Hiring an executive coach is a personal choice. Use time to build the right set of screening questions during your vetting process.

1. Does this coach have a track record of ensuring that my actions, ambitions and aspirations are aligned with my company’s key goals, vision, and values?
2. Can she point to measurable results from her coaching engagements (versus smile sheets)?
3. Can I rely on her to help me dramatically grow my external and internal networks, or is she isolated from business communities?

Relationships trump hands-on skills as I climb the career ladder. Will she show me a way to reach beyond the “do good work” model, and help me build a dedicated team of stakeholders?

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….

Whether you work for a museum or MarTech company, one thing remains constant: too many marketers still believe that a poor digital or physical experience won’t hurt their brand. 

Just think about how many retailers you recently visited, and how deeply disappointed you felt by the experience. If you’re like me, you probably walked out empty-handed, grabbed your phone, and chose to order online. The online experience was less painful and annoying.

Don’t let this happen to your brand….

Looking back at 2021, career shifting became the norm. Marketing leadership roles are abundant right now.

I’m not surprised–PwC’s 2021 Future of Work survey revealed that 65% of employees are looking for a new job. Also, in 2021, over half of my clients were either promoted or changed jobs.

Landing that new role or promotion can be very energizing. You typically have just 90 days to make your mark as an innovator, not just a doer….

Feeling a bit sluggish as we welcome the new year?

Are you bombarded with inbound requests and priorities?

Catching yourself multitasking to keep up with demands?

You’re not alone.

My top clients are saying the same thing. They secretly wish the holiday break was JUST a bit longer.

In lieu of my normal news approach, I’m going light on the word count this week.

I invite you to take a 2 minute breather and enjoy this Forbes article….

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.  …

The flurry of business activity– market selloffs, marketing planning, and volatile “back to work” policies—are putting a lot of us on edge. 

It’s even worse when you are faced with toxic team members or bosses. 

In this #Newsweek Livestream with Dorie Clark, I provide two steps you can immediately take to create more calm amidst the chaos:

Tell yourself a little mantra: “poise begins with a pause.” Set your clock and pause for one minute before your next big meeting….