“The biggest surprise is that our CFO has some good ideas,” noted a startled CMO from a $275mil services company. I held back while others (in our huddle) shared how they managed solicited and unsolicited marketing counsel. What a minefield!

Flipping Unwanted Input Into Opportunity

Biases are blinding.

Of course, some CFOs have good ideas. Just because they have financial expertise doesn’t mean their business acumen is limited to debits and credits. Give them some credit and perhaps they’ll extend you some too in the form of a bigger budget!

But this isn’t a story about idea-rich CFOs.

This is about an often overlooked opportunity disguised as a problem. Your peers probably don’t understand how marketing works having never spent a day in your department. So it would be easy to dismiss their ideas, especially since 93 out of 100 are probably terrible. It would also be overwhelming to respond to all of the unsolicited ideas. And even worse if you implemented the ones that were off strategy.

Let’s navigate this minefield together. It’s not that everyone thinks they’re a marketer. They just think marketing is the fun part of the business. And they want to play, too. So, unsolicited input abounds. Annoying. Irritating. Manageable? You bet.

Marketing is not a democracy. It just needs to feel like one.

Setting Guardrails Without Stifling Creativity

Knowing that everyone in your org thinks they’re marketers is a huge opportunity, not a problem. This is about getting ahead of unsolicited input and driving the process. This starts on your arrival at a new org. Field an employee survey. Not the typical HR survey. A marketing one that taps into their desire to share ideas and benchmarks how employees feel about the brand. 

Next, meet 1:1 with your peers in the C-suite. Establish a shared understanding of what great looks like. Let them know you welcome their input BUT only during your planning windows. Once the marketing plan is locked down, tell them when you’ll be soliciting their input again. This is a two-way process and they will appreciate your restraint when advising them in their area of expertise.

Inviting Ideas Without Derailing Strategy

Go broader. Implement an “innovation day/week.” There are various ways to run these. All have common components. The entire org gets to share ideas that address specific business challenges (the employee can identify the challenge or you can provide a couple). Cross-functional teams work together to come up with solutions. Broad participation is encouraged. Winning ideas are celebrated and in some cases, funded.

By giving employees a forum to contribute ideas, you’re empowering them. You’re letting them play in the sandbox. You’re also building a culture of learning, experimentation, and collaboration. Your “generosity” will be rewarded with more control over your overall strategy and primary tactics.

Final Thoughts

There are an infinite number of ideas. Your job is to define the strategy and focus relentlessly on only the ideas that support it. If those ideas come from your CFO, lucky you!

Written by Drew Neisser