Recently I was fortunate enough to attend Digital Branding Analytics Miami (#DBAmiami), a marketing conference organized by Florida International University. Each of the discussions I attended were relevant to my career and education, but Joni Fernandez Marmo’s presentation on “Becoming a Master Leader” really resonated with me. Joni Fernandez Marmo is a marketing and brand strategist, leadership expert, and professor of marketing at Florida International University.
To Fernandez Marmo, leadership means taking on the responsibility of getting things started. Being a market leader means excelling in the dimensions of people, strategy, execution, and purpose. Leadership in marketing becomes the focal point of marketing efforts for many businesses, as well as the only marketing effort for some small businesses. Leadership plays a key role in many ways, including getting buy-ins for digital marketing strategies, coaching and mentoring others to use digital marketing tools, and leveraging data into actionable recommendations. Great leadership comes in many forms – inspired, dominant, empathetic, tenacious, innovative and visionary, among others. There is no one right way to lead, but successful leaders have several things in common: don’t be afraid, be part of the solution (not the problem), don’t overthink, don’t compare yourself to others.
I found this presentation of particular interest to my studies because I have always felt that my leadership skills were a little lacking. I feel I am a great team member but lack the confidence to fully lead. This is a skill that I am working to improve during the remainder of my studies and further on in my professional career.
You can watch her entire presentation here: https://youtu.be/33tlOtN90n4