We’re living in a time of marketing liminality.  Some leaders feel as if they have one hand clinging to their Zoom rooms and one hand clinging to a dusty office HQ desk.

This messy middle moment is fueled by ever-changing customer expectations, dynamic workplace configurations, and  high team turnover. (I started to see these challenges emerge in 2018 and published 3 posts about them here.)

There is a silver lining to this liminal marketing moment….

DEI is a topic whose time has come, yet it’s rife with complexity for marketers, communicators, and leadership teams. During our quarterly Marketing Growth Leaders™ gathering, we discussed the common obstacles CMOs need to avoid with DEI efforts.

The role of marketing leaders in shaping and implementing DEI strategy requires us to be transparent, vulnerable, and open to solutions.

We welcomed special guest Rohit Bhargava, the CEO of The Non-Obvious Company and co-author of Beyond Diversity….

Two years into the pandemic, things still feel heavy. To cope, some professionals have turned to self-medication versus meditation (or other healthy habits).

For many of us marketers, our creative candles have flamed out.

Instead of focusing on discussing the theme, “The Great Resignation,” what if we made 2022 “The Year of PLAY?”

In Episode 51, we explore the connection of PLAY to performance with my colleague, Gary Ware.

You may think I’m glossing over the severity of the pandemic….

For marketing leaders, 2021 was a year to remember—and not repeat! 

Customer expectations shifted rapidly. Some great marketers left their lofty roles to be their own bosses. In fact, recent Labor Department data show that the number of unincorporated self-employed workers has risen by 500,000 since the pandemic. 

Many top team members either resigned or re-tooled, leaving costly gaps.

One of my top clients, for example, had to delay a new product launch valued at $1B because of talent gaps and burned-out teams.  …

When it comes to our careers and our customer relationships, the way we FEEL frames our reality.

Yet there is a “reality paradox” happening in our workplaces.

On the one hand, we are witnessing declining unemployment (now 4.8% in the USA), soaring corporate and consumer spending, and a frenetic hiring pace for marketing and CX professionals. 50% of my clients have either been promoted or changed careers in the past 22 months.

On the other hand, drug overdoses in the USA have surpassed 100,000 this year….

At least half of our marketing clients and community members are actively seeking or being recruited for very financially attractive roles. How can you adapt to the new hiring and recruiting processes without selling your soul?

The dictionary defines “legacy” as leaving an inheritance or property after death. That term is simply outdated.

We need to make an impact while we are alive and vibrant. And I believe that CMOs are not the only leaders who should consider a new approach to living their legacy. Here’s why…

Today, our teams and loved ones no longer expect a clear, predictable, 20 year strategic plan. Those days are over. 

They want to follow courageous leaders with a growth mindset. …

Many people call themselves managers, but the word “manager” has undersold leadership for a very long time. In this episode, I share the screen with Don McGuire, the CMO of Qualcomm. He discusses how to creatively and proactively engage teams in today’s hybrid settings, marketing and connecting effectively with customers and strategic partners in the digital world, and leadership strategies that no longer work.