(2019-11-25) Im A Great Director Of Marketing Why Am I Not A Vp

Martina Lauchengco: I’m a great director of marketing. Why am I not a VP? Years ago, I watched a talented director of marketing take a high-profile startup from stealth to launch to millions in revenue

She went to her CEO and asked why, despite a long list of marketing accomplishments, she wasn’t a vice president? His answer was, “I’m sorry, but you’re just not quite ready.”

That director was me. And that CEO was Ben Horowitz.

I’m sharing what I wish Ben had told me then.

Strap in. The work might be different than you think.

Stop focusing on marketing excellence.

A VP must create connective tissue between people and functions, providing an environment where people are inspired and can grow. If your outlook on marketing excellence is still about what you’ve directed and not what you’ve created structurally for your team to be excellent, you’ve got work to do.

The company > team.

at higher levels of leadership, the “we” needs to be cross-functional. Are you defining excellence within the company’s broader goals and multiple functions’ abilities to succeed?

Redirect to “why” versus “what.”

helping the organization understand the why. This work is hard because there is no reward for it, nor is anyone asking you to do it. But it is what ultimately makes the rest of the company feel like the function is being led versus just being done. (strategic context)

Don’t be an expert, be open.