AMA: Atlassian Head of Global ABM & Regional Demand Generation, Helana Zhang on Demand Generation Career Path

Below is a question I commonly ask in leadership interviews: If I were to speak with your manager today, what would he/she/they say are your strengths and biggest opportunities? Similarly, what would your direct reports say? I love this question because it makes candidates reflect for a moment and share a growth opportunity, which naturally doesn't always come up in interviews unless directly asked. However, seeing the POV from a manager versus direct reports is also insightful and spurs interes ...Read More

Always move forward - What I mean by this is don't think that what you're doing today will necessarily get you to where you want to go. Stay on top of what competitors are doing, what the most agile startups are doing, the ever-evolving martech space, and never stop testing, iterating (and at times, failing). This next one isn't specific to demand gen but leadership in general - Be a high-agency optimist. As a leader, and as ICs, you set the tone with those around you. That is a big responsibili ...Read More

First and foremost, do your existing demand gen or demand gen-adjacent role exceptionally well. Bring innovation, novelty, strategic thinking, and measurable impact to the table. Coach and mentor those around you and cross-functionally to exercise leadership skills. Don't forget that everyone has the opportunity to be a leader, even if you're not a formal team manager. Beyond being able to fulfill the core DG-specific responsibilities, effective mentorship, guidance, and team member advocacy are ...Read More

Great question! I have some former Sales team members on my ABM and Demand Gen team today, and at former companies as well. The immediate traits I would work to exhibit are (1) being coachable (2) being curious. There are so many resources out there today, whether structured, digital, or even through AI tools, to learn about demand generation strategy, channels and tactics, as well as measurement. Take advantage of these learning sources and get familiar with how DG teams speak and work, and the ...Read More

There is no better way to get promoted than by showing that you are doing the job, or parts of the job already. When you're operating at the next level, it makes it more undeniable that you should be in the role. To put this into a real-world scenario and to make this more actionable, I'd think about or ask yourself the following: Are you exceeding expectations in your current role? Have you asked about the expectations for the Director role and how they vary from your current role? What additio ...Read More

Do I view AI as a rival to DG? No. Do I view AI as a teammate and accelerator to DG? Yes. In my world today, I am building regional demand gen teams to serve our international markets. AI can help with creating skeleton campaign plans based on internal templates and documentation at Atlassian. AI can help with providing starting points for email or ad copy, but AI doesn't have the context on the Sales team's growth, customer sentiment in region, the anecdotes behind open or closed opportunities ...Read More

As a leader, I consider roadshowing my team as one of my biggest roles and responsibilities. I am constantly thinking about highlighting my team members' wins across and upwards within the organization, but I've found that the key is to be consistent. I don't highlight wins and successes only as we approach promotion cycles, but rather, finding opportunities to do so in forums big and small and making this a part of our team DNA. I can't stress the latter point enough. Make shoutouts, kudos, and ...Read More

This is a good question but I'm going to give a nuanced answer. The reason being the 'Campaign Manager' role may be defined differently at different companies. Here at Atlassian, our Campaign Managers typically have 3+ years of marketing experience and are more focused on campaign and channel execution and measurement as they get started. This means they are taking the strategic plan from a DG Strategist or ABM Strategist, making channel and/or vendor recommendations, working with PMMs on the co ...Read More