In the marketing profession whereby there are no guarantees in place that any actions will turn into results, the leaders have to possess certain skills and a specific mind-set to offer their teams a shot at success.
If you are looking for marketing manager jobs, here is a list of what we think are 5 characteristics that any great marketing leader should be demonstrating:
1. Imagination
You can’t be an inspiring marketing leader if you are unable to encourage your team with imaginative ideas and creative thoughts.
For marketing to rise above the consumer landscape of today that is highly saturated, it will often involve taking audiences by surprise. This means looking at things from different angles, or at a minimum to take advantage of creative ideas as they present themselves. A few of the top-rated marketing leaders are not really imaginative yet they have the abilities to inspire and motivate their teams when it comes to arriving at imaginative solutions.
2. A Strategic Mind-Set
The part of any project that is the most important involves planning. The overall quality of the planning processes used determines how the project is executed along with the results. When you are a leader you may be under the impression that you no longer need to plan, and that it is now the job of someone else. This may be true to a certain extent, in the way that you won’t need to write the actual plan, yet it is still important for you to outline and present the goals. If you fail to implement the exact purposes of any project it might mean that your team heads off in a different direction from the one that you envisaged, and they would not be to blame for this approach. When you map out strategies, it provides you with an idea on where to position certain team players in association with their skills and strengths, and to delegate every task accordingly, and this is what great leaders are all about.
3. You Can See Beyond the Results
Marketing might be a creative game but it is also a methodical one. Today, data means a lot, as it will allow you to view where your audiences are, what they consume, and whether you are effective or not when it comes to reaching them. For this reason, it might be tempting to focus only on the results of your project, but then you may lose your sights on the creative processes. Great leaders can look past the results by using data as an insight for future projects. Yet those who focus most of their attention on data may be inclined to predict results that are disappointing as a failure, which can hinder them from the ability to apply and take away any of the positives. This could also make your team feel that they are not working on achieving the goals of the organisation when you as a leader are disregarding their past input.
4. An Inspiring Contacts Book
To become a successful marketing leader, you have to prove that you can do more than just carry your team. Fifty per cent of your role involves the ability to consistently drive and encourage new opportunities, which includes both outside and inside the business. However, the world that we are living in today, people are more interested in connecting with people that they regard as influential and relevant in their industries. This is one of the key factors as to why personal branding is now more popular than ever. Leaders today are aware that they should be showing other marketers who they are, and what they have to say is worthwhile.
5. Knowing When to Delegate
Even the autonomous leaders are well aware that they in some cases need to delegate. You just do not have the time to take ownership of each task, but at the same time, it doesn’t suggest that you provide your team with complete trust in order to perform their roles and tasks without supervision. The best leadership involves the ability to delegate certain tasks, which offers the chance for your team members to shine, while at the same time ensuring that your team members are made to feel that they also have your guidance and support when and if they should need it. This will also free up your time to make sure your team is strong, and to use new faces in the areas that you think may be lacking. At the end of the day, leaders are only great due to the people that they surround themselves with.