When you lead a marketing team, people are going to look for direction about your marketing strategy. That includes your boss, your peers, and your team.
So here’s a tip. Whatever strategy you settle on, be sure not to position it as “your” strategy. You’ll be much better off if you get alignment with the people around you. Let’s look at the key factors you have to consider.
First, you have to be perfectly clear on what is your overall goal? Work with your finance partner to understand the financial objective that you and your team are accountable for. That goal should be tied directly to the company’s financial plan. Make sure that goal meets the SMARTI criteria. Your goal should be specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, time bound, and integrated. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to pin down what you need to do to achieve that goal.
Now, you may be stepping into your new role where the goal’s been set. If you enter the new job in the middle of a business cycle, it’s very common to inherit your predecessor’s goals.
But here’s where you need to be concerned. Sit down with the people who set these goal, and be clear about the assumptions that were made. Make sure you understand each assumption and the data used to support them?
If you find a problem, throw the red flag. If the assumption is not well supported, your colleagues need to acknowledge it. With their help, you may need to revise the assumption or adjust the goal. In other words, don’t inherit goals you can’t achieve.
If the financial goal is well supported with good evidence behind it, then there’s only one thing to do – that is – OWN IT. Say that you’re committed to achieving the goal. Confirm this with your boss, peers, and team members. Here’s why. If you’re committed, they have to be committed to helping you achieve it. The goal you’ve signed up for is not your adversary. It’s your ally. It’s how you remind everyone why you need their support to achieve it.
Setting goals seems scary because it engenders a feeling of accountability. Just the opposite is true. You have to make it so that it creates accountability and responsibility from your support teams. That way, they’ll do their part in supporting you.
I want you to see your marketing goal as your new best friend. Own it, share it, and most of all…deliver it.
