I’m pleased to invite you to our private CMO breakfast on September 25 to help you accelerate your career. This is an exclusive gathering in Bethesda, Maryland, hosted by Walker & Dunlop.

You’ll meet Chip Conley, my good friend and fellow author. He is joining us from San Francisco, CA. Chip will share his career and life lessons from his Airbnb experiences. We will also celebrate the launch of his newest book, Wisdom@Work….

This is the second article of a two-part series. To read Part One, click here.

These trends will force us to communicate with external service providers in new ways. Here are my recommendations:…

Stop issuing RFPs to outside firms for your strategic initiatives. RFPs are sales prevention tactics to keep administrative people busy and dehumanize marketing. They may be great for buying coffee service, but not for building your digital presence. Are you going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe millions of dollars with an agency based on price?

As we witness some seismic shifts in the current marketing and agency landscape, I’m concerned about how CMOs are fostering commoditization. 

The Wall Street Journal recently published a special insert which analyzed digital advertising trends. They also shared key findings from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The articles punctuated the tenuous relationship between CMOs and outside services firms. Here are four observations worth considering: …

The field is crowded. Big consulting firms now occupy traditional agency turf.

We are thrilled at all the attendees who will be joining us at CLIC ‘18, October 3-4 in Atlanta. Perhaps you’ve already registered, or you’re still considering attending. This CMO conference is not your typical gathering in a hotel conference room for 1 ½ days. It’s an immersive field trip. We will visit organizations that have developed the “secret sauce” for blending marketing innovation with unforgettable customer experiences: Nanolumens and Atlanta United Football Club.

Here’s a sneak preview to give you an idea of the insights you’ll take away from CLIC from one of our innovation hosts: Karen Robinson Cope, the EVP of Nanolumens….

It’s Independence Day in the United States…although I prefer the term “Interdependence Day.” We cannot thrive without creating unique development opportunities, and collaborating with like-minded leaders and creatives.

When I spend time with leadership luminaries and marketing trendsetters, it’s electrifying. You may be preparing for your own “electrifying experiences” this week…fun food, friends, and fireworks. We are too—except the fireworks will be continuing into the fall months for our community.

If you are experiencing isolation as a marketing leader, or love to learn from some of the world’s top business luminaries, then join us for some of these exciting fall events….

I recently helped a major media company kick-start innovation within their marketing organization. This summarizes our engagement, and may trigger ideas on how we might help you achieve similar results. (For competitive reasons, we are unable to share the name of the organization.)

For decades, this media company cultivated strong print readership with its marketing strategies. But as consumer preferences shifted to mobile and digital platforms, they needed new, multi-channel digital marketing approaches, and a more consistent focus on innovation….

How does a small LED display manufacturer compete and win against likes of LG and Samsung? By making marketing innovation and an intense focus on the customer their number one priority.

I recently learned a new term: liminality. It’s defined as a quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of rituals. In today’s working world, it’s common for people to change jobs over a dozen times in their lives. And some can be significant career shifts, not lateral career moves. Yet many of us rush to the next “new thing,” never allowing us to feel complete and whole with our past.

If each of us can expect to change jobs over a dozen times, and be truly present in our new role, we must embrace that temporary period of liminal life….

In my experience advising CMOs, I listen for whether they have a growth mindset or an output mindset. If they are focused on looking busy and launching loads of programs, their tenure will be short—or they will stay squarely in the “marcom and programs” role. The first people who notice their output behavior will be the CEO and the board of directors.