Work with Alec
Coaching for Your First Major Marketing Leadership Role
You have more responsibility than you had before. More people are looking to you for answers. More decisions have consequences beyond your own work.
This coaching is designed for first-time marketing leaders who want to learn from someone who has been in your shoes as they process their thinking and continue to grow in the role.
There are many reasons you might be looking at this type of coaching.
As a first-time VP, Head, or Director of Marketing, or a senior-level marketer who has taken on greater responsibilities, you will find yourself accountable for more than just producing quality marketing work.
What We Work On
My coaching is not one-size-fits-all. It’s tailored to your needs, but some examples may include the following:
Developing positive working relationships with sales, finance, and other C-suite executives
How to clearly communicate your marketing objectives to CEOs, CFOs, or board members
Managing change (growth or uncertainty) within the marketing team as the leader
Where and how to prioritize when the marketing team is overworked
Recognizing and obtaining better control of aspects of marketing that you don’t fully own.
Dealing with a difficult conversation with a colleague or subordinate.
Understanding the interplay of leadership roles and internal politics surrounding a specific business decision.
Preparation for key meetings, presentations, or decisions.
Working through the concerns that are hard to raise with people inside the company
Each week we will either fully explore the current issue and resolve it, or take a step back and examine the patterns of behavior that created multiple similar issues.
The Engagement
Coaching runs for six months.
We meet every week for an hour via video call.
Our weekly 1-hour calls give us enough time to build confidence with each other, stay close to what is happening at work, and work through any issues or concerns you’re experiencing together.
You will have the opportunity to communicate with me via email between our scheduled calls if there is something that needs immediate attention.
Our sessions are confidential.
This is a place to bring the questions, frustrations, decisions, and concerns you may not want to process inside the company.
How We Get Started
We begin with a conversation about your role and the business around it.
I will want to understand from your perspective:
1
Your past career experience, your future career path plans, and the current role you have stepped into
2
The company you are leading marketing for, their growth stage, goals, and current marketing challenges
3
Who you report to and who sits on the leadership team
4
The relationships within the organization that matter most to your career and marketing goals’ success
5
The areas of your marketing leadership where you feel strong
6
The areas of your marketing leadership where you feel less prepared or are carrying the most pressure
That first work gives us a useful picture of where you are starting from. From there, we decide what deserves attention first.
What You Will Get From the Work
Over the course of the engagement, clients tend to become more settled in the role.
They have a better grasp of the business and the people around them.
They communicate more effectively with senior leaders.
They are more prepared for difficult conversations and less likely to let manageable issues become larger ones.
Just as important, they have a trusted place to work through the moments that come with leading at a higher level.
You are still responsible for your decisions and will still be leading the team.
You will simply have someone in your corner who understands the job, can help you see the wider picture, and will be honest with you when a situation deserves a closer look.
Is This a Fit?
This work is a good fit if you are stepping into a larger marketing leadership role and want thoughtful, one-on-one support as you grow into it.
It is especially useful if you have the responsibility but do not yet have a trusted person outside the company to talk through the harder parts of the role with.
If that sounds like where you are, book a conversation. We can talk about your role, what is creating the most pressure right now, and whether coaching would be useful.