Influential leaders are associated with profitable revenue. Too many executives aren’t. They’re missing out. Time to get into the revenue camp.
Profitable growth (the sustainable kind) is high on every CEO’s mind. In fact, next to strategy and organization, sustainable growth is most likely the number-one agenda item. That’s why leaders, who strive for internal influence, must side with the revenue camp—or else.
A cost center isn’t a good place to be. Because what will clever CEOs do with a cost camp? Reduce it.
In working with more than one hundred CMOs and CEOs for our book The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader, we identified a number of levers that executives can pull to in order to move into the revenue camp. Among other things, they must do the following:
Tackle only the big issues. Leaders must find ways to make their work relevant for both customers and the CEO. Only when both conditions are met can leaders get into the revenue camp.
Deliver returns, no matter what. Some things in business can’t be measured—but most can. Even if leaders see the evidence of their revenue success, others may not. It’s important for leaders to share how their work drives revenue.
Make the work transparent. Many successful leaders use simple models to demonstrate the link between their work and the resulting revenue or profit. These models tend to oversimplify things, true. But they can be extremely powerful for internal communication—especially if they’ve been developed in cooperation with finance.
Keep the language close to the revenue line. Perception is reality. If leaders talk revenue, resisting expert jargon, they’ll be more likely to be associated with revenue.
As a leader, if you want a seat at the top table, make sure you side with the revenue camp!
Source: The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader, Barta/Barwise
