Chief marketing officers are under enormous pressure. They’re expected to deliver ever-improving results for marketing activities, manage the explosion of customer channels, and own customer strategy — while still running legacy tactical initiatives like ad campaigns. It’s no wonder their average tenure is the shortest of all C-suite roles, and that so many CMOs, accurately or not, feel they’re underperforming.
What 575 C-Level Executives Really Think About CMOs
CMOs doubt their abilities more than their colleagues do.
September 17, 2019
ManuelBurgos/Getty Images
Summary.
In a study of 575 Fortune 500 C-suite executives, only 5% of CMOs are highly confident in their ability to impact strategic decision making and the overall direction of the business and to garner support for their initiatives among their peers. That’s a woefully inaccurate self-perception. In fact, most C-suite executives rate CMOs’ performance much more highly than CMOs themselves do. In nearly all cases, C-suite players respect — and lean on — the CMO’s expertise. If there’s one area their C-suite colleagues would like to see CMOs improve on, it’s collaboration.
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New!
HBR Learning
HBR Learning
Marketing Essentials Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Marketing Essentials. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Learn how to communicate with your customers—strategically.