CultivatED Marketer Cultivated Marketer

In this 26th episode of CultivatED Marketer, hosts Brent Bowen and Matt Tidwell, PhD, chat with Mark Schumann, IABC Fellow and renowned executive coach, as he shares his invaluable insights on leadership, communication, and the new challenges faced by leaders in a post-pandemic world.

CultivatED Marketer Ep. 26 — Navigating Leadership and Communication in a Post-Pandemic World

 

Leadership in a Post-Pandemic World

Our guest for this episode is IABC fellow and Professor in communications and culture at New York University, Mark Schumann. Mark is an executive coach and consultant who has worked with some of the biggest names in the CEO world. We talk with Mark about his experience working with senior leaders at the highest levels in big companies, such as Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher.

We also discuss how the role of leaders has permanently changed due to the pandemic and how they have had to adapt to living and working in different ways. Mark walks through a recent conversation with a CEO that he has worked with before, during, and after COVID, and reflects on how leaders became a source of information about not only the business, but also vaccines, schools, home education, and a myriad of other things that connect our lives.

Mark helps us to understand the importance of acknowledging how our lives have been impacted by this difficult time. He draws attention to the newly formed expectation of connection, and how marketers play a pivotal role.

Empathy in Virtual Meetings and Communication

We explore how the check-in process has changed in the virtual world and how to create a safe space for employees to express themselves. We emphasize the importance of fostering camaraderie and productivity by taking the time to connect with others as human beings.

We also look into the notion of work-life balance and how the open window of the outside world can have an impact on an organization. Mark notes how previously it might have felt as though you were walking a tight rope, but now we are so connected that there isn’t a separation. He says marketers’ skills to intently listen to their people, and put together what is heard, they can create a safe space to have those open conversations.

CEO Communication Strategies

Following the same progression, we examine the changing role of a CEO in terms of expressing opinions on the world and how this can influence the dialogue within organizations. After Brent gives a few examples of how a CEO responds to crisis communication, he asks Mark to explore why it is difficult to find the personality of these individuals. Mark dives into the self-awareness of these leaders, and how through their behavior they can express what is permissible or not throughout the organization.

Mark stresses the importance of how a leader communicates and interacts with people dictates whether those people feel heard, which correlates to their involvement in the organization. He gives examples of how important it is for people to see the CEO in unscripted moments, where the human side of them and their personality can really show. The group discusses some examples of when these unscripted moments can be better or worse for employee connection.

Effective Communication Beyond Technical Tools

We discuss the importance of developing the skills necessary to be an effective communicator. Mark discusses one of the methods he uses with his students to get them examining the tactics driving the messages some of these people or organizations are putting out.

The group explores how curiosity and conviction can help lead to clarity when communicating. They hark back to times when there were fewer tools to distribute an organization’s message, yes the effectiveness of those messages was ultimately the same. Mark emphasizes that clear communication is at the top of the hierarchy, more than distribution,

In this 25th episode of CultivatED Marketer, hosts Brent Bowen and Matt Tidwell, PhD, chat with Brooke Estell, Senior Copywriter at Conscious Minds Studios, about authentic marketing for Gen Z,the importance of storytelling, and the impact professional development had on her career.

CultivatED Marketer Ep. 25 — Creating Authentic Voices with Brooke Estell

Introducing Brooke Estell and her Entrepreneur Career Journey

Brent and Matt briefly introduce their guest Brooke Estell before asking her to discuss her career journey during COVID.



* Brooke says she started off in corporate legal marketing for 7 years before switching over to financial tech.

* She mentions how she took advantage of working from home during COVID by beginning freelance work, before ultimately getting laid off by her company.

* With belief in herself, she focused on growing her own business, and grew to a point that she was able to fire a client that didn’t align with her passions.

* Shortly after firing that client, she began working as a freelance writer for Conscious Minds, which later turned into a fulltime position.

* After prompting from Brent, Brooke notes that it was made even more difficult because she began working for them through a mentor turned client.



Brent takes the opportunity to dive into Brooke’s solo/entrepreneur journey, asking her about what resources she was able to use and leverage to help grow her business.



* Brooke notes that KC Source Link not only featured her, but also connected her with a lot of other people that taught her many skills necessary to run your own business.

* She describes how important the marketing and networking resources were that had been made available to her, and helped give her a level of credibility.



Matt recalls his own career transition, and asks Brooke if she feels different, and how the transition has manifested in her life.



* Brooke says that she feels freer than she ever has, and that she is working her dream job.

* She recalls her own upbringing and career transition from a stable corporate life to being an entrepreneur running her own business.



Storytelling and Marketing for Gen Z

Brent notes that Brooke’s talk at the KC IABC Business Communicators Summit was around storytelling, and asks why there is such a focus on storytelling for Gen Z.



* Brooke begins by noting the shift in the purchasing generation from millennials to Gen Z, and differences between the two.

* She points out the importance of community and authenticity to Gen Z, and how that impacts their marketing strategy.

* Matt mentions how similar topics were also talked about in Jeff Fromm’s book Marketing to Gen Z.



Matt says Brooke only uses 2-3 platforms in an integrated way to complete work for major brands like Nike, and asks her to speak about that process.



* Brooke talks about the first project Come Thru, and their collaborative work with Nike.

* She then discusses how they shifted their focus away from YouTube and towards the Nike App itself, and bring in personal stories,

In this 24th episode of CultivatED Marketer, hosts Brent Bowen and Matt Tidwell, PhD, chat with Dr. Dani LaGree, Public Relations Professor at Kansas State University and Co-Founder of the Trajectory Project, about the Trajectory Project, the influence personal connections can have on a career, and what employees really want in a workplace.

CultivatED Marketer Ep. 24 — How to Shape Your Career with Dr. Dani LaGree

After updates about upcoming local events, Brent introduces Dr. Dani LaGree, briefly touches on her background, and then asks how the Trajectory Project got started.



* Dani says that together with her colleague, Dr. Katie Olsen, they maintain relationships with their students as they leave the university and enter the workforce.

* She says that a lot of those graduating students have the skills to perform their jobs, but did not have resources around career navigation, and have many questions.



Trajectory Project for Early Career Professionals

Matt asks what are some of the strategies and tools that the Trajectory Project are currently using.



* Dani discusses the variety of resources they have including a Facebook and Instagram page.

* She then discusses some of the research they’ve done over the last 5 years looking at the early career phase of professional employment in advertising and public relations.

* Dani then highlights four strategies that came out of that research that can help boost an individual’s career trajectory.



Brent talks about the strategy of ‘growth through failure’ and how they approach the topic of failure with early career professionals.



* Dani says having a good manager that you are able to talk to, and provides you the resources in those challenging situations, is critical.

* She also points out the importance of the middle manager encouraging and promoting their people, results in greater employee retention.



Brent asks about why there was a strategy shift away from finding one’s professional identity, and towards developing one’s professional network.



* Dani discusses how their early research has shaped and changed their strategy.

* She continues noting differences between generations, and how that certain proclivities tend to play out in the work environment.

* She walks through what their study found when they focused on developing your professional network, and what results came from that, such as higher employee retention.



The Influence of Mentors on a Career Path

Matt notes how many students don’t have any idea what a career path might look like in their field, and asks Dani what they might be able to do to give them a better idea.



* Dani recognizes that there is not one formula to give them a better idea, because it is so different in field by field.

* She mentions a couple of different characteristics that can help people discover more about your current field.

* Matt adds on this by emphasizing the importance of getting involved in extra curricular groups.



Brent asks Dani if there was an influential person, or mentor, that steered their careers towards academia after being in the field for many years.



* Dani discusses her career path, mentioning that she is the first person from her family to go to college.

* She talks about her collegiate years, her many experiences in the working world, mentioning the many mentors that helped steer her career path, that ultimately resulted in her returning to academia.



Gender Representation in Marketing

Matt notes how few women are at the top of the business, and yet in his classes it is 80% female, and asks Dani about female representation in the field.



* Dani corroborates Matt’s findings, and then speculates some of the reasons why the disparities exist.

In this 23rd episode of CultivatED Marketer, hosts Brent Bowen and Matt Tidwell, PhD, chat with Katie Macaulay, Managing Director at AB, about her book and podcast about internal communications, the shifting demands of internal communications due to the pandemic and great resignation, and advice for young marketers.

CultivatED Marketer Ep. 23 — Shifting Demands of Internal Communications with Katie Macaulay

Shifting Demands of Internal Communications

Brent talks about how internal comms has rapidly shifted and evolved, and asks what are some of the challenges in this new era?



* Katie discusses about how internal comms challenges need to be the same as the larger organization’s challenges, and explains what that looks like.

* She details some of the challenges that internal comms are facing today, and what some of those items are around the world.

* Katie then references her book, why she wrote it, and who her book is meant to help.



Brent, after referencing some topics Katie just talked about such as remote work, asks about what kinds of studies have been done around internal communications.



* Katie says that before companies embark on any type of communications plan, an internal study needs to be done.

* In those internal studies, she says it is to understand the difference between “need to know” and “nice to know,” the importance of each, how each should be communicated, how many touches need to be done, etc.



Tips for Young Marketing Professionals

Matt brings the focus to younger communications professionals, and how many of them think internal comms is boring, and asks Katie how to respond to the individuals thinking that way.



* Katie says that was fairly common, until the pandemic when smart leaders have recognized that great companies are built from the inside out.

* She says recruiters have said people are now actively choosing internal communications over other communications areas.

* She also notes how communication from one’s employer is the most trusted news source today, and the power that has in today’s society.

* Matt relays a personal story of a time when an executive made internal comms a priority in one of his prior roles.

* Brent then also recalls one of his personal experiences with internal communications.



Brent asks what skills are good foundational skills for people looking to go into internal communications.



* Katie says that general business acumen is very important, as well as specifics about your organization and the regulations, competitive environment, how it measures success, etc.

* She says that for her, one’s ability to gather insight and conduct research is vitally important, and explains why and how it is so important.

* She finishes by explaining why curiosity as a habit, not just a trait, is also one of the best things a younger professional can have.

* Katie says she sends out Friday updates with a few notes on new things she has seen or learned in the world of comms during that week.

* Matt relates a story to paraphrase why having data is so important to being able to effectively drive your communication and get funding for it.



 

To hear the rest of the conversation, listen to part 2 here.

In this 22nd episode of CultivatED Marketer, hosts Brent Bowen and Matt Tidwell, PhD, chat with Katie Macaulay, Managing Director at AB, about her book and podcast about internal communications, the shifting demands of internal communications due to the pandemic and great resignation, and advice for young marketers.

CultivatED Marketer Ep. 22 — Growing Importance of Internal Comms

Brent and Matt talk to Katie Macauley, Managing Director at AB. 



Brent introduces Katie and her roles as Managing Director at AB, host of Internal Communications Podcast, and International Executive Board Member for IABC.

Katie is also the author of From Cascade to Conversation – Unlocking the Collective Wisdom of Your Workforce

Matt then asks Katie how her focus on internal communications came to be.

Katie says that it evolved over time, and growing up she wanted to be a journalist and writer.

She then discusses how she found the world of internal communications, her dream job at AB, and how that organization got started.



Internal Comms Podcast

Brent asks about Katie and her Internal Comms podcast, how it got started, and where it’s at now.



She talks about how the podcast was born a little bit out of fear of being stagnant in her profession.

She notes that she was expecting to only have a couple of episodes, but after reaching the iTunes ‘New & Noteworthy’ list, she realized there was a large audience for that type of content. 

Katie then mentions some of the guests that they have interviewed in some of their nearly 70 episodes.



Brent follows up by asking about what the audience engagement is like with a show that large.



Katie regales her experience with some of the audience members and how they have chosen to engage with her.

She then discusses how when she’s recording a new episode, she pretends that she is doing it for the last person that has spoken to her about the show.

She notes how her audience is at all stages in their careers, and how her episodes have a such a diversity of conversations because of that.



Brent then asks if there was a specific episode or guest that really filled her cup as far as her initial intent to create the show.



She starts by noting that she learns something new in every conversation, and then brings up Prof. William Kahn and her conversation with him.

She recalls in that conversation a specific question about leadership, and what makes great leaders.

Brent and Matt also recollect on how much they have learned from listening to her show.



Matt asks how she makes the choices about her show topics when the audience is so diverse.



Katie walks through her thought processes when picking new topics or guests for the podcast.

She notes that she tries to rotate between covering the basics and other topics that are more timely and relevant to societal trends.

In this 21st episode of CultivatED Marketer, hosts Brent Bowen and Matt Tidwell, PhD, continue their discussion with Brad Whitworth, SCMP and IABC Fellow, at the IABC Conference. Brad Whitworth is a thought leader, lecturer and author in organizational communication. Throughout this episode, we discuss different certifications that can help you excel in your career. 

Brent and Matt talk with Brad Whitworth, communications thought leader.

Brent continues their discussion from the previous episode by mentioning the importance of continued education.



* Brent talks about how even in the classes he teaches, he is learning new things from his students as they ask about new potential venues.

* Brad notes this is what is great about IABC is how it can offer help to people at all points within their career, through making connections and finding mentors as you’re just getting started, to listening to the industry experts, awards programs, to the certification program.

* He adds that his active participation in IABC was what allowed him to get a job in a different and larger market.



The Intent of Certification and Professional Development



* Brent asks Brad about the intent of certification and what it is meant to showcase.

* Brad talks about IABC’s certification and the process to get involved. He says certification shows a commitment to lifelong learning, and the motivation for people to get certified can vary based on the reasoning for getting certified.

* Matt talks about the competitive in marketing, and the (S)CMP certification allows you to stand out from applicants.

* Brent adds to Matt’s point by saying the foundational element about commitment to professional development, and craving for knowledge will help grow your career.

* Brad talks about the ‘IABC Package’, which includes everything from getting into the industry and getting local connections to help mentor you, to professional development with local chapters, conferences, award programs, and certification programs. He adds the experiences he has had in his career abroad would not have come without committing to professional growth.

* Brent mentions a conversation with Cultivated Marketer guest, Jessica Best, about high achievers seeking leadership opportunities should pursue nonprofit or membership organizations to get that experience.

* Brad adds that getting the leadership experience by working with other people who are volunteering for their roles, will help set you apart from other applicants at jobs.



How to Prepare for Certification Exams



* Brent asks Brad about knowing how to prepare and identify whether someone is ready for certifications.

* Brad says the only way to know whether you are ready is to just do it. He says everyone learns differently, but there are guides on the GCCC website to help you study and prepare. Additionally, there are workshops, classes, and other study materials to help prepare you for getting certified.

* Brad highlights an IABC exam launching that allows for participants to get certified right at home with a remote proctored exams, rather than traveling to take these exams. This initial exam is meant for senior level professionals.

* After remote proctoring, the goal is to get an entry level exam based on principles learned in school, or experienced in an entry level job to use this credential to set you apart from other candidates.

* Brad talks about is moderating work with IABC, and how it has helped him go back to his broadcasting roots. It has helped him learn the stream yard program. He advises others to tackle new technologies because you may need that knowledge in the future.