Whether you just accepted the role of CMO or successfully survived a merger/acquisition and are transitioning into a marketing leadership role, congratulations! But before you go popping that champagne, there is probably one big elephant in the room we must address: what should you do about your inherited marketing team?
Assuming any new leadership position has its challenges. For some reason, they always seem to double when they’re marketing-related. From making sense of what was happening before to navigating new personalities, you certainly have your work cut out for you! And according to some experts, your first 100 days in a new position is a unique window of opportunity before you become fully entrenched in the demands of the role.
Luckily, our team has assisted during many such transitions. Below, we’re sharing a six-point plan to help you take the marketing team (and existing assets) you have, and make the most of your new role.
1. Set out to lead with vision and empathy
When you are a newly hired leader, your job starts before your day one. As soon as you accept your new role, we recommend asking yourself the following questions:
- How do you want to show up as the leader of the new team?
- Do you have a philosophy, mantra or north star that you’re going to be governing by?
- How do you help your new team feel comfortable with you? Are they scared you’ll cut everyone or cut projects they care about?
- What will you say the first time you stand up in front of them as a group?
For marketing leaders, your role is not just driving results — it’s about articulating a clear vision for the future that your team can rally behind. As part of your communication plan (see below), make sure to share your long-term goals for the department, whether it’s achieving greater brand visibility, driving customer engagement or supporting innovation. When your team understands the bigger picture, they can align their efforts with that vision and stay motivated.
Equally important to vision is leading with empathy. Not to be confused with sympathy, empathetic leadership means putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand where they’re coming from. It also means you can share that you understand and thoughtfully respond to their feelings, thoughts, or circumstances without overly relating to their experience personally.
You’ll need to empathize with your team members’ concerns and perspectives, especially during times of transition. When people feel heard and supported, they are more likely to embrace new ideas and adapt to changes with a positive mindset. So do take the time to listen — acknowledging their experiences boosts trust and shows that you value them as individuals.
Here’s a tough one: aim to inspire the team to embrace change and work towards a shared goal. Of course, change can be difficult! But with your clear communication, strong leadership, and an empathetic approach, you can offer a sense of purpose and unity. Encourage collaboration, celebrate small wins, and reinforce that the team’s collective efforts drive meaningful progress toward achieving your shared vision.
2. Assess the current state
Now, you could go in on day one, dump all the existing assets, fire everyone and bring along all your favorite former colleagues…it’s tempting to start your new role with people you know. But resist the temptation— you likely have a talented crew of people just waiting for your guidance to help them shine.
Evaluate the team’s skills, strengths and weaknesses
Getting to know your new team is step one to evaluating their skills, building rapport and starting your relationship on the right foot. Start with one-on-one meetings where you ask open-ended questions to find out not just about them but also about how the team operates as a unit.
As the new person, you have the unique opportunity to ask questions (and get answers) that are more honest and in-depth than you might get when your relationship is more established.
When working with a new team, I like to take job titles off the table. When you’re speaking with each person, ask them questions related to all the roles on the team. People are so often in the wrong role, or might be underutilized, or bored or any number of other factors. By keeping an open mind, you may be able to optimize your new team by reorganizing them into more fulfilling or effective job roles once you’ve completed your evaluations.
Here are ten questions you might ask new team members to understand better how they work, gauge their potential for success and learn more about the environment you’ll be working in:
- What aspect of your current role do you enjoy the most, and why?
- Can you describe a recent project where you faced a challenge, and how did you approach solving it?
- Are there bottlenecks in the team’s performance that you see consistently getting in the way of getting to team goals?
- How do you prefer to receive feedback and collaborate with others?
- What tools or platforms do you feel most comfortable using?
- Is there any area that you are interested in learning more about, or moving into in the future?
- What kind of support or resources do you need to be successful?
- What are your long-term professional goals, and how do you see your work here helping you achieve them?
- If you could change one thing about the marketing this team does, what would it be?
- If you could change anything about this company, what would it be?
As you get to know your team, you’ll be able to spot individuals who may need more coaching or, conversely, identify leadership potential. (Need more guidance, this template can get you on your way to one-on-one success).
Analyze current marketing strategies, campaigns and performance
In parallel with your one-on-ones, we recommend reviewing team performance data. Examine campaign results, customer acquisition metrics or content engagement. All programs have room for improvement, but seeing the data will give you a quick hit list of what is currently working and what needs the most attention. A data-driven approach, combined with personal insights, can help determine whether your new team’s skills align with current business goals — and, importantly — highlight where additional training or new hires may be necessary.
Identify bottlenecks and areas for refinement
By the time you have interviewed the team, you should have a good grasp of the good, the bad and the ugly. There will (hopefully) be individuals who emerge as good candidates to help you drive your goals forward. And those people, processes and practices that get in the way of achieving marketing harmony? They will also likely reveal themselves.
Unfortunately, you might have a few folks who don’t align with your vision or the direction of the team. Before making any final decisions, it’s important to give them a little time so you can carefully assess their performance and potential for growth. (Who knows, given the right environment — aka under your leadership — they might flourish).
One of the biggest challenges that new leaders face is the hiring, firing and re-orging that is often needed after the staff evaluations. To make this emotional time easier and minimize resentment, we recommend following these steps:
- Communicate your decisions clearly and fairly. When it’s time to let someone go, explain the reasons privately and with empathy. Be transparent about how the decision aligns with team goals and performance expectations. For the rest of the team, share that changes were made to position the team for success—without sharing unnecessary details about individuals.
- Handle firing with respect. Offer resources to help the departing employee transition, like career counseling or a strong reference (if appropriate). A respectful exit helps preserve dignity and shows the team you care about people, even in tough situations.
- Focus on hiring the right fit. Bring in new hires who fill specific skill gaps and align with the team’s culture and goals. Involve the team in the hiring process to give them a sense of ownership and ensure compatibility.
- After the changes, acknowledge the emotional impact, share your vision, and celebrate quick wins to show progress. Emphasize that the reorganization was about strengthening the team, not punishing individuals.
At the end of the day, the thoughtful, well-considered decisions you make will help you build a better marketing team.
Start strong with an agency partner by your side
Leaning on a trusted agency partner to fill talent gaps and keep marketing moving forward while you sort out the strengths of your team members can help you take the time you need during the transition. Additionally, bringing on an agency partner early on can help you set a standard for quality and efficiency. (In our experience, this gives marketing teams a benchmark to follow and gives you time to streamline processes and build out capabilities).
Your organization’s marketing efforts don’t have to lose pace during a transition. With an agency partner, you can maintain momentum and create a more balanced, high-performing team without rushing critical decisions. (Here are some tips for choosing the right agency).
3. Communicate with your new marketing team
Understanding and leading your newly inherited marketing team hinges on one, incredibly important pillar: communication. Once you’ve initiated the one-on-one meetings mentioned above, remember to keep the dialogue going as you move forward. Regular check-ins will keep the lines of communication open and help you stay attuned to each team member’s challenges and successes.
Our two cents: Use your meetings to gather insights and set a precedent for long-term collaboration.
When your team knows what’s expected, efforts can align, and everyone will stay focused. Establishing expectations and emphasizing communication and collaboration will go a long way to support a high-performing team.
4. Develop a Transition Plan
As you settle into your new role, a comprehensive transition plan will set your team up for success. Start by identifying quick wins — you know, those little, achievable goals that can generate immediate results and infuse the atmosphere with good juju. As your small wins build momentum, it’ll be easier to establish trust with your team, not to mention help demonstrate your leadership early on.
Next, you’ll want to outline both short-term and long-term priorities. In the short term, focus on
stabilizing the team and addressing immediate needs, like fixing underperforming campaigns or filling content gaps. Long-term priorities should align with your strategic goals, whether it’s expanding market share, enhancing brand visibility or launching new products.
As part of the transition, create your dream org chart and compare it to your current team structure. This exercise will help you visualize the ideal team and inform how you execute your marketing strategy. From there, identify any necessary changes to the team structure, processes or policies to close gaps and optimize performance.
Finally, how will you fill talent gaps while you refine your team? Leveraging agencies or contractors is a great way to provide the expertise and support you need in the interim. If you’re stuck between bringing on an individual or an agency, here’s a tool to help you compare and contrast.
5. Invest in team development
You can’t build a high-performing marketing team without investing in their growth and development. Provide training and skill-building opportunities to help team members stay ahead of industry trends, giving them the tools to enhance capabilities (and enhance overall performance!).
To show your commitment to your team’s professional growth AND help them gain valuable skills that will benefit your entire department, we recommend:
- sending them to marketing conferences
- offering access to online courses
- arranging internal workshops
Learning makes the marketing team thrive
Beyond formal training, you absolutely have to nurture a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Encourage your team to share knowledge, experiment with new strategies and seek feedback regularly. Your goal should be to cultivate an environment where learning and adaptation are celebrated.
Give out the gold stars!
To keep motivation high, remember to recognize and reward high-performing team members. Public acknowledgment, bonuses and career advancement opportunities can go a long way in boosting morale (and, significantly, encouraging others to strive for excellence).
Free up time
Finally, encourage your team members to lean on your agency partners for creative assets or additional support. This lets your in-house team focus on their core job functions rather than being stretched too thin. External resources can be your secret weapon to enhance productivity and empower your team to stay focused on strategic initiatives.
Hit the ground running with your inherited marketing team
Inheriting a marketing team does come with challenges. But with diligent planning and paying close attention to the needs, thoughts, and experiences of the new team, you can create a smooth transition. Sometimes that means hard decisions and ruffling some feathers, but the road to success rarely doesn’t. You’ve got all the tools to come out the other side with an effective and high-performing marketing department.
Just because you’re beginning a new leadership marketing role doesn’t mean you need to start from zero. The team at Content Matterz is ready to give you all the support you need through your transition to marketing greatness. Just reach out.