Effective Leadership in Marketing: Nurturing a High-Performing Team

Leticia Baltayan | Senior Contributor

I discuss a broad spectrum of marketing aspects, encompassing everything from workforce to related strategies.

Let’s talk about leadership. I have often come across this conversation throughout my career, both in the office and more recently in interviews. I know most professionals try to avoid this topic, but I think it's best if we focus on finding solutions to help managers in leadership positions polish their skills which can lead to an increase in their team's performance and help companies reduce the turnover rate.

Managing projects and managing people are two separate things. As a mom of two, I often chuckle at how my management skills would be rated as a mother versus a marketing professional. I must admit my approach is different for both. When managing projects, I often compare them to house chores. I am a downright military mom when it comes to both my personal and professional projects. This is not to say I am a raging mad woman; it simply means that I must keep things organized, or chaos breaks through! Being structured and organized is often overlooked, and I personally feel this is a talent that can only be identified once you start working with other professionals. Again, not to focus on the negative, but let's talk about how we can fix that. Software like Asana, Slack, Basecamp, or Jira is how you can bring accountability and help your team form these healthy, much-needed habits of tracking and setting goals for themselves through these platforms. I once had a conversation with a hiring manager; the question I posed was, “What tools does your office use to communicate across your team?” to which the response was just Google Sheets. I didn’t get specifics or insights on how they leveraged any specific tools. Let me tell you, if you’re a director or manager, you need to have clear communication across your team. I completely understand it's challenging when you wear multiple hats, but it's crucial to set up the team for success and not failure.

The Pitfalls of Micromanagement:

What’s your definition of leadership? If the picture contains “send” and never “receive” feedback, we've got to fix that. I love to speak about how I don’t see a position of power as an opportunity to tell others how to do their job. When you're entrusted with that responsibility, how awesome is it to have the opportunity to impact a person’s life positively, where 20 years later they can have a conversation with others about how you were a huge part of their career growth! Micromanagement is often found in professionals who are not “self-aware”. It’s very possible that they have never been approached about their management style, but as an experienced marketer, it can be identified. If there’s a constant loss of talent in your company, and you look at the performance data and see issues with the output of the team, you must take a close look at how your team is collaborating directly and cross-functionally. Micromanagement hinders creativity, motivation, and pretty much everything related to what is attributed to a team’s performance.

Support Your Team & Maintain Clear Communication

You’ve heard the phrase “throwing them in the pool” or “baptism by fire”. This is one of the many ways you can disengage your team, even if you’re “kidding”; it's not recommended on your journey to harboring synergy in the team.

In an article published by Forbes, it reads:

“Regular check-ins are a valuable management tool, but they pose certain challenges. Managers may struggle to balance frequency and ensure they’re constructive rather than intrusive. Social dynamics can make follow-ups uncomfortable for frontline or newly promoted managers. Furthermore, the absence of a regular cadence may make employees feel policed rather than supported.”

Being a manager or leader doesn’t mean we don’t roll up our sleeves; it means you should always extend yourself to your team and reinforce that they can always reach out for guidance from their overseeing manager. This doesn’t mean they don’t have to do the work or be held accountable, but they do have to trust and have clear communication, and that sure isn’t going to happen if they feel unsupported.

For all the companies out there that say, “we're a family”, no, you’re not; you're more like comrades trying to win a war, which is won only through collaboration, mutual respect, and clear communication—a huge part of operating like an effective team.

These are a few more tactics to reach that goal:

1. Empower Your Team:

   - Emphasize the significance of providing support and resources.

   - Encourage autonomy within the team.

2. Effective Communication:

   - Stress the role of open and transparent communication.

3. Setting Clear Expectations:

   - Discuss the importance of defining roles and responsibilities.

   - Provide tips on how to communicate expectations effectively.

4. Respecting Individual Talents:

   - Highlight the diversity of skills within a marketing team.

   - Encourage leaders to recognize and leverage these talents.

5. Promoting a Positive Work Culture:

   - Discuss the impact of a respectful and inclusive work environment.

   - Plan team-building activities.

Supporting our teams goes beyond titles—it's about active involvement, clear communication, and a commitment to their success. Let's redefine the workplace dynamic as comrades united in a mission, emphasizing collaboration, respect, and transparent communication.

Leadership, characterized by empowerment, clear expectations, respect for individual talents, and a positive work culture, forms the bedrock of success. This continuous journey of refinement ensures a high-performing team and a lasting impact on both professional standing and the lives of those we lead. Together, let's shape a future where marketing leadership embodies inspiration, collaboration, and unparalleled success.

Leticia Baltayan  | Follow me on LinkedIn