#thinkingforachange

[sheylacmps]

E aqueles que não seguem cegamente o fluxo como peixes mortos. #raciocine #pensealém #thinkingforward #thinkingforachange (em São Paulo, Brazil) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvfqU2tnBzl/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1wx5wjgkddwqd

[empowermentfirst-blog]

You're not obligated to believe everything you think. . #ThinkOnTheseThings #healthythinking #thinkingforachange #empowerment #coaching #trainer #entrepreneurs #businessdevelopment (at Norfolk, Virginia)

[born4change]

From Content Intelligence to Imagination Engineered: A Digital Adventure

Leonard Ravenhill said on one occasion that opportunities of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity. In March of this year I found myself on stage at HgCapital’s Sales & Marketing Leaders Forum, an event put on by the London based private equity firm to invest in its portfolio assets around the areas of demand generation, messaging, alignment and a plethora of other challenging topics that plague teams that are tasked with trying to grow their suite of software businesses. I had no idea how that event would set in motion a new adventure in my career and see me working with some of the most talented and creative people I have ever met. Before I launch into the details of what happened next, I have to pay homage to the incredible team at idio that I was a part of where I was served as SVP Marketing. In my role at idio, a CONTENT INTELLIGENCE platform, I was responsible for developing and executing a defined marketing and communications strategy that supported idio’s growth and enhanced idio’s brand. I was responsible for planning, organizing, training, staffing, and managing all marketing functions to help achieve the company’s objectives relating to sales, growth, and profitability. Having been there since its genesis, I was privileged to see our people, products and ideas evolve into a great business that provided tremendous value for our customers and a phenomenal place to work for our staff. It was always going to take something special for me to do something different. 

Back to that fateful day at the Andaz Hotel… the challenge that Chris Kindt, portfolio leader at HgCapital, had set before me was to tackle the complex and often times fractious subject of Sales & Marketing (mis)Alignment. It made complete sense for HgCapital to prioritise this as a theme as misalignment between marketing and sales costs business up to 10% in annual revenue. Something HgCapital is eager to avoid for obvious reasons. My talk was entitled ‘Sales VS Marketing: The Original Game Of Thrones’, a bit cheesy… I know. Although misalignment is not as bloody as some of the scenes in the popular HBO series, it can be often as brutal. That wasn’t the only reason for picking that title. I knew that one of the companies that would be in attendance at the forum would be The Foundry, whose compositing product, NUKE, is instrumental in the production of Game of Thrones. Call it establishing common ground.

Long story short… After the talk I was privileged to meet quite a few of the leaders in the HgCapital portfolio companies including Alex Mahon and Jodie Anderson, who are CEO and Head of Marketing at The Foundry respectively. Fast forward a few months and quite a few lattes later, it became obvious to me that I was excited at the prospect of applying years of growth and learning in analytics and personalization software to a completely new industry and target client. And so, with the greatest difficulty, I resigned my position at idio and joined The Foundry as Director of Digital Marketing. Here are 3 questions I wrestled with as I was thinking about my next adventure;

Do I Believe In The TEAM?

When I met the team at The Foundry, it became clear to me that HgCapital was pulling together the best talent to position the business for maximum impact in its space. This was a deliberate plan to not only excel but to take all of the products to leading positions in their categories. For me, it presented a unique opportunity to learn from some of the sharpest minds in the world as they apply their expertise in a highly competitive and dynamic industry. More importantly, the leaders I met seemed determined not only to grow the business but to create a great place to work and that is a passion of mine. Having joined the team now, I am encouraged by the passion and dedication of the incredibly capable and accomplished people I get to follow and lead.

Do I Believe In The MISSION?

 The Foundry is dedicated to advancing the art and technology of visual experience. THAT’S INCREDIBLY ATTRACTIVE. The work we do in our labs and in our engineering has the potential put a dent in the universe and I love that. I love that we are exploring the uses of Virtual Reality and 3D Modeling for design in industries like automotive and soft goods while investing in the next generation by prioritising EDUCATION as a strategic initiative. Our work is designed to unlock the creative potential of artists all over the globe. Jennifer Aaker, General Atlantic Professor at Stanford says that people want to be valued members of a winning team on an inspired mission and I couldn’t agree more. Our mission matters and it will change the world. It is IMAGINATION ENGINEERED.

 Does This Meet My PERSONAL NEED FOR GROWTH?

 8 years building a great team was transformational and life changing for me. I could never place a value on the lessons I learnt over the years, lessons in courage, communication, worth ethic, team building and vision casting. However, at some point, I realised that my comfort in my role was a roadblock for someone else’s development and growth. The members of my team were ready to step up and take my ideas, thoughts are processes to the next level. In the same way, I was ready to be in a position that would challenge my creativity, my leadership, my capability and my resolve. Moving into an industry I knew nothing about as well as inheriting a new team was way outside of my comfort zone but it was exactly what I needed.

Currently my team and I focused on crafting a transformational digital strategy as well as learning to leverage each other’s individual strengths for the benefit of the team and the organisation. We believe we can be the best in our space and that we should be the best.

 “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” - Robert Frost