Why Leaders Must Articulate Their Vision Clearly
Insights from Delbert, a seasoned marketing leader in consumer brands, now at the helm of a global dating app.
One way leadership unintentionally increases the cost of justification is when they, intentionally or not, don’t fully articulate how and why they are feeling what they are feeling.
I recall speaking to the founder of a fairly mature startup once, where they were asking for marketing advice.
Their main gripe was their “feeling that their marketing is inefficient.”
This was a while back, so while I’ve put this in quotes, it might be 100% verbatim.
Let’s unpack this statement, shall we?
Them having a feeling
Marketing being inefficient
Firstly, feelings are valid as they are a manifestation of one’s gut, and over time, the more experience one gains, the more their feelings are based on something that has yet to be articulated.
However, feelings cannot be the end of it. As a leader, the articulation of that feeling into numbers or any definitive terms is required for it to be actioned. Anything less increases the cost of justification.
Why?
Well, imagine a team trying to suss out why the boss is sceptical about a certain project and, therefore, coming up with multiple defences around it.
Secondly, assessing marketing efficiency should be straightforward. Any business person should be able to make this determination quantitatively.
One can consider LTV/CAC, the percentage spent on marketing, ROAS, MER, etc. The list goes on with how many ways there are to articulate this in a definitive, binary, non-subjective manner.
Ultimately, it is about expectations.
A leader who is unable to articulate why something is inefficient in an objective way does not have clear expectations.
Not having clarity increases the cost of justification.
Lastly, just to be balanced about this, it’s not all on leadership. Marketers should be proactive in articulating why what they are doing is right and will continue to be right for the business.
They should not take for granted that the situation is always dynamic and that what makes sense today might not make sense tomorrow.
About Delbert
Delbert is a brand creator and marketing leader with over 15 years of proven experience in building businesses. He learned the fundamentals of FMCG at P&G, then jumped into a zero-to-one role at a telco startup, and is now scaling an online dating business globally. His expertise lies in strategy, P&L management, brand development, and growth.
