To make change happen, shed light on the issue. Measure customer feedback, costs, time wasted – whatever your currency is. Make sure your data is solid. Praise those in the top left corner who are doing well; no need to shame those in the bottom right-hand corner – the chart will do it for you.

Tell people how you got to where you are. Talk about the hurdles. Share your tricks. Give hope. As a leader, the most precious thing you can help others build is confidence. And it’s free.

If you want dissatisfied customers, lock them in.

For breakthrough results, harmony isn’t the recipe. Fighting is. Under one condition: the fight has to be constructive.

Tell customers it’s a middle seat upfront. Then, be generous. Give people a free drink, more air miles, a discount coupon, an extra report, your premium service package. Make the middle seat wider.If people feel good about your middle seat, they may come back. For sure, it’s fair.

Sheryl Sandberg has a point. In her book ‘Lean In’, Facebook’s current COO asks women, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Sandberg is a public role model. Her book has empowered millions of women to step up. To seek and speak the truth. To claim their seat at...

“What’s the point of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)?” I asked Marketing Week readers that question. Why? Well, here is a baffling paradox: Each day, the world’s marketers create billions of cash dollars. Baileys, the Irish cream liqueur, has just had a record year....

Use the power of travel for change. In organizations, get people to meet customers, switch departments, take on cross-functional work. Do the same yourself—and leave your country now and then. That one new perspective, that one new idea, that one new priority that you acquire can make all the difference.

Elvis didn’t invent rock 'n' roll. Steve Jobs didn’t invent the smartphone.* Google didn't invent web search. All three took an idea, twisted it, made it better—and changed the world. People love out-of-the-box ideas. But they pay for what's inside the box. For what...

Reach out to three people who disagree. With your project. With your political perspective. With your moral view. Listen and say: “Thank you.” It’s not about making promises. It’s about genuinely learning what it will take to bridge the gaps.

I've got good news. Until December 1st, our publisher, McGraw-Hill and 800-CEO-READ offer a 40% bulk discount for our marketing leadership book The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader. Here's the deal: for 25+ books, it's 40% off....

To fix marketing’s perception problem, marketers must overcome the fear of forecast, measure what matters, and make selling a purpose again

Many leaders still spend most of their time in the office, but the most important part of their role – creating organizational change – requires face-to-face contact with those outside their department

Want to lure the world’s best talent into marketing? We need to step up the profession’s standing first

Marketers want a positive, do-good brand purpose but if they do harm before doing good, all integrity will be lost and brand purpose will go straight out the window

Agencies, like brands, need consistency. Agencies used to have access to the C-suite within brands but that’s no longer the case. It’s time for agency leaders to step up and rebuild agency C-suite relevance again

Facebook’s current data woes point to a bigger challenge: leaders must stop delegating responsibility and take charge of marketing communication again (from my Marketing Week column).

The recent #MeToo campaign is a reminder of the important role we all have as leaders: building confidence.

When marketers fail, both they and their organizations suffer. Yet many marketing officers still haven’t built the key foundation for success: alignment with the CEO. That’s perplexing.

Have you ever experienced reduced budgets, a loss of career momentum, or a lack of traction in your company? If so, you could be at risk of a serious career disease

What a Super Bowl night! In the end, it was a hard-fought victory for the Eagles. Off the field, another battle raged on between Budweiser, Coke, Kia, Pepsi, Squarespace, P&G, and many others: the nation’s top brands fought for customers’ attention. But after the dust settles, many CEOs, CFOs and shareholders will ask: Was it worth it? Can I trust my marketers? This year, again, they’re short of good answers.

Success in a customer-facing role is all about mobilizing two groups of people that most leaders overlook: their bosses and their colleagues.

The digital future is bright—but it’s complex and it nags on executives’ confidence. The new currency of expertise is having an overview

The best marketers are masters of branding, pricing and communication. But pulling off a great marketing career is a whole other story ​

Unless executives step up and take the lead, great customer experiences will remain a corporate fantasy.

Many executives are keen to inspire customers. But to actualize great customer experiences, inspiring the organisation may just be as important.

The best marketing strategy will go nowhere if leaders can’t convince colleagues about the right course of action. Some time ago, a CMO asked me to assess his global team’s capabilities. After two years and a six-figure training investment, marketing – in the eyes of...

Too many executives ask for promotion based on tenure or their employer’s generosity. A better approach is to help solve a real company problem.

How to mobilize colleagues for large-scale change—especially if that change might be seen as unpopular?  Use your secret weapon: “Listen, Decide, Communicate” or "LDC".Let’s examine each step of LDC separately. Listen First, seek out the key people who’ll be...