10 Leadership Values from CMOs

In this Marketer Musings/Mashups segment, the following mashup presents marketing leaders sharing the values that they demonstrate to their team and look for in team members. 

Which values do you exemplify as a leader? Which do you prioritize in your organization?

WATCH SOME OF THE MARKETER MUSINGS/Mashups VIDEOS BELOW

#1 - Service Leadership | Melissa M. Proctor, EVP and CMO at State Farm Arena and Atlanta Hawks 

Authenticity. Being an authentic leader who is really looking at how to help others grow and develop servant leadership is really important. If you're not fulfilled and living a life that brings you joy, you're not going to do your best work. 

I think about that for my team and want to ensure that I give them the space they need and the time that they need to be their best so that they can come and do their best work as well.

#2 -  Transparency | Lisa Hake, VP Marketing and Communications at Great Clips Inc.

I'm a very transparent leader. When I don't understand something or a situation and I have an expert on my team who does, I really dig in to try to understand and learn it. The more communication, the more open and honest you are with your team, the more you become a team.

#3 - Love | Jo Ann Herold, Former CMO at Honey Baked Ham Co.

Lead with love. It is how I lead my life, how I coach, how I show up, how I lead a team.

#4 - Team Focused | Angela Johnson, VP of Innovation and Merchandising at Edible Brands 

Individual success - I think it's important for companies to build their culture with a foundation or a process. This could be our leadership process and how we're going to develop you and make you better. 

What made a difference for me as a leader was having mentors who said, “What is going to make Angela successful? Where does Angela need to focus? What are her strengths? What are her weaknesses?” I've had great people who have mentored me and so that's something that I really try to instill in my people. If you do that, it's going to help not only your team, but move the brand forward.

#5 - Collaboration | Joanna Irwin, Global CMO at Randstad

I don't expect that I or any one individual person on my team is going to have all the right answers or the best ideas. I think there's so much power in having community.

#6 - Purpose Driven | Ellen Donahue-Dalton, CMO at VillageMD

I tend to be impatient and even a little relentless. Although that sounds negative...this kind of desire, ambition, and appetite to achieve a big vision is something that's really critical. I'm not sure I could survive in a culture where a big vision wasn't present.

#7 - Vulnerability | Michael Minter, Global Head of Marketing at DC Shoes (a Boardriders Company) 

I always have a policy with every team I ever manage or lead, and that is: you don't get to sh*t on someone else's idea unless you're willing to be vulnerable with one of your own. 

#8 - Respect + Integrity | Lauren Weatherly, SVP Marketing at Azalea Health

Respect is a critical aspect of all relationships. Holding each other to a standard, holding yourself to a standard. Also open-mindedness. Hearing each other and listening. Personal integrity - to be able to stand by what you do, what you believe in. 

#9 - Curiosity | Mark Roberts, CMO at TPx Communications 

I value the willingness to explore and be curious and to promote those kinds of things. I always make sure that there's a certain percentage of the budget that's put away for experimentation. 

#10 - Resilience | Leana Less, VP Global Consumer Marketing at Aveda (an Estée Lauder Company)

I don't get thrown off. If things aren't going well, let's find a solution, let's find a different path. Believe that anything is possible - it's just the path is not always necessarily the way that we've defined it. We need to have the flexibility to pivot. 

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To recap, the values that encapsulate an excellent leader or team are:

1. Service Leadership

2. Transparency

3. Love

4. Team Focused 

5. Collaboration

6. Purpose Driven

7. Vulnerability

8. Respect + Integrity 

9. Curiosity

10. Resilience 

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Marketing is a vast industry made up of people with different backgrounds and insights to share. We love to learn about the experiences that shape the mindsets and action of leaders in the field. 

Check out the journeys marketing executives have taken in our CMO Spotlight series. If you’d like to nominate a prominent CMO to be featured, nominate them here.

For more information on the marketing career path, check out these resources. If you are a marketing leader entering a new role, we’ve built out guides to help you in the first 30-60-90 days. Check them out below!