The marketing world is always changing, but the core principles of great leadership stay the same. To help you navigate this evolving landscape, we’ve gathered insights from some of the top CMOs in the business from our featured CMO Spotlight interviews. These ten lessons are just as relevant now as they’ll be in 2025, offering practical advice on leading with impact and staying adaptable in a fast-moving marketplace. 

The following CMO Spotlights featuring Dan Csont, Mika Yamamoto, DeLu Jackson, and Rich Honiball inspired the tips below:

1. Embrace Diverse Experiences

Dan Csont, CMO of Corpay, emphasizes the importance of building a varied career foundation. Early in your career, it’s less about titles and more about gaining a breadth of experiences. This diversity enables marketers to approach challenges with a multifaceted perspective.

2025 Focus: Pursue opportunities that challenge you, even if they don’t align perfectly with your long-term goals.

2. Lead with Integrity + Excellence

Mika Yamamoto of Freshworks reminds us that success is rooted in doing the right thing and continuously raising the bar. Integrity builds trust, and striving for excellence sets your Brand apart.

2025 Focus: Double down on ethical marketing practices and make excellence a non-negotiable standard.

3. Adapt Communication Styles

DeLu Jackson, CMO of ADT, highlights the importance of adapting your communication style to connect with different team members. In an increasingly diverse workplace, flexibility in how you communicate can build stronger relationships.

2025 Focus: Invest in understanding the communication preferences of your team, partners, and customers to foster better collaboration.

4. Foster Empathy

Rich Honiball from NEXCOM believes empathy is essential for effective leadership. When leaders and Brands demonstrate genuine care, they forge deeper connections with their teams and customers.

2025 Focus: Center your messaging and campaigns around customer needs, concerns, and aspirations.

5. Stay Curious

Curiosity isn’t just for kids; it’s a trait that drives innovation. Honiball, and several other leaders, also stressed the importance of curiosity as a tool for exploring new ideas and challenging the status quo.

2025 Focus: Encourage a culture of curiosity in your team. Experimentation leads to discovery.

6. Build Trust and Respect

According to Csont, trust and respect are the cornerstones of effective teams and relationships. Without them, collaboration and loyalty falter.

2025 Focus: Invest in transparent communication and deliver on your Brand promises to earn trust.

Read More - Talk the Talk: Mastering Workplace Communication + Collaboration 

7. Turn Failures into Lessons

Yamamoto advises marketers to believe in themselves, even when things don’t go as planned. Failures are part of the journey and offer invaluable lessons.

2025 Focus: Cultivate a growth mindset. Celebrate learnings from failed experiments as much as you celebrate wins.

8. Encourage Peer Collaboration

Jackson reminds us that leadership isn’t just about directing from the top; it’s about empowering teams to collaborate and learn from one another.

2025 Focus: Build an environment where collaboration thrives, and team members can grow together. Good leaders foster an environment that prioritizes growth, and people want to join teams where they can make a difference and have upward mobility. 

9. Take Calculated Risks

Honiball encourages leaders to venture beyond their comfort zones. Taking risks is essential for innovation.

2025 Focus: Identify areas where bold moves could yield significant rewards. Not every risk will pay off, but the insights gained will be worth it.

10. Commit to Lifelong Learning

Csont views a career as a series of building blocks, each contributing to a lifelong learning journey. Staying curious and adaptable ensures growth and relevance.

2025 Focus: Invest in personal and professional development. Learn new tools, explore emerging trends, and refine your craft.

What Marketers Should Prioritize in 2025

To navigate the dynamic world of 2025, marketers need to focus on these areas:

1. Customer-Centric Marketing: Let empathy and authenticity guide your strategies.

2. Ethical Leadership: Uphold integrity to build trust with teams and consumers.

3. Innovation Through Curiosity: Be open to new ideas, tools, and methodologies.

4. Diversity and Inclusion: Create campaigns that resonate with a broad spectrum of audiences.

5. Data-Driven Decision Making: Use insights to personalize and optimize experiences.

The insights shared by these visionary CMOs serve as a roadmap for what’s next. By adopting these principles, you’ll not only keep pace with industry changes, but also set your Brand apart as a leader in the years to come. 

What will you focus on to make 2025 your most impactful year yet? 

If you want to check out more inspirational interviews, follow our CMO Spotlight Round-up newsletter. If you are a CMO who would like to be featured, apply here!