The modern CMO's leadership role

"I have always advocated for the inclusion of CMOs on company boards, on the grounds that CMOs bring a nuanced understanding of customer behavior and cultural context. In the past, I've seen that the biggest challenge preventing broader representation of marketing leaders on board was the limited turnover of board seats. In this new reality, the question isn't just access to the boardroom, but how CMOs lead in complex times. That leadership in this moment can be broken down into three main ideas: practice discernment, prioritizing trust, and embracing breadth and depth. Let's discuss them in more depth."

"Right now, it's important to remember that not every cultural or political moment needs a branded response. Discernment means understanding timing, relevance, and deeply understanding your audience. CMOs can be leaders guiding internal debates on when not to engage publicly, just as much as when to act. Understanding that sometimes inaction is an action itself, is essential to public affairs leadership. More broadly, effective CMO engagement in public affairs is about knowing when and how to cut through the noise and maintain long-term strategic relevance. In my organization, we've developed response protocols that provide internal guidance on when a response is necessary."

Fewer CMOs sit in the C-suite or on boards, yet marketing leadership remains essential amid cultural and political volatility. Board representation has been constrained historically by limited turnover of seats, shifting the focus to how marketing leaders lead during complexity. Effective CMO leadership requires discernment about when to engage publicly and when restraint better serves long-term strategy. Leadership also requires prioritizing trust through transparent, consistent decisions that build credibility with employees, customers, and stakeholders. Finally, leaders must embrace both breadth and depth by combining cultural insight, cross-functional collaboration, creativity, data-driven measurement, and operational rigor.

Read at Fast Company