What made you want to do the work you do? Please share the full story.
I was an English major in college and fell into a career in marketing. I really, like most English majors, wanted to write for a living. So a novelist or for a bit I was thinking about being a journalist. However, as an intern at Nike I was sitting in a meeting and everyone started talking about “the story” of the product and how we were going to craft that message. I had a real “ah-ha” moment in that room. I literally thought — ‘wait
every company is telling stories. I think I’ve found my path’. From there it was a real hands-on experience getting exposure to marketing principles and tactics. I am forever grateful to my first mentor Ed Saunders. Without him, I wouldn’t have made a career as a marketer. He gave me a real-life crash course on how to be a valuable marketing resource.
Tell us 3 surprisingly easy and 3 surprisingly difficult things about your job.
It’s hard to specify the easy and difficult things about my job. But I feel fortunate that our office is close by, so my commute is really easy. In the summer I’ll ride my bike just to squeeze in a bit of additional outdoor time. Also, working at a start-up means no two days are the same. So I’ll come in with a plan of what the business needs for the day and depending on how things are going I might immediately be putting out a few fires or when it all goes right we’ll get right into whatever project we’re managing at the moment. It’s never a dull moment scaling a business and it’s certainly taught me a lot about time management and where to focus my energy daily.
What are the 3 things you like best about your work and why?
1 – Being creative and telling stories.
2 – Connecting dots (I love unraveling the mystery of connecting with customers)
3 – Variety (marketing is ever-evolving and it provides ample opportunity to continue to learn and grow.
What are your greatest 3 skills and how have they helped you succeed?
1 – Talking and learning with people who have made it.
2 – Telling stories and being creative.
3 – Always learning through reading books.
Tell us about a time you were dead wrong about something.
As marketers, we fail all the time. I’ve been certain about a campaign tagline or about a business choice and made wild passionate claims in meetings about the success potential — only to see those fall woefully short. But it’s like getting tabbed to take the shot at the end of a game. You want that ball and you want the opportunity to bring in that victory — it’s why we all do what we do as leaders — we believe in ourselves and have honed key learnings and real-life scars from those failures into a pretty good radar for where success is waiting for the business.
How do you get yourself out of a funk? Please share the details.
I go for a bike ride — alone. I really enjoy getting into the rhythms of cycling and find the meditative state it puts me into creates the space for my brain to process. My wife will confirm — I’m a better husband, Dad, Leader when I have completed a solo bike ride or ski session.
What is a habit you try to stick to and how has it helped you?
I’m all over my kids about outcomes — and they will hate me for sharing this here — but I repeat the well-used phrase “How you do anything is how you do everything”. I’m a firm believer — throughout the day you are going to big great opportunities and small ones. How you engage and focus in on nailing each of those with the same consistency will lead to productivity.
What achievement are you the proudest of and why?
When I accomplish moving my body (some form of exercise), putting in a solid day of moving the business forward, and connecting with my family… that is a rewarding day. That is an achievement already. Whenever that mixture gets out of balance (one way or the other) I tend to get real antsy as that cadence provides the right space for personal and professional expression.
What is your favorite book and why?
I’m pretty lucky that reading comes easily to me — I try to read 2-3 books a week — so honing in on a favorite is tough. Right now, I’m reading a great book by Adam Higgenbotham about the Discovery Shuttle disaster. I knew a bit about space travel but the details he’s providing on a page-by-page basis craft an incredible picture about just how talented everyone (from the astronauts to the engineers) at NASA is. 10 minutes into this book and you quickly get a sense of just how absurd it is we can send humans into space and get them back safe.
What advice would you give to your younger self and why?
Chill the F out and try to enjoy some of what is happening around you.
Who has been your biggest mentor in life (personal or professional) and how have they helped you?
I think I’ve been really lucky in my career to have a handful of managers who have really looked out for me. So I wouldn’t want to hone in on just one. For me, I’ve found I have gravitated to different mentors or confidants as I’ve grown in my career. So what I needed from a mentor when I first got going is drastically different from what I need now as a senior leader. But what has always been consistent — find good smart quality people you can trust and confide in them. It’s been a little shocking to me as I’ve made it further in my career how much self-doubt is sitting within everyone. So that person who you think is fully buttoned up and has it all under control — they probably need someone to talk to just as much as you do.
Just for fun, what is your favorite food?
Pizza. Is there another answer to this question? It should be — pizza is, obviously your favorite food, so what kind is your favorite?