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Throughout my career spanning corporate marketing, entrepreneurship and advertising, I've seen the role of the CMO undergo a dramatic transformation. Organizations are tapping into our unique blend of left- and right-brain capabilities to add value to the enterprise in unexpected ways.
No longer confined to the traditional advertising and brand management boundaries, the modern CMO must become a "Master Builder" — an architect of cross-organizational communication and value creation.
This requires breaking free from the marketing silo and embracing a more integrated, influential position within our organizations.
The builder mindset
The "builder" approach in marketing goes far beyond constructing campaigns and strategies. It recognizes that a marketer's true value is unlocked outside their departmental sandbox. In other words, to be truly transformational, we must identify the critical organizational processes that have the greatest impact on business strategy and get directly involved. These could be operational workflows, customer experience practices or new product engineering.
Moreover, a master builder knows that value creation is ultimately driven by the organization's intangible assets, namely talent and technology. Therefore, marketers maximize their impact by directly influencing these areas. We must become internal thought leaders with clear lines of sight across the matrix. However, this can only be achieved through extensive organizational integration. In fact, I would argue that a brand's success requires marketing to be the most integrated team in the entire company – a practice I call hyper-integration.
Related: Are You a Builder, Accelerator or Fixer?
Enabling hyper integration
Therefore, my first requirement for a master builder is hyper integration, something that should be hardwired into your departmental culture and practices. Here are some recommendations for enabling these qualities in your team development:
- Coach your marketing team to be organizational influencers and thought leaders. Encourage them to volunteer routinely to participate in cross-functional initiatives.
- Set the expectation that director-level marketers should be skilled at leading cross-functional initiatives, not just participating in them. It's our job to get them there if they're not there yet.
- Create an open marketing environment. Everyone should be allowed in the marketing sandbox to offer opinions or partner with us. This sends a message of accountability to the organization.
- Structure marketing initiatives in the context of organizational objectives. Your team must learn to frame their projects based on how they add value to the company and advance the greater strategy.
- Provide opportunities for your marketing team to speak in front of the executive team. This showcases their talents and trains them on how to persuade and advocate effectively.
- Design your meeting structure to foster growth and engagement. Hold weekly meetings with broad status updates and deep dives into specific topics presented by team members. Incorporate team-building activities regularly.
- Ensure everyone contributes to your marketing meetings. There are no free rides. Find ways for each team member to add value, even putting junior marketers in challenging positions to help them grow.
- Keep energy and informality high. Much like a championship football team, you don't want them playing tight. Reduce the power distance and treat marketing as a lab for value creation.
Related: The Next Level of Business Integration Is Here, and It's Called Hypertasking
Chief dot connector
Have you ever noticed a peer sitting silently in a meeting despite not properly understanding the discussion? In my experience, this can be attributable to multitasking or simply a fear of appearing ignorant. Regardless, it's a productivity killer for value creation, as the meeting sponsor is denied the critical information they need for successful execution. Hence, my second requirement for a master builder is what I call "Chief Dot Connector," a chronically neglected role in most organizations today.
A builder knows they must leverage their versatility and unique perspective to bridge communication gaps across departments. Sometimes senior executives aren't versed enough in the details; sometimes junior-level employees don't fully understand the strategic context.
No matter the cause, we must frame the dialog in such a way that it fully penetrates the room. Sometimes this requires asking the "dumb" questions to ensure all consequences and implications are fully understood and reconciled. A builder never leaves the meeting until all dots are properly connected, full participation takes place and alignment is achieved.
Related: What Type of Connector Are You? Here's Why It Matters to Your Business
Laying the groundwork
One of the biggest challenges for today's CMO is balancing the need for marketing accountability and ROI with the creative, less tangible aspects of brand building. That's why my third requirement for a master builder is laying the proper groundwork through transparency and communication. Simply put, if the organization understands what we're proposing and why, they're more likely to offer the freedom and flexibility to pursue the more artful, less quantifiable aspects of marketing.
To ensure this understanding, we must frame our projects within the context of organizational objectives that have already gained alignment. We should also set clear expectations for how we'll measure the success of our projects and always close the loop with peers after the fact. Furthermore, if we fall short of those expectations, it's crucial not to run from the results. The master builder always assumes ultimate accountability, which includes sharing the lessons learned for next time. This approach builds trust and credibility, allowing for more latitude for future value-creation initiatives.
Related: 8 Critical Things Entrepreneurs Often Overlook When Starting a Company
Building a beehive
As AI and other technologies reshape marketing, the role of the CMO will continue to evolve. In the next 3-5 years, it will be impossible for most organizations to staff all the subject matter experts required for modern marketing.
That's why my last requirement for a master builder is to nurture a personal "beehive" of freelancers and subcontractors who can be called upon to help execute the game plan. This means we need to become masters of multi-organizational integration, with plug-and-play outside experts who are agile enough to move quickly when called upon and a core team of marketers who are versatile enough to stitch them into projects on a case-by-case basis.
The future belongs to those who can build bridges, connect dots, and architect success across all facets of the business. The master builder is the keeper of the strategic blueprint, possessing the intellectual and practical dexterity to forge connections with a wide range of teams inside and outside the organization.
Look for CMOs to get more involved in technology advancements, customer experience and culture development, which is where so much value creation takes place in the enterprise. By breaking out of the marketing silo, we'll be free to drive value creation across the entire organization, unlocking marketing's full potential and becoming indispensable leaders in our companies.
Are you ready to become a master builder?
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