“Marketing is the one area that’s working,” said the CEO to a perplexed CMO at a $500 million tech company. Normally, this would be a cause for celebration. But it came with a “keep doing what you’re doing” after the CMO had asked for more responsibility. I offered a sympathetic, “ugh,” and we got to work on a plan. As usual, this conversation sparked questions.

What Did the CEO Mean by the Unusual Perception That Marketing Is Working?

In this particular case, the CMO had been on the job for several years, giving the leader time to build both the brand reputation and a demand generation engine. The company had acquired several companies and the CMO had woven together disparate brands into one brand that is now the recognized category leader. The CMO had also built a strong “performance marketing” team and a metrics dashboard such that the CEO could see the impact marketing had on their revenue pipeline.

What’s the Problem Here?

It’s a fair question since many CMOs would dance on their desks for months after hearing those words from their CEOs. In this particular case, the CMO wanted to make a broader contribution to the organization and didn’t want to be pigeonholed as “just the marketing guy.” Yet, by performing the marketing function really well, that’s exactly what happened.

Is This the End of the Story?

Nope. This CMO is not to be denied. Through a series of carefully crafted conversations, this CMO will identify some “problem areas” the CEO wants fixed. Studying these, the CMO will suggest a plan of attack for 2-3 of them, offering to be the catalyst of change but not seeking an extra title. [Read Impact Players or check out my interview with Liz Wiseman to better understand this approach.]

Could This Scenario Have Been Avoided?

Maybe. When a CMO gets hired, it’s often to fix specific marketing-related problems. If those challenges aren’t addressed, full stop. That said, this is an AND scenario, not an OR situation. As leadership sage Michael Watkins explained recently to a huddle of attentive marketing leaders, “You need to shift from being a specialist to being a leader across the enterprise.”

Watkins offered more specifics:

• Broaden your purview: “Represent your function AND take the enterprise-wide perspective.”
  
• Build alliances: “The more senior levels are about building alliances internally and externally. If you’re really going to have an impact, you need to be very clear about whose support is make or break for you.”
  
• Set the agenda: “You need to move from problem solver to agenda setter (for the entire organization).”
  

If you’re interested in hearing the full interview with Michael Watkins, author of The First 90 Days, mark your calendar for its release on February 28th at https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

Written by Drew Neisser