Blind to my ignorance, I write to you with the humility and uncertainty of someone who is trying to emerge from a lifelong cave. Up until two weeks ago, I had never even heard of the concept of anti-racism let alone understood its implications. Talking about this concept with a wide range of CMOs, I came to realize that it was new to many of them too, even those ...

The evidence is painfully clear. Exhibit A: A lacerated thumb smeared with Neosporin now bandaged. Exhibit B: A general state of crankiness due to a rude awakening at 2AM. Exhibit C: A lengthy neck crick. It’s been a rough 24-hours. Allow me to connect the dots.

Searching for the origin of the phrase, “every cloud has a silver lining,” I was of course disappointed that there was no linkage to my hero Ben Franklin. Nope. None at all. Turns out, John Milton penned a similar phrase in 1634 and four hundred years later, we’re still using it to evoke the potential upside of nasty circumstances, like say our current pandemic. And yes, though it’s ...

The optimist in me trusts that we will get through this. Sometime in the near future we will be able to stop worrying about our communal health and forget the term “social distancing.” Sometime in the near future we will return to our offices and brainstorm together in conference rooms. Sometime in the near future we will make travel plans and celebrate with our tribes face to face in ...

This is a test. Not of the emergency broadcasting system, but rather of a very different way of developing and sharing content. The pundits say keep your copy short. We’ve decided to create a 12,771-word special report. The pundits suggest placing your major thought leadership pieces behind a firewall. We’re putting this out there for the whole world to see. The pundits advise not sharing your secret ...

On November 12, 2019 over a hundred CMOs gathered in New York City for The CMO Club’s 7th annual CMO Awards. Forty winners were celebrated while Anne Finucane, Vice Chairman of Bank of America, was inducted into the CMO Hall of Fame. Though taking a couple of hours to revel in past accomplishments was a welcome break, many of these highly driven individuals already had their sights on 2020 and the ...

Surveying the tightly packed group of 19 award-winning CMOs, I had two challenges. The first was being heard over the Broadway mezzo-soprano who was rehearsing in a nearby room. The second was making sure the conversation about leadership was as scintillating as the singer.

As it turns out, this particular Tuesday at The CMO Club’s annual CMO Awards was a smash hit. The singer stopped practice shortly ...