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Achieving Success as a Marketing Leader

Prior to the internet becoming mainstream – along with its ability to help marketers draw a clear line connecting campaigns with sales – marketing leaders often struggled to demonstrate the power of brand and its impact on P&L. But as a marketing leader whose professional maturity occurred in the digital era, I’m a firm believer that strategic marketing can not only influence hearts and minds, but also serve on the front lines of driving business growth.

And while strategic thinking plays a central role in creating marketing impact, being a source of positive change for your team is mission critical. At Dotted Line, we talk at least on a weekly basis about marketing being a team sport – and I’d argue that this holds true not only in our agency setting, but also in the corporate world. Marketing leaders are responsible for working closely with team members from across the organization. We also work with peer business leaders to inform organizational strategy. And when the time comes for implementation, specialists from various marketing disciplines must collaborate with their peers from other disciplines to fully realize a holistic marketing program and, ultimately, the team’s greatest potential.

As one of our agency’s business development leaders, I come into contact with hundreds of marketing leaders who are new to their role. Combining insights from those interactions with my own experience, I wanted to share several important considerations for marketing leaders who are new to their organization, new to their role, or perhaps reimagining how they manage their team.

You’re a Change Agent

In my view, marketing at its core has always been about disruption (even before the term became overused). On a daily basis, we’re being asked to drive change: how a brand talks about itself, the tools an organization uses to communicate those messages, and the behaviors we’re looking to drive with our target audience.

And the same holds true as we think about our function within a business. Marketing leaders are often hired to drive change, whether it’s dramatic change at the business or brand level, or an organizational or executional transformation. It’s your responsibility to seek clarity on the magnitude and pace of change and how it will be supported internally. From here, it’s your team to build – and your obligation to find the right people, with the right skillsets and temperament to make your organization successful.

As you take on the marketing mantel, your first weeks in the role will establish your trajectory and hopefully accelerate success. To that end, sit down with your CEO or organizational leader to understand how best to focus your disruption, where the most immediate challenges lay, and the expectations related to the magnitude of change you’re being expected to drive. I’m a big fan of The CMO Manifesto, which provides some great insight and structure for those early days.

Remember, building relationships and trust early on with your executive peer set and their teams will make shifting from strategy to execution easier when it’s time for action.

Your Team Is Your Engine

Strong marketing teams are built on a sound process, collaboration, effective communication, and clear expectations. I start that list with “process” because it’s a foundational element here at Dotted Line and aids greatly in fulfilling the subsequent items. In my career, I have found that developing the process is the first step to creating focus for driving toward desired results, and when I look at the feedback we receive from our partners, our clear process often rises to the top as a valuable part of the Dotted Line experience. Knowing how you’re getting to your final destination – and recognizing the important milestones along the way – makes the process that much more enjoyable.

But the destination isn’t purely shaped by internal forces like process: There are certain expected outcomes that cost centers like marketing are held to. Your strategic imperatives, and the markers of their successful actualization, need to be a North Star for your team. That’s not to say that we should hold specific metrics over our team’s heads, reactively responding to any abnormalities. What I mean is that, as marketing leaders, it’s our job to ensure that our teams understand our goals and how their discipline fits into the equation. I often find myself feeling redundant, playing my role of Dotted Line brand advocate in our internal meetings by repeating our mission and guiding principles, but what feels repetitive to me, I’ve come to understand, is good reinforcement for the team.

When you look at our tax documents, our agency is actually listed as Dotted Line Collaborations. It was the moniker we first developed when we began the business and stands to demonstrate the importance of collaboration. Now, seven years later, as we weather a pandemic, often from remote locations, I’m reminded of the importance of collaboration – and the clear communication required to ignite that type of collective thinking.

The reality is that in a single moment, an individual has a limit to their knowledge base: We have the potential to learn more in the future, but, in this moment, we only know what we know. In order to go beyond what each of your team members knows individually, it’s imperative that your business creates a culture and a forum for collaboration. It takes great intentionality and creativity in these bizarre times, but the juice is definitely worth the squeeze.

Start with Strategy

If I could offer up one piece of advice – a pitfall to avoid in general, but especially in those early days – it would be to lean toward the strategic versus the tactical. Understand your organization’s primary goals and how they relate to the marketing function. Take the time to understand the voice of the customer and dig into market insights to guide future decision-making. Develop an approach that addresses core business needs and articulate tangible measures of success (even if it’s just one), internally with your team as well as externally with other facets of your business.

I often frame this by characterizing the type of change I’m leading and why the status quo is no longer right for the business. That type of clear communication will help you build relationships with executive peers and partners within your organization. It will also give you assurance in the event there’s an organizational shift in priorities since people will know what you’re doing and can help give you visibility when a pivot is required.

For those who know me well, you won’t be surprised at my ending this post with a few additional reads in case marketing leaders are looking for further guidance as they ease into their new role. Dotted Line came to existence after several informational interviews I conducted with fellow female business leaders who expressed a need for a more thoughtful, intentional marketing approach. If you’re looking for insight, reach out to marketing leaders in your network and ask them about their approach. I’ve found these types of meetings invaluable. Also, there are tons of great CMO podcasts out there, and I encourage you to take a listen. Here’s one of my favorites.

And, of course, I wouldn’t be an effective marketer if I didn’t share my own agency’s resources! Our team recently put together a reference guide for building strategic marketing programs. Once you’ve taken the preliminary steps outlined in this post, I encourage you to download it and read more about important considerations for turning your strategy into action.

Facilitating Effective Marketing Workshops

In February of this year, we had the opportunity to partner with PlanRVA and Sports Backers to lead a project that would result in the naming of a new trail extending from Ashland to Petersburg, Virginia. In our onboarding process, we learned that the trail would pass through seven jurisdictions within Central Virginia, reinforcing the importance of collaboration among localities.

As we took some time to plan for how we would lead our clients and the community through the process, we landed on the idea of inviting representatives from each group to a brainstorming workshop to learn about their visions for the trail firsthand. That way, their ideas, creativity, and potential concerns could be shared collectively, with guidance and structure from our team. A successful result required thoughtful planning for how to structure the workshop. How would we make sure 20 people with different approaches could be heard – while promoting an environment of respect and learning from one another – and come away with a name everyone could be proud of?

With our goals clearly set, our team spent the weeks leading up to the event planning for a successful morning. We tested activities and brainstormed potential outcomes. We considered the time needed for the various exercises and thought through how to keep our community players engaged. Without careful planning, leading a team through such an exercise is like showing up to a big game without practice. In our “big game,” we needed to accomplish three things:

Brainstorm and concept potential names
Maintain a collective sense of community throughout the process
Encourage participation from everyone in attendance

While we were incredibly passionate about the project, pulling the session together was no small task. Only by placing an emphasis on intentionality in our approach and execution were we able to set the stage for a successful outcome.

Whether you’re leading a session to inform a naming process, generate content ideas or facilitate communication between disconnected groups, the five key elements listed below can provide critical structure for driving productive dialogue among stakeholders with disparate goals. The elements work in conjunction with each other and act as a roadmap for encouraging discourse, helping groups reach their goals, and creating long-lasting relationships and impact.

Know what you want to achieve. It sounds simple, but start with the end in mind. When all parties involved know what they’re working toward, it provides content, focus and clarity for individual contributors. It’s best to start your session by clarifying the ultimate goal and reinforcing that key objective as the day goes on. Tip: Have materials on the groups’ tables that reinforce the goal – and consider bringing a visual that supports the goal into the space to keep it front and center.
Understand your audience. Who are you collaborating with, and what is/are their background(s)? It’s important to understand what your attendees’ day-to-day roles are and how you can engage with them. You may want to start by asking them to work in teams, which can help draw out those who are more reserved and get them involved in the conversation. Leaning into team work first, before sharing with the larger group, also allows for collaboration and trust-building to get the creative juices flowing. Tip: Choose groups that are diverse in both background and personality. This will hopefully lead to creative thinking and a mix of viewpoints
Create the environment and define the rules of the road. It’s important to set the tone for the session so that participants will be engaged and inclined to add value. This begins with the facilitator, the space and the materials provided. Tip: Share with your participants what they can expect ahead of time, stick to your schedule (everyone’s time is precious), and acknowledge and encourage the group’s work along the way.
Be adaptable: Not every activity will go exactly as you had envisioned, and that’s okay. It’s important to find a facilitator who is able to read the room, encourage teamwork, and pivot as needed. Sometimes it’s best to hold back and let the group work through its own obstacles, which may be a hidden opportunity to let them use their own momentum to reach the end goal. Tip: The right facilitator makes a difference. You may have the perfect fit in your organization, or you may need to partner with a research firm based on the size and structure of your workshop.
Have fun! These kinds of workshops are meant to bring together individuals to work collectively toward a common goal. Tip: Bring in props and quiet fidget activities to keep participants’ minds clear. We gave our group Play-Doh, markers for coloring, and stress balls to keep their hands busy while their minds were doing the heavy lifting.

Workshops and brainstorming sessions are a great way to encourage collaboration and discussion, develop new ideas, and expand participants’ thinking. With the right planning and an adaptable structure for the day, you can achieve valuable results for everyone involved.

How much should I be paying for marketing?

Selecting the right marketing partner for your organization is no easy task. First, CMOs must navigate a saturated market of competing full-service agencies, creative collectives and freelance outfits. Once the hurdle of identifying an appropriate partner type is cleared, more questions arise about how to select the right choice from within that subset, how much it will cost to work with them, and how much additional funding to allocate towards non-agency costs, including media spend, trade show costs, print production and marketing technologies.

To combat the complexity of these decisions, Dotted Line has developed a series of six questions aimed at helping organizations find the right marketing partner for where their business is now and where it’s headed next. These questions and their corresponding answers have been outlined in our new marketing costs white paper, which can help you determine how much you should be paying for your marketing efforts, what to consider when choosing a marketing partner, and how you and your team can contribute most effectively to your marketing endeavors.

Our guide can be a valuable resource whether you’re entering into a marketing relationship for the first time or if you have an existing partner that you want to assess. After downloading this white paper, we encourage you to use it as a workbook of sorts to keep track of your questions, rationale and the solutions you unearth. As you proceed from one question to the next, answer each as honestly as you can to help create the most accurate reflection of your current state.

Click here to download your copy today.

How Multi-Channeling Your Message Optimizes Your Impact

Effective marketing is about understanding how, when and where to engage with your target audience. And the options for doing so are vast, ranging from events and conferences to social media and website interactions.

But in light of the current pandemic, many of these options are no longer viable, at least for the immediate future. With that in mind, it’s more important than ever for organizations to take another look at their marketing strategy to ensure you’re effectively interacting with your various targets by meeting them exactly where they are during this unique time.

In five years from now, I think we’ll all look back at 2020 in agreement that it was the year multi-channeled marketing efforts became a must. So that we’re all on the same page, a multi-channel marketing approach uses varied communication channels – social, search, display advertising, email or even traditional channels like print or outdoor – to reach your target audiences. By branching out and utilizing several strategically chosen resources, based on the consumption habits of your audience, organizations can continue to meet your goals by increasing visibility, establishing familiarity, and building trust with your audience despite changes in the marketing landscape.

Know Your “Why” and Create a Plan

Before adopting a multi-channel approach, you need to first identify your key objectives. Do you want to simply drive brand awareness? Are you hoping to convert your consumers to some sort of action? Establishing the purpose of your efforts is a vital step that informs the rest of the process. If the ultimate strategy does not help you reach your core goals, then it should be reevaluated.

Next, make sure you know your audience. Successfully multi-channeling your message requires you to have a solid grasp on what channels should be utilized, how often, and in what specific ways. Look at your customer base and ask yourself if there are any trends or segments who are purchasing your product or services at a higher frequency – you charge should be to find more of these actors from outside your current network. According to Jon Simpson of the Forbes Agency Council, by conducting research via methods like persona exercises, you can determine “. . . where your demographic spends time online, what resources they trust and what pain points they’re facing.” You can then build a strategy around these results that accurately reflects consumers’ needs and priorities.

With foundational data and goals understood, it’s time to build your actual strategy. In this stage, you want to determine the key messages you’ll want to convey (and their priority), the channels you’ll employ, the mediums that will best support your story (graphics versus text, photos or video) and the required frequency to get your message across. When goals are understood and you’re working with the right team who can apply benchmarking from previous campaigns with up to date best practice, building the plan should be the easy part.

First, recognize that an ineffective digital presence is an easy pitfall. For example, think of how many ads you likely saw within the last week on social media. Then consider how many of those ads were relevant to your current needs and interests. Even more, how many of the memorable ads left a positive impression that inspired you to take advantage of the promoted goods or services? Whether you deal primarily in B2B or B2C marketing, you want your strategy to not only be memorable, but effective—especially given the budgetary implications, which can range anywhere from $500 into the billions, depending on the scope of your message and audience. It is said that you need to get in front of your target audience approximately seven times to make a lasting impression, so maintaining regularity while conveying a clear message is the best way to support your goals.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, keep in mind that a multi-channel strategy and all the planning that goes along with it are partly hypothetical. Your research is an informed starting point that requires flexibility and should never be set in stone. Consider the first three to six months of the initial implementation as a period of learning—then, spend time analyzing the results and building upon that experience, altering your strategy as needed. For instance, if you start using a social media platform that is generally popular but does not meet industry expectations as it relates to your goal (impressions, engagement, conversions) from your specific audience, do not be afraid to stop using it and try something else. In taking this approach, you can continually tailor your plan to better satisfy goals, meet the needs of your target demographic, and ultimately add the most value to your business.

Multi-channeling your message in a way that benefits you and your audience will provide positive outcomes in light of COVID, but keep in mind that this strategy will also serve you well post-pandemic. After all, finding new ways to effectively reach your audience now will help future-proof your success within a world of marketing communication that is constantly evolving. Start taking steps today and reap the benefits that multi-channeling will inevitably bring. You and your goals have nothing to lose!

And if you’re interested in learning more about digital marketing and digital lead generation, make sure to sign up for Dotted Line’s Digital Marketing Forum: Forming Connections with Customers in the COVID Era.

Client Successes in COVID-19

The COVID-19 outbreak is changing the way people interact with society – from how we work to the way we consume information and goods. In fact, a recent study found that 71% of people say if they perceive that a brand is putting profit over people during this sensitive time, they will lose trust in that brand forever. With this in mind, many businesses are rethinking their marketing strategies or pivoting offerings to put the customer first.

Dotted Line clients are no exception. The businesses we serve are creating innovative solutions to better serve their clients and communities. Here are just a few of their stories.

Pediatric Associates of Richmond

One of Richmond’s longest running pediatric practices realized they had to shift the way they care for sick patients to alleviate patient and parent safety concerns. The team at Pediatric Associates of Richmond (PAR) immediately shifted their office procedures to allow designated space for wellness visits and separate space for sick visits. They began by offering mobile check-in option, so families could limit their exposure before heading in to see their pediatrician. They also started doing telehealth appointments for non-emergency cases, to lessen the flow of patients on-site. And finally, to provide an easy pathway to care for families not yet exposed to the disease, in in need of information, the team also launched a COVID-19 Blog to help parents navigate the crisis with reliable and trustworthy information. And the patient-first cherry on top: a downloadable coloring book to keep kids entertained at home.

Key Learning: Consider creating channels to communicate directly with your audience where they are. This transparency builds trust and preference.

Innovation Lab

With the shortage of PPE being felt worldwide, the team at Innovation Lab, a healthcare innovation incubator in Southern CA, recognized the need for a better way to protect caregivers and their patients in the ICU. The Lab looked at solutions within its pipeline that would address risks associated ventilators and the infectious agents often released during the transition between mechanical and manual ventilation. The team worked diligently to fast-track a product called the Baywin Closed Circuit Valve to help curtail the spread of virus. With their manufacturing partner and the FDA, they are in the process of manufacturing 5,000 of the valves for delivery to caregivers at the front lines.

Key Learning: Sometimes, the solutions we need are right in front of us, but it can be hard to see the forest through the trees. Let your customer’s demands help determine your priorities.

Petra

Petra, a construction and design firm, has been looking to support efforts in California to increase bed capacity. They have made contact with the State and FEMA to see how they can help. Their president Craig Beam says, “We play an important supporting role to those on the front lines. It’s important that we continue to serve our ministries so that they are ready to provide the care to those most in need.”

Key Learning: Leverage your contacts for the greater good. You never know what may come of it, but more often than not, it leads to a positive outcome.

Tech Knowledge Associates (TKA)

One of TKA’s values is to be a proactive industry leader in Healthcare Technology Management (HTM). The leadership team has shifted to use a real-time messaging platform to build an atmosphere of free-flowing ideas and information. TKA teams on the ground in hospitals in Northern California mobilized to build over 1,200 3D-printed face shields to distribute to local health groups.

Key Learning: No one knows what the “new normal” will look like. Consider innovations or process improvements that make your business stronger in the long run, even in a non-COVID era.

Knowledge Advisory Group

As a business that works almost entirely with nonprofits to analyze their data and guide business decisions, Knowledge Advisory Group was presented with a unique opportunity when a large portion of their client-base was forced to close their doors due to COVID-19. A local children’s museum came to Knowledge Advisory Group for help polling their members to see what it would take to return to the museum and when they would feel comfortable doing so. Knowledge Advisory Group designed and sent a survey that was able to outline the current landscape and how the museum could best reengage with their audience. Because of the financial restraints placed upon the museum and the business disruption caused by COVID-19, Knowledge Advisory Group performed this work pro bono, being a true champion for those in need during this difficult time.

Key Learning: You’re in business because you have a unique set of skills. Use these skills and your strengths to help your customers in new and creative ways.

In a time where we constantly hear stories of calamity and chaos stemming from this pandemic, we are proud to partner with and support the organizations that are doing their part to help us all navigate this crisis. It reinforces our commitment to our clients, our team, and our community to work towards making a positive impact. The work of this select group is inspiring but there is much left to do. We hope these stories of action and innovation are the impetus for positive change in your personal and professional life.

Pandemic Positivity: Silver Linings in Dark Times

I wouldn’t say I’m a morning person, but I do have a very consistent morning schedule. Each day I set my alarm for 5:45 and wake up promptly to the dulcet tones of my alarm clock gently beckoning me toward endless possibilities… before invariably pressing “snooze” once or twice and actually waking up closer to 6:15. When I do get up, like any good millennial, the first thing I do is roll over and check my phone. I unlock my device and go straight to my New York Times app to read the news.

Starting in mid-March, my skim of the morning news transformed from trying to stay abreast of relevant political, social, and sports related happenings and became a depressing trudge through trauma and terror. Each day, I was bombarded with another volley of the tragic details surrounding the pandemic, the personal and corporate disruption it has caused, and the catastrophic ruin it has brought to economy and our sense of safety. My morning check-ins turned into hourly examinations as I tried to remain stoic in the face of this unprecedented horror, but like so many others, it soon became too much to handle and the fear started to creep in.

One night, as I sat across from my partner and enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked meal (something we rarely did before all this started) this growing fear and stress led to the genesis of an idea. We would no longer empower the pandemic by expressing our sorrow or despair during this climate, no more negatives at all, in fact. Instead, for the rest of the night we would only share positives that came from our new quarantine-necessitated routine.

We spent the next hour talking about all of the silver linings and bright spots we had been fortunate enough to experience in this new normal that we wouldn’t have had a chance to encounter otherwise. We smiled about having more time with each other and our dog-child Leo, purchasing and enjoying a new spin-bike for the home gym, and all of the great recipes we had tried. The celebration of these unexpected joys shed light on a new perspective of which to view the pandemic through.

After that night and the positive mood shift that it brought me, I suggested the idea to the rest of the Dotted Line team and extended it to our clients and others in our network as well, hoping that if it could provide some solace, even for a moment, it would be worth it. The responses that came back were awesome.

“I’m most appreciative of this feeling that we’ve gone back to a simpler time where we value community — albeit socially distanced. My kids are spending their afternoons outside, right until the last second before dinner is served. It’s reminding me of the power of a strong network and the emotional relief it provides.”

“I’m spending less money and time on frivolous things. I’ve found joy in the simple things in and around my home — like sitting in the sun on my patio, enjoying nighttime fires, playing worship music, and having church outside!”

“Having more time to just slow down. I’m no longer rushing from one thing to the next. I’ve started to enjoy running again and have been getting to know my neighbors better.”

“I’ve been able to connect more with friends who I otherwise wouldn’t have, via FaceTime dates. Life can get so busy and it’s rare that we slow down, so it’s been nice to refocus on connecting with friends.”

“I have seen and talked to many neighbors I never knew in the 12 years I have lived in my house… I have had some of the best most open conversations with other small business owners that I would not have otherwise had. And, I have seen and experienced people pulling together to help one another in meaningful ways.”

“My father-in-law keeps sheepishly telling me that he is going to miss his commute to work. He works in California and his drive is now half as long as it used to be.”

All of these silver linings are individual to those who found them, but many contain parallels and describe an enhanced sense of community, camaraderie, self-care.

We all want to return to a time that feels a bit more normal – but meanwhile our team at Dotted Line is taking solace in this brilliant sense of community and compassion that has developed as a result of this pervasive darkness. To truly understand this moment, in all its complexity, we owe it to ourselves to celebrate our silver linings, and where appropriate, work towards incorporating them into the new normal that’s sure to come. Now’s the time to take stock, before our busy lives begin to pick back up. Once we emerge from this challenging environment, what souvenirs will you and your organization choose to carry with you?

Navigating a Pandemic with the Support of Your Team

As the Account Director at Dotted Line, I have the privilege of being a champion for both our clients and our team. During these unprecedented times, that means listening often, checking in frequently on more than the status of work, and trying to offer support at the other end of a Zoom call. While there is no rulebook or YouTube tutorial for how to best navigate a global pandemic – believe me I’ve looked – what I’ve learned is sometimes the best guidance and solace comes from the support of your team.

While acknowledging the oddity of our situation, as a person who likes to have a plan, wading through these uncertain times is a wholly uncomfortable experience. As I often do in instances where the path feels a little shaky, I found myself turning to the experts and came across a Brené Brown podcast that really captured my emotional response to this experience in a way that only a nationally accredited author could; we are in what Brené calls a FFT (freaking first time). And during this wobbly FFT, we all need a collective reality check. We don’t know how to do this, we’ve never done it before and we’re not going to have all the answers. But we need to realize that is all right. Reconsider your expectations and rely on the support of your team to get through.

Even with this understanding, this pandemic is indiscriminate – it affects everyone personally and professionally. Like so many other organizations, Dotted Line is facing new challenges every day; adapting to new routines and schedules, juggling parenting and working from home, and trying to figure out if we have always looked this tired or if that is just the camera adding bags under our Zoom-overloaded eyes. Things we previously took for granted, such as morning coffeeshop catch-ups, brainstorming sessions in the bullpen and popping by someone’s office for a quick question, are becoming magnifications of just how impactful those in-person touchpoints are and how severely they are missed in this “new normal.” But through the ebbs and flows of each day, the one constant thing that keeps pushing me to do more, both as a team member and a leader within our organization, has been the people I’m constantly cheering for and supporting – our team.

At Dotted Line, amidst all the uncertainty, we’ve continued to stay connected, add new motivational elements, build in surprises for our team with kind gestures, and push to help our clients and community above and beyond the normal call of duty. While it was difficult to know exactly what to do or where to start, we just decided to trust that if we stayed committed to our mission – and to one another – we would emerge from this situation for the better. Below are a few efforts and gestures our team has made and the impact they have had on our business and culture:

Team Zoom calls that resulted in a brainstorm for a future Dotted Line Tik Tok, April Fools jokes to remind everyone not to take the day too seriously and the constant reminder that someone inevitably is still on mute when they start to talk.
- Remember that the office banter and sidebar conversations that had you laughing for no reason can still happen! We’re proof of that.
Helping Celebrate RVA with a campaign to continue supporting their mission to give children a memorable birthday during uncertain times.
- Recognizing that families and children will be affected in ways that those of us without children can’t even imagine. Being able to help an organization working to do good gave us all a smile.
Sharing personal COVID-19 wins and fails during an agency meeting – telling stories of learning how to do fractions, still trying to track down toilet paper and enjoying more time with family and neighbors.
- It’s the vulnerability and honesty that signifies a human connection no matter how far apart we are.
Hosting a surprise birthday party for two team members by inviting everyone to a “fake meeting.”
- Taking the time to celebrate one another and the milestones that continue to happen even while we’re apart.
Sending our team gift cards for Door Dash to help make family mealtime a little less stressful.
- While we can’t eat together or try the new restaurant down the street, we can remember that mealtime should be shared and treasured and we can support local businesses that need it most, while we do it.

No one can say when this pandemic will be a thing of the past and what our world will look like when it is, but while we’re going through it together, we need to focus on how we can make the most of our opportunities as a unit. When approaching a crossroads or a difficult proposition, have faith in what got you to where you are and rely on the support of your team to get you through. If that’s the guiding principal and compass rose we are all using, more often than not, good things will come out of even the darkest of situations.

Moving Toward Better: My Interview for Greenhouse Culture’s Podcast

“There’s rarely a straight line from here to better. But there’s usually an arc. The slog won’t last forever. And winning streaks aren’t endless, either. As we move through time, we’re often presented with opportunities that are carefully disguised as problems. And every day, we’re forced to make a choice. The default might be to hold back, but it’s not the only option. The chance to move toward better can become a habit.” – Seth Godin

When I look back at the major shifts I’ve experienced over my life, both personal and professional, the cause wasn’t a single decision or audacious goal that propelled me forward. It was the collection of small, oftentimes daily, decisions I made as a result that had the greatest impact. I love Seth Godin’s quote because it talks about the power of habits as the catalyst for moving toward better—habits, compounded over time, making a world of a difference.

In a recent interview for Greenhouse Culture’s podcast, I shared parts of my journey in starting Dotted Line and the three small, yet impactful, habits that have served me best through the ups and downs.

To set the stage, the idea for Dotted Line started years before I officially formed the company. I grew up in a family of small business owners. My grandfather, who owned an oil and gas company in a rural part of Virginia, held strong beliefs around business purpose and community enhancement, and I grew up with conversation about the subjects taking place frequently in my home.

I have often written and spoken about the impact his funeral had and how it shaped me as a leader. I have vivid memories of listening to the hundreds of attendees share stories about how he used his business, leadership, and resources to enrich their lives. Those stories, coupled with the behavior I bore witness to, are like a north star for me and how I run Dotted Line.

In the six years since the company’s inception, our team has grown and I’ve experienced my own opportunities for learning, personal growth, and leadership. Much of that type of growth starts with small habits. For me, moving toward better starts with better management of my time and the way I think.

Learning to manage stressors and distractions.

Throughout the day, distractions come up—childcare questions, team member challenges, sales prospect requests—so it’s important to have a system in place to put them aside for the moment and focus on the task at hand. I do that by allocating time in my schedule to work through just those sorts of challenges. And because the time is already on my calendar, I know they won’t build up and become a source of stress.

Setting intentions at the start of every day.

I used to think this was hokey, but now I’m hooked. Spending five to 10 minutes thinking through my schedule at the start of every day also helps me maintain perspective. I think through the ways I can be bold, drive excellence, and show up for those around me. I also jot down some of my responses to these themes. At the end of the day, I look back to see what progress (or sometimes lack of progress) I made.

Making time to think and dream big.

This is such a big one that people miss! It gives me a future to look forward to and keeps me energized in my work as I know I’m moving toward bigger, better things ahead. At Dotted Line, when we’ve looked to launch a new program or venture, this dedicated time has given me the space to think through all the possibilities without being interrupted.

When things feel out of control (like in a pandemic) or if I feel stuck (often because I’ve gotten caught up in things that aren’t part of the big picture), it’s hard to focus on moving toward better. I have found that this time at home the last few weeks can eat me up if I don’t maintain a focus on my small habits. So if you’re looking for ways to make the most of our current situation, I encourage you to think about one or two small habits you can start today that could have a lasting impact, far beyond a pandemic.

Onboarding in a Global Crisis

In 2019, HR tech company Hibob conducted a study that revealed an illuminating fact; 64% of new employees are less likely to feel welcome if they experience a poor onboarding process. Making things even more dire, only 12% of companies are seen as having positive, repeatable onboarding procedures. Having experienced onboarding in a wide swath of industries from financial compliance to specialized polymer sales, I can personally attest to these sentiments. I lead with this data to suggest that Dotted Line had their work cut out for them when bringing me on as an account manager just days before COVID-19 disrupted seemingly every normal business practice.

Onboarding can be a bear for an organization and take an emotional toll on new hires in normal circumstances. In novel and adverse environments like this, the task of joining a new team and assimilating into their culture seems herculean in nature. But with ample compassion, transparency, and vulnerability from Dotted Line, I have been a able to experience a truly complete and accepting onboarding process, while going through one of the most alarming crises my generation has witnessed.

I have now been with Dotted Line for 26 days, only five of which were spent in the office. Luckily, all five took place in the first week and allowed me to have some semblance of normalcy before it was stripped away with the growing severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated closures of out-of-home workplaces. Before my first week was in the books, it was determined that we would work from home for the next two weeks. Our imposed seclusion was then extended to four weeks. Then, upon the Governor’s recommendation, our target date to return to the office moved another 10 weeks, into mid-June.   It took a great amount of self-regulation and introspection for me to appreciate the difference between adapting to a new work environment and adapting to the new universal constraints of the pandemic. I continued battling these competing thoughts until I allowed myself to fully appreciate Dotted Line’s continued support for its employees and clients. This concept of unity and togetherness sparked a notion that the storm on the horizon presented an opportunity for our growing team, as opposed to an insurmountable problem. It helped me realize I wasn’t the only one trying to find my way in a new environment. Everyone was adopting new practices and learning together how to operate within this “new normal”.

That realization eased my remaining anxiety stemming from being the “new guy”. Accepting that each day was new for everyone, I no longer felt trepidation when suggesting a solution, offering advice, or volunteering to take on work. Where previously I may have tried to avoid stepping on toes, I was now eager to prove that I was willing and able to contribute, however I could.

Not every organization will be as accepting and encouraging as Dotted Line has been during this crisis, but what they were able to orchestrate and manufacture from a genuine care of their employees, clients, and community has been a true blessing for me. Every day since I began this role, I have taken time to appreciate how fortunate I am to have a job that can operate effectively while working from home and that I have a manager and team supportive of both my business practices and my personal and emotional health. The number of “check-ins” and assurances facilitated by management and the operations team at Dotted Line has been as comforting as it was unexpected.

As I look ahead to next week, next month, and even next year, I don’t know how the pandemic will affect our business, others’ businesses, or the world around us, but I know exactly how our team will approach each and every day – together, as a unit that cares deeply for each other, our clients, and our community. For that, I could not be more proud of being part of this great team and am extremely thankful for them and the opportunity they have afforded me amidst a very trying time I otherwise would have had to navigate on my own.

Why we must sharpen our communication skills during crisis

As marketers, we always talk about the power of words and the need for brands to choose them wisely. But as the world shifts into crisis mode with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, words and their consumer impact are heightened and being felt more intensely. And as operations leaders turn their focus towards implementing organizational shifts to enable remote workers, marketers will need to carry the load creating measured communications to their most important constituents – customers and business partners. But what does that mean for your organization and how should you go about building what is already a nuanced message remotely? We’ve come up with several considerations for marketers.

Know who you are

Organizational branding runs the gamut – anywhere from a light touch with a simple name, logo and mission to a more thoroughly expressed identity with brand guidelines that include set typography, color families and clearly defined values and employee behaviors. Regardless of what your organization has in place, the common thread among organizations that effectively communicate is that they know what they do well, and they have a set of core phrases they use consistently to convey their value. And those descriptors don’t stop at the what – the what is easy and often quite evident. Effective communicators focus on the why.

Think of the why as the roots system for an organization’s communications. When a wild wind (or pandemic) threatens to uproot the tree, its roots ground the message and serve the audience’s needs, reinforcing its value. Conversely, when we stray from what the audience needs and expects, the roots are unearthed and the message is more likely to be lost, because we didn’t provide that value.

Contextualize but Stay True to Who You Are

As COVID-19 expands indiscriminately, we are all feeling its impact. But simply because we’re all experiencing the same event doesn’t make us all experts. As organizations begin to contextualize their brand message for the current crisis and its impact on priority audiences, remember to stick to what you know, the areas where you excel and the information your audience has come to expect from you.

For instance, if you are a consumer brand that produces cleaning supplies, stick to your knowledge of the product and your organization’s why. Straying to related but tangential topics, for instance human tendencies surrounding hoarding of cleaning products in times of crisis, is not part of your wheelhouse and has the potential to fall flat, or even worse disappoint your audience. Preach what you know and lean into that…but try to avoid overstepping. It’s a fine line.

As you begin to find that fine line for your organization, be aware of your consumers’ sensitivity as they work through their own anxiety and figure out their new normal. While humor is oftentimes an incredibly effective tool, at least for the immediate future, it should be used with great care. Also, bear in mind that delivery is central to whether a joke lands or falls flat. It’s hard to show inflection through the written word and that may very well dampen your delivery, or worse yet, offend your audience.

Get Internal Alignment

Once you’ve reexamined your areas of excellence and the expectations of your audience, take the necessary time to socialize your thinking with senior leadership. Various key roles – the CEO, the COO, your people officers – will process this event from a different lens, so it’s helpful to collaborate and understanding the problem and its most affected audiences from various perspectives. After that exercise, develop a simple, focused message that reiterates your why, bridges the gap on how that may change during this crisis and identifies the means by which your audience can communicate with you in this new normal. Circle back with your team to ensure you’ve hit on the key messages, and then you’re ready for an external audience.

Lend a Human Element

There are several funny memes and a piece from the NY Times that talk about how extroverts are struggling with the isolation of social distancing. And while they’re made in jest to help lighten the mood during these trying times, the message is important. We will NEED each other in order to get through this mess. And while that won’t be face to face for quite some time, brands owe it to themselves and their audience to take this time to develop real relationships and create ways in which to connect in meaningful ways. That can be in the form of humanizing the people from your organization – giving a face to a voice people hear on a regular basis – or creating digital opportunities to operate as a community. Not only will these events strengthen your connection with your customers, but it will provide a real benefit to their peace of mind, something we can all use a little help with.

Organizations are still in the early days of navigating what it means to operate in a COVID-19 era. But as we turn the page on a second week of working from home, and prepare for what could be several more weeks of a digital-first interactions, it’s critical that we spend the time now, if we haven’t already done so, to make sure we communicate with care and lead with the needs of our audience, first and foremost.