From Marketer to Growth Leader: A Quick Survival Guide For Modern CMO
>> Here is a teaser for an upcoming article for a well-known publication: As a exec coach, coaching CMOs and CGOs and held both titles, I pull coaching sessions, FAQs from founders and from my experience, want to discuss any DM me on LinkedIn or get in touch here.
The Chief Marketing Officer title is on precarious ground. Across industries, it's being rebranded, downgraded, or replaced entirely by the Chief Growth Officer (CGO).
This isn't a mere change in nomenclature; it's a fundamental shift in expectation. Businesses no longer need executives who simply run campaigns; they demand leaders who architect revenue.
For Marketing leaders, the message is clear:
Evolve or risk becoming obsolete
The core of this evolution lies in a critical mindset shift.
Your primary role in the C-suite is that of a business executive, not just a department head.
The company's overarching needs must supersede departmental agendas. The disconnect for many marketers happens when they operate in silos, chasing disconnected objectives rather than aligning every action with the ultimate goal of sustainable growth. The CGO title formalises this alignment, signalling a strategic transformation focused on the entire business lifecycle.
To bridge the gap between a traditional CMO and a CGO, marketing leaders must proactively develop specific, actionable capabilities. These are the coaching moments that will define your career trajectory:
Master Financial and Data Fluency: Move beyond marketing metrics and immerse yourself in the company's financial data. A CGO doesn't just receive data reports; they analyse the raw numbers, from profit and loss statements to cohort analyses. This allows you to confidently discuss revenue, costs, and forecasts with the executive team, connecting marketing investment directly to business outcomes.
Own the Entire Customer Journey: Your remit no longer ends at generating a lead or a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL). A growth-oriented leader takes radical ownership of the entire customer lifecycle, from initial awareness to long-term retention and advocacy. This means collaborating deeply with Product teams to analyse user behaviour, identifying feature gaps that hinder adoption, and shifting focus from top-of-funnel metrics to maximising Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).
Become a Technology Integrator: A modern growth engine is built on a sophisticated and integrated technology stack. As a leader, you must understand the architecture of these systems, from your CRM and marketing automation platforms to analytics and business intelligence tools. This enables you to work as a true partner with product and engineering, ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place to track, measure, and optimise the entire customer experience.
Build Cross-Functional Influence: True growth is a team sport, and your ability to build alliances and drive alignment across departments is paramount. Silos are the enemy of growth. You must develop the political intelligence and influencing skills to unite sales, product, finance, and customer success around a shared set of growth objectives. This means moving from disconnected operations to a truly integrated, cross-functional model where everyone understands their contribution to revenue.
Engage with External Stakeholders: Your role extends beyond internal management. A CGO often has a direct line to investors and the board of directors. You must be able to articulate the company's growth strategy, report on key performance indicators, and instil confidence in the market. This requires a deep understanding of the business's financial health and strategic priorities.
The path forward demands a critical self-assessment. Here are the questions I ask in coaching sessions:
Are you already operating as a de facto CGO?
Do you drive cross-functional alignment?
Are you deeply embedded in revenue conversations?
Do you obsess over the business metrics that matter beyond your department?
If no to these, now is the time to evolve, before the decision is made for you.
The future of Marketing belongs to leaders who can seamlessly blend the art of brand building with the science of business growth, transforming their function from a “cost centre” into the “revenue engine”.
