Is a demand gen career path a good way to go if you want to be a CMO someday?

I would love to be a CMO one day, and I do think owning the Demand Generation function is a good way to get there. 

Here are some of the strengths that I have seen from the CMOs I have respected the most:

1) Being close to the numbers - even if you aren't the one owning the direct number, a great CMO will understand what is happening in their pipeline so they can communicatr with sales. 

2) Leading by example - good people want to work for other good people. A CMO who leads by example will be able to build a good team with people who help build each other up. 

3) Get creative with tech stack and tactics - successful CMOs are looking at how their tech stack helps them reach their goals and aren't afraid to switch it up.

I don't know about you, but to me those are all skills Demand Gen leaders should have which translate directly into being a CMO ;)

Absolutely! I think every CMO has their core strength, and usually builds their team around the expertise they need to get the job done. I've worked with brand-focused CMOs, demand-focused CMOs and product-focused CMOs. Each brings unique leadership ability to the table, and their strengths are usually intentionally sought out by the executive teams that bring them on. A larger company might not need growth as much, and might need a strong PR strategy - they might seek out a brand CMO. Series A company looking for pipeline and rapid growth? Demand CMO. Have a mature product and trying to improve pricing and packaging? Product CMO is probably the best fit.

I’m not a CMO but there are a few backgrounds I see consistently showing up in top CMOs. Two I see often are a background in product marketing or demand generation. Demand generation is a solid foundational skill set for understanding marketing, but if you aspire to be a CMO one day, you’ll want to push the boundaries of your knowledge. Perhaps doing a rotation in an area of marketing you don’t know much about if your in demand generation consider field or product marketing. Folks with well-rounded skillsets will be the ones who are able to truly lead a department well and represent its efforts to the broader organization.

I absolutely believe that a demand gen career is a solid path to becoming a CMO. I too am taking this path. :)

While CMOs come from a variety of backgrounds outside of and including demand gen, it is very much a part of the mix. Demand gen is focused on measurable impact and growth. This is flexible by nature and a critical skill set. It has been my experience that if a CMO does not have a demand gen background, the person oftentimes has to have a support team that is strong in this skill set.

You too should feel empowered if you are taking this path!