Why CMO Recruiters Are Seeing More Companies Use “Shared” Leadership

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As CMO recruiters, we understand how difficult it is to abruptly change your marketing strategy to align with the market today. Having to rethink and recalibrate how your team executes marketing efforts plays a crucial role in how quickly you can reach your goals.

However, your top priority beforehand should be on advancing and creating an effective marketing team. Without the needed resources or players, it could lead to miscommunication or delay the process as a whole. All of which can be detrimental to your marketing efforts.

A great method for all marketing executive leaders to consider is shared leadership. The need for dynamic flexibility and a broad base of knowledge and expertise is greater than ever. By combining each member’s ideas, thoughts, and inputs, you can create a better and more effective marketing strategy. Therefore, as the leading chief marketing officer executive search firm, we are sharing how top marketing executives are implementing shared leadership into their daily operations.

Why Chief Marketing Officer Executive Search Firm Is Seeing More Executives Use “Shared” Leadership:

While shared leadership may sound like common sense. It is not the act of appointing multiple leaders within your team. It refers to team members periodically exhibiting some “leadership behaviors” to help the team, such as coaching a teammate or holding someone accountable. The goal is to encourage each team member to act and present themselves as leaders without your presence.

According to Harvard Business Review, shared leadership leads to better organizational performance. It is more than delegations. It helps the team share a sense of purpose and responsibility for the overall leadership of the company. When individuals feel they have an impact on the organization, it gives them more motivation and desire to achieve success.

However, as CMO recruiters, we have noticed one common obstacle. A culture of shared leadership is hard to implement and control. While the idea is often welcomed in most companies, you have to properly administer the modern approach to achieve great results.

One of the hardest parts of implementing shared leadership is the daily functioning of a team member to a team member. Individuals may be reluctant to accept or exercise the authority to hold each other accountable. The worst-case scenario is your team members will form sub-groups and only communicate with individuals they are already familiar with while ignoring others. Not only does this create a dysfunctional team but causes more stress for your team members from day-to-day.

The best solution CMO recruiters recommend is to continue one-on-one communication as well as team meetings. You need to communicate your expectations and how each member can contribute. More often than not, implementing shared leadership will inevitably change relationships within your team. By continuing to be available, present, and transparent, you encourage team members to communicate the flaws in the new approach.

At the end of the day, new leadership styles are not one-size-fits-all. There will be individuals who take advantage of the benefits, dislike the method, or simply continue with the old approach.

As marketing executives, it is your responsibility to adjust or tweak the method to fit your company’s culture and environment better. The most damaging response you can have is implementing a new leadership strategy, dismissing the problems, and hoping your team will adapt to the changes in time.

Conclusion

With the proper tools and a great marketing team, you can ensure your new modern leadership method will be incorporated smoothly. This is your chance to build a more effective and efficient marketing team to gain more market share.

However, if you feel your organization has and will continue to be static, consider reaching out to the leading chief marketing officer executive search firm to understand other opportunities available based on your skills, interest, and career goals.

Author:  Melissa Van Rossum