If I had to sum up my leadership style as a Marketing Consultant in one phrase, it would be part of the tagline of this website you’re on right now – “marketing from the heart”.
A New Paradigm of Leadership for the 21st Century
Jenn Maer, former Design Director at IDEO, recently said,
“We need joy in our workplaces more than ever. Genuine human interaction, playfulness, and fun are important for collaboration and innovative thinking.”
I couldn’t agree more. With the COVID-19 pandemic forever blurring the separation between home and work, as well as systematic issues surrounding us daily such as police brutality, racism, or mass shootings, people need their work environments – and leaders – to be more human than ever.
Unlearning and Relearning
I started off my career doing the opposite of embracing my femininity at the workplace. I entered the workforce in the male-dominated world of sales. To make matters more complicated, I was always younger than my colleagues. This mixture was the perfect breeding ground for building a wall around me, putting up with stuff I definitely shouldn’t have put up with, and acting tougher than I actually was. I felt I needed to “be one of the guys” to fit in and thrive.
What I realized almost a decade later is that, if embraced, the matriarch inside me (and in all females), actually brings something very special to workplaces. It brings perspective, it brings happiness, and it brings profitability:
According to McKinsey, “… companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile.”
The Leader I’ve Become
So what are some things I advocate or do as a Marketing Consultant who has learned to lead from the heart?
- The foundation to my leadership style is creating a sense of belonging and a safe space where vulnerability is okay. I want teams to feel at home and part of a community that is striving for a common goal, and that means sharing struggles and embracing emotion.
- I check in frequently. Whether it’s an ad-hoc check-in because I’ve noticed someone has been a bit off or MIA, periodic regular check-ins, or daily one-word check-ins, it’s important to get a thermometer reading on your team.
- I try to stay away from using words such as “boss”, “employee”, “superior”, and even “manager” when I can. Using these terms sets a precedence for hierarchy and power that is often unnecessary. We are a team, we are teammates, colleagues, leaders, mentors… This small switch can often go a long way in team inclusion and happiness.
- I encourage and facilitate team connection moments, whether it’s inviting the team to lunch, making space on the calendar for a friendly online game, or surprising them with unconventional conversational topics at the beginning of a meeting.
- I empower rather than control. I enable rather than teach. I mentor rather than manage. It’s important that people feel they are in the driver’s seat and making a direct impact.
- I share and encourage others to share personal manifestos that explain their working style, when they are at their best, when they are at their worst, their likes and dislikes, etc.
Ready to empower your marketing team with a 21st century marketing leader? Get in touch with me.