from a failed program, and they became stronger because of it. The CMO of a medical device company recently told me “As long as we fail publicly, and the CEO knows about it, then it is okay. I have to take him on that journey.” He shared with me a time when his team had not adequately budgeted for a major trade show. He immediately presented that oversight to the CEO, and was able to quickly secure funding.

2.   “I want to keep the team happy throughout the process.” In the world of transformation, don’t count on it! During transformation cycles, you will activate the “BBMM Effect.” You will challenge Beliefs, Behaviors, Methods, and Metrics.

Transformation not only polarizes established teams. It cuts to their core identities as professionals and leaders. Most of your team members and stakeholders will also question their values and mindsets. Case in point: One of my clients is anticipating a 50% employee turnover and relocating their corporate headquarters. They want to trigger faster transformation and they realize that many team members will not make the move. The same strategy recently surfaced when the Department of Agriculture announced plans to relocate from Washington, DC to Kansas City.

3. “I just want to show a few small wins and tackle the low hanging fruit.” If you're a new leader and want to curry favor with a new boss, you certainly need to tackle projects or programs where you can make an immediate impact with minimal disruption. However, if you put the term, “Transformational CMO” in your LinkedIn profile and resume, you need to pivot from incremental to transformational change soon after your honeymoon period. Once that period is over, these leaders arm themselves to break some glass and make a mark.

Transformational marketing leaders also inspire others to take action, and they often persuade people differently than incremental change leaders. They take a long-term, patient view and make it their mission to win hearts and minds.

Generally, I have observed three types of persuasion in organizations. First, in certain cultures, the main method of persuading others happens through strong-arm tactics. This may include tweaking compensation models or the threat of job termination. That's a recipe for short-term gain.

The second method, normative pressure, is used to persuade people to do things that the "in crowd" is doing. This works in the medium term-- so long as you do not experience any changes in the political structure. When that happens, the cool kids will lose their status and influence, and you may become politically isolated.

Transformative change leaders use a third approach: they appeal to each person's rational self-interest. One of my clients, the former CEO of a supply chain technology firm, invested significant time in meeting each stakeholder in a one-on-one setting. While the up-front time investment felt significant, it helped him deepen trust and understanding. In the three companies where we collaborated, he developed a long-term following. Teams expressed a strong commitment to his sales and marketing initiatives.

These three common beliefs and myths around transformation are surefire ways to undermine your street cred. Be sure you know when to use the term, and when it’s time to accept incremental change as your current marketing reality.

Unlike the average four-week cycle for an egg to become a butterfly, you should expect a longer time period to make a dent in your universe.

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Copyright 2019, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved.