We all look back at our younger selves with a mix of “eek” and “yikes.” And I couldn’t help but wonder if that is the case for even the most successful people. Do the top leaders have advice for their younger selves?
So I asked them to tell us. Over the past two months, I’ve had podcast conversations with ten incredible CMOs, from Raja Rajamannar of Mastercard to Nicole Parlapiano of Tubi about the advice they wish they’d had earlier in their careers.
The biggest takeaway wasn’t about regrets or rewrites. It was perspective and grace and growth. Not one person wanted to undo their path, but each of them could clearly see the things they once obsessed over that just don’t matter anymore. That’s the power of time, experience, and a bit of self-compassion. So here’s what you can learn from some marketing greats.
1. Patience over perfection.
Most people I spoke to said they got upset in their early days and put so much pressure on each decision. And with the benefit of time, they now look back and realize that those decisions are less important, and that learning, curiosity, networking were what those days were for. A lot of my guests said they pushed too hard for success. Take Christine Maguire, VP at Tripadvisor, who told me that she was working so intensely early in her career that her hair started falling out. It wasn’t until then that she realized the cost of constant hustle and the importance of prioritizing rest.Nicole Parlapiano the CMO at Tubi shared that her career didn’t hit its stride until her mid-thirties. “I felt like everyone else was moving faster than me,” she said. Her advice? “Be freaking patient.”
2. Your Path Doesn’t Have to Make Sense to Anyone Else
Your path is your path, not your college roommates or your rich uncles. The more you compare, the more you despair. And having a non linear path can make you a more interesting executive.. Nicole Parlapiano of Tubi on her bio said “Mine’s absolute chaos, war zone, and it’s hard to explain, but I think it’s what makes me good. I’ve been a bunch of different places, working for a bunch of different people. I always, I haven’t always, been a marketer and and. And although it doesn’t look good on paper, I think in practice, it works well, because I’ve forced myself to be in a lot of uncomfortable positions in a lot of different companies.”
Raj Register, CMO of Stellantis, talked about her non linear path from engineering to marketing helped her to be a much more well-rounded executive. “It helps me as a leader be more sound with my decision making because I’m not thinking just in the moment.”
So own your own path, it’s uniquely yours, and that’s enough. Give yourself the grace to grow at your own pace.
3. Sometimes You Just Have To Jump
One theme continued to come up with these leaders, and that was that you have to be willing to take a risk.
Paulie Dery, CMO of AG1, put it perfectly: “You can be the best, or you can be the worst, but you can’t be in the middle.” Middle of the road energy is not where magic happens.
Marissa Solis, SVP of Marketing at the NFL, told me, “If you’re not taking risks, you’re staying stuck.” The biggest breakthroughs, she said, happen just outside your comfort zone.
And Christine Maguire of Tripadvisor said the key to growth is letting yourself feel “out over your skis” where you have that scary moment that you’re not quite sure you’re ready. That’s where the biggest growth happens.
The takeaway for many of these leaders is that playing it safe is overrated. The people at the top are the ones who got comfortable being uncomfortable and kept going.
4. Stay curious. That’s your edge
A lot of us give up our childlike curiosity as we grow older. The Buddhists have a concept called beginner’s mind, or the idea that you approach everything as if you’re seeing it for the first time. It seems like that mindset might be one of the biggest advantages in business and life. Vinny Rinaldi of Hershey said “My curiosity drives me every day. I never stop asking questions and looking for new insights, whether at work or in my personal life.”
And Dr. Marcus Collins of University of Michigan and author of For The Culture says that “Curiosity is the key to innovation. If you’re not curious, you’ll miss out on the next big thing.”
5. Follow Great People
Vibes matter. Teams matter. Leadership really matters. A lot of the marketers I spoke with said they spent too much time early in their careers chasing titles, big-name brands, or roles that looked great on paper. But over time, many came to realize that magic happens when you work with people who inspire you, challenge you, and genuinely have your back.
Natalie Lennox of Delta kept it simple: “Follow great people.”
Raja Rajamannar, CMO of Mastercard, reminded me that help is usually just a question away: “People are normally good, they want to help. If somebody is reaching out and says, ‘Hey, I need your help,’ they’re willing to help. Absolutely. People are basically fundamentally good.”
It’s not always about the title. It’s about the energy in the room, the leaders who want you to grow, and the people who light you up.
6. Closing:
After talking to these leaders I realized that they are not handing out shortcuts, but sharing lessons they have learned after falling down and getting back up again. The best advice I have learned is not about funnels or campaigns or ads, but about the joy and tragedy of being a human.
Their answers resonated with me because I too have had to learn things the hard way. I’ve been impatient. I’ve pushed too hard or not hard enough. I’ve made mountains out of molehills and convinced myself of how important it all was. I got fired at 23 because I didn’t understand that you can’t act like the boss before you’ve earned the right to lead. Every leader I sat with felt the same way at some point. So here’s the advice they shared that I think we could all treasure.
As you ponder what you would tell your younger self, ask yourself if you are listening now? Because the answers are probably already there. You just have to give yourself permission to seek them.
Lauren Douglass is the founder of Reverve agency and host of the “Permission to Seek” podcast, where she interviews CMOs and senior marketers about creativity, leadership, and navigating change.
This article originally appeared on Reverve.xyz and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org
Featured Image Credit: Inside Creative House/Istockphoto.
