Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog

Among the most essential qualities, a CMO must be:

• A visionary & thought leader
• Strong business driver
• Ability to secure executive support and foster cross functional relationships
• Customer centric
• Competitive strategy guru
• Brand advocate and champion
• Digital savvy

CMO Council members also voted for attributes that are detrimental to success. They include being out of touch with customer's needs, a lack of accountability, a failure to execute or follow-through with strategy, neglecting quantifiable ROI and being a poor leader with a siloed mentality.

My take on this list can be summed up in one word: Yawn.

Frankly, I'm not surprised by any of these findings. In fact, I would say these qualities are very broad and can be applied to almost any leader. I don't think any aspiring CMO is going to see this list as an eye-opener for how to make it in today's business world.

From my experience working with marketing management at different companies, I've got a few suggestions to add to the CMO Council's list. If you want to be a good marketer, the first thing a CMO needs to do is balance art with science. Companies are looking for creativity, but also accountability from their marketing leaders. Learn what tools are out there to measure success, and figure out how to measure and manage the creative side as well. But don't let metrics get in the way of that creativity.

Second, I think that in this day and age CMOs need to be open to try new ideas and keep on top of what their customers are doing. This may mean trying new social media online tools, or getting back to basics. Go visit your customers. Get out of the office. Use your product or go through the purchase process. It's different for every company, but it's got to be the CMO that stays in tune. Don't do Twitter just because everyone else is. Don't cut back on direct mail if it's what your customers want. Figure out where your customers are and what they're doing. Don't assume you know from one day to the next. Customers change very fast.

Finally, to me a good CMO is someone who doesn't just lead, but collaborates. This should be with senior management, subordinates, and customers themselves. Get out of the hierarchy mentality and let things happen with the people around you. Create an environment where ideas flow freely up and down the organizational chart. The CFO certainly isn't going to step up and do it, so it's the job of the CMO to make sure that this sort of culture is encouraged. It's where the future of business is going.

What did I miss? How am I wrong? I want to hear from you. What do you think makes a good CMO? What makes a bad one?