How can marketers overcome office politics to construct cross-organization relationships needed to do their jobs? That was the subject discussed by marketing leaders on the keynote for Day 2 of The MarTech Conference.
“For marketing leaders, office politics can thwart collaboration, undermine authority and stop the adoption of a singular strategy,” said Drew Neisser, founding father of CMO Huddles, who moderated the conversation, which included three achieved marketing leaders.
Dealing with politics in a corporation
“I imagine politics exists in all places — they’re inevitable,” said Marni Puente, SVP/CMO for Fortune 500 government contractor SAIC. “So, it’s not a lot about eliminating the politics, it’s about navigating.”
Puente suggested finding commonalities with leaders within the C-suite and across the business. Above all, establish trust, which is the premise of any working relationship.
Also, it doesn’t hurt to apply a few of your marketing skills to understanding and connecting with stakeholders within the business.
“As marketers, we actually have a leg up by way of constructing relationships with key stakeholders — whether with the board, C-suite, direct reports or peers,” said Puente. “And a part of that’s because a lot of what we do is our customers or our clients, and applying the identical principles we apply once we take into consideration our buyers and mapping out that buyer persona. Really understanding what motivates them. What are their pain points? What are their needs?”
Understanding people’s motivations helps marketers overcome the organization’s politics and construct solid relationships with those key stakeholders.
Dig deeper: How to secure leadership buy-in for digital marketing intiatives
Show that you simply understand the business
One of the very best ways to construct trust as a marketer is to show that you simply understand the business. Show that marketing is an able partner in necessary business decisions.
“I feel it’s really necessary to be certain you might be very clear that you simply understand the business…and you could bring unique value from a marketing lens,” said Karen Feldman, VP marketing and communications at IBM Consulting.
This means the marketer on the table is ready to provide data-driven answers to questions from other leaders within the organization.
“I do find there’s nothing higher than bringing the facts and bringing fresh considering that other leaders won’t have on their minds,” Feldman said.
Not only is the considering fresh and fact-based, but it surely’s aligned with business priorities established by other leaders within the business. A successful working relationship makes clear that marketing understands and shares those priorities.
Being a cross-functional team member
Being a powerful marketing leader means being a member of a cross-functional team.
Sure, marketing leaders work with their marketing team to perform marketing functions. But in addition they have to construct relationships with leaders of the opposite teams. And those leaders, together with the marketing leader, make up a team, too.
“I actually have all the time found that if I can’t get my cross-functional stakeholders and partners onboard with an idea or a campaign or an initiative, nothing’s going to get done,” said Trinh Tham, founding father of Straatt Business Reimagined.
Also, don’t underestimate the importance of communication along with your team members.
“Make sure that you simply’re not only asking questions yourself, but that you simply’re opening yourself up to questions, opening yourself up for dialogue,” said Tham. “As long as everyone has a typical understanding of the objectives, and that open line of communication, I’ve found that to be necessary.”
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