How did you approach building enough depth in marketing areas you didn't have as much experience in? And is that necessary to do pre-CMO role, or is it something you can hire a strong complement for once you're in role and then learn as you go? As a specific example, coming up through brand & product marketing, how much demand gen expertise would you recommend building (pre-CMO role) and what's the best way to do that?

It depends on the company that you’re working at. The idea of a CMO as an expert in all of the domains (brand, demand gen, pmm) is unrealistic. I do not think that there is an expectation that you are great at all of these things. I think you have to have a broad view of marketing, be a tough judge of talent, have experience hiring really great people, and have the right mix of quantitative and qualitative skills. You have to be good at both paying attention to win/close rates and being very analytical (numbers based), while also paying attention to the narrative. (How are you from a storytelling perspective and what is resonating?)

I think you have to be good at one of these things, but not all of them. And also, it’s important that you’ve built good relationships with others who you can pull in to cover the things that are not your strong suits. Hire people to supplement the areas where you are not as strong. 

So, the simple truth is no one can be an expert across all disciplines of Marketing. Is it necessary to have direct experience across disciplines, say Demand Gen? No. Is it helpful? Yes.

I believe there are two ways to gain valuable experience, direct and indirect involvement. Say your core competency is Product Marketing, but you want to get experience in Demand Generation or Comms. You can either get way outside of your comfort zone and ask to take on a new role in that specific discipline. Not all companies or leaders will go for this, but it is an incredible learning opportunity if you get the chance. Just admit what you don’t know, ask tons of questions from your internal and external peers. Realize you will make mistakes, but learn. 

I just had a campaign Marketer move into a PMM role. She is doing fantastic work. The benefit was she understood our product, culture, and audience. We have a strong leader who was willing to mentor her and give her a shot. 

The second way is more indirect. Build a strong relationship with your peer and be honest around what you are trying to learn. Be an observer in meetings that you would not normally attend. Absorb content and best practices as so much is free. Be honest with your leadership that this is an area of growth for you and ask for help and visibility in this area. Even raise your hand for a stretch assignment to gain experience in a low risk way. 

And once you become CMO, hire incredible people and get out of their way. Be transparent with them and learn from them. If you pretend to be an expert at everything, your team will know and see pretty quickly that you are outside of your depth, and you lose credibility on that front. 

When I took on the CMO role, I didn't know anything about PR or Comms. But I had strong leaders that I trusted. And I hired a great demand gen leader that I worked with before. I was transparent and let them lead.