About
COLUMN
10.
CASE STUDY
Value You Can Feel: How The Primestone Group’s Core Values Shape the Client Experience
11.
CASE STUDY
When Values Impart Value: How Culture Creates a Competitive Edge at Lowe Engineers
Share:
By Christine Larsen, MBA, CPSM
FEATURE
Often marketing professionals are behind the scenes, working to make others shine. While showcasing your firm’s value is a full-time job, marketers should also take time to effectively communicate the value they bring to their firms and map a path to individual professional success.
Like many others, as I was isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic, I ruminated on my career. Humility is one of my deeply held values, and it has enabled me to listen with compassion, collaborate effectively, and build trust. On deeper reflection (while taking many, many pandemic walks), I realized that my humble demeanor could be viewed as a lack of confidence, limiting my potential to be perceived as a leader.
With support from my firm, in 2022 I enrolled in an executive MBA program and dove into the extensive literature on leadership and executive presence. These five key learnings helped me present myself as not just a competent marketer, but also as a firm leader.
Build on Strengths Rather Than Correcting Weaknesses
We all have strengths. Whether it’s graphic design, clarifying complexity, copyediting, or connecting ideas, we all bring specific talents to our role. Tapping into what we’re good at is energizing and engaging. To maximize professional development efforts, focus on areas of strength rather than correcting weaknesses. The impact of your efforts will be amplified.
Research shows that professionals who leverage their strengths experience greater goal attainment and well-being, and organizations benefit through increased profitability and employee engagement.
If you’re unsure of your strengths, ask the people around you or consider an assessment like Gallup CliftonStrengths, which generates a personalized report and strengths-based development resources.
One of the reasons I was originally attracted to a graduate degree in business was to address my lack of accounting acumen. The coursework demystified finance and helped me understand valuation, but ultimately its greatest impact was to my confidence. While I can now decode financial statements, as a leader I’ll delegate accounting to someone with that strength.
The coursework demystified finance and helped me understand valuation, but ultimately its greatest impact was to my confidence.”
Establish and Track Metrics
Architects and engineers often follow clear-cut career paths with prescribed education and licensing requirements. Marketing professionals, however, come from diverse backgrounds and often have fluid career trajectories. While this can create opportunities, it can also lead to uncertainty.
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” is often attributed to Peter Drucker, an unavoidable name in management literature. Outlining professional goals with intention and measuring progress toward them is a way to stay accountable to your career goals and demonstrate value to your firm. Be diligent about tracking the key performance indicators that are appropriate to your role and department, whether it’s number of proposals, thought leadership articles, social media posts, or photo shoots.
A valuable exercise I encountered during my MBA program was creating a “future resume.” The assignment forced me to visualize where I wanted to be in five years and identify the necessary qualifications to get there. After listing CPSM on my future resume, I committed to studying for the exam and made it a reality.
Reject “Imposter Syndrome”
Trying something new or taking on a stretch role doesn’t make you an imposter; it means you’re growing. The term “imposter syndrome,” with its undertones of fraud and pathology, suggests that individuals need to be “cured” of their self-doubt. Self-doubt is a natural—and humble—reaction to increased responsibility, not an illness.
Confidence is not the same as competence. Remember, the “con” in “con man” refers to confidence. While confidence can be persuasive, it can also stifle collaboration and idea-sharing. Instead of viewing self-doubt as a weakness, reframe it as a strength—one that fosters listening, learning, and idea generation.
Often marketers serve as translators between technical teams and general audiences. Chances are, if you are struggling to understand a technical message, it won’t resonate with a general audience either. Being upfront about not understanding technical details allows us to draw out the essential ideas and forces technical staff to articulate their contributions in language that client decision-makers understand.
Make Your Contributions Explicit
I believe in the power of leading by example. A mentor once advised me, “You don’t have to point out a dirty glass; just put a clean one next to it.” While this is sound advice, in today’s fast-paced business environment, a clean glass can go unnoticed.
Instead of assuming your contributions will be recognized, articulate them clearly and repeatedly. That might take the form of a comment during a leadership meeting, or formal documentation like a short report on the impact of a campaign. To combat my humble tendency to underplay my contributions, I draft and practice sentences that articulate the value of my work. Putting my role and value down on paper makes it easier to vocalize later. As an example, I might say, “The marketing department is responsible for translating our firm’s work into messages that resonate with talent and clients. We repackaged our sustainability action plan for a general audience, shared it on our website, and amplified it on social media. According to Google Analytics, traffic to our sustainability webpage increased by 35%.” By drafting language in advance, I’m more prepared to emphasize my value clearly.
As marketers we know messages need to be repeated to be heard, and that applies to interpersonal communication as well. Resist the assumption that saying it once means someone internalized it. Reiterate your contributions across different audiences and platforms. Think of it as a marketing campaign.
You don’t have to point out a dirty glass; just put a clean one next to it.”
Embrace Life-Long Learning
Humility signals an openness to learning—an invaluable trait in leaders and a necessity in today’s dynamic workplace. Staying informed on industry trends and monitoring competitors is essential for marketing success, and the same approach applies to personal career development.
My MBA coursework spanned topics from supply chain to negotiation, but more important than the knowledge I absorbed was the openness to learning I cultivated. Academia fosters an expectation of listening, questioning, and evolving perspectives. Applying this same openness in the workplace enables professionals to expand their thinking and embrace innovation.
The Power of Humble Leadership
Throughout the two-year program, my firm provided invaluable mentorship and created an environment where I could experiment, grow, and build confidence. I graduated with both an MBA and a promotion, validating the choice to invest in my leadership skills without compromising my values.
Leadership is not about abandoning humility but rather embracing it as a strength. By applying these lessons, marketers can position themselves as vital firm leaders. Champion the idea that humility and leadership are not oppositional cross-currents; they are powerful, complementary forces that can be harnessed to propel your career forward.
Sources
Bartie, W. (2024). EMBA fireside chat [Lecture]. Villanova University, Villanova, PA.
Kantrow, A. (2009, November 1). Why read Peter Drucker? Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2009/11/why-read-peter-drucker
Linley, P. A., Nielsen, K. M., Gillett, R., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). Using signature strengths in pursuit of goals: Effects on goal progress, need satisfaction, and well-being, and implications for coaching. International Coaching Psychology Review, 5(1), 6-15.
Meyers, M. C., van Woerkom, M., & Bauwens, R. (2023). Stronger together: A multilevel study of collective strengths use and team performance. Journal of Business Research, 159, 107050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113728
Suarez, J. G. (2023). Leadership through systems thinking [Lecture]. Villanova University, Villanova, PA.
Christine Larsen, MBA, CPSM is an Associate Principal and Director of Marketing at Ballinger, an integrated design practice in Philadelphia. As a graphic designer and marketing leader, she has propelled Ballinger’s brand strategy and helped secure prestigious architectural and engineering commissions throughout the United States. She is a committee member and former board director at the Community Design Collaborative, a Philadelphia non-profit that supports equitable and resilient neighborhoods.
Connect on Linkedin