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The Role of an Interim Chief Marketing Officer

Written by: Candace Quinn

Article Overview: Are you considering what to do with your maketing department? Do you have/need a leadership transition? Well read on. Ms. Quinn gives you her perspective on how an Interim CMO might just be the answer. (As featured in Marketing Health Services, Fall, 2008)

The Role of an Interim Chief Marketing Officer

About a year ago, I was handed a wonderful opportunity to explore something more seriously that I had been contemplating for nearly five years. After twenty-five years in service to three different health systems as the senior marketing executive, I had been considering a move to consulting. As I spoke to friends who had made this move and others who had focused their career on consulting, I began to realize the only thing I needed were clients!



In the course of this networking- which is what we call what we do when we don’t know what we want to do- I engaged in a discussion with a long time friend and colleague who is currently the senior executive with a prominent healthcare advertising agency. He began to tell me about his client in a rural Midwest setting. This client is immersed in an all out advertising war. In this small market, the hospital across town is spending millions, aggressively filling the media with superlative messages and simultaneously catering to the physicians in ways previously not employed. My friend’s plea was this… “If I can convince the CEO that he needs your level of strategic insight, would you consider an interim role with his organization?” And, that’s how it began…my life as an interim CMO…



The Transition
For me:
It was a time of transition for me professionally. How hard could this be? After all, twenty five years earlier, I began my career in a hospital about this size, in a very competitive market, only no one was advertising back then. This would be great. I was now the consultant. As a previous system marketing executive, my hospitals always saw me as a consultant…I had held roles that had me both hands on, in every sense…as a marketing executive and as an administrator…and hands off, the corporate executive that managed the in-house staff, but really allowed the hospitals a great deal of autonomy. This new role would be a blend of these former positions.



For the organization:
For twenty-seven years, the administration had counted on the leadership of one individual for marketing. She focused mostly on PR, outreach, promotion and opportunistic advertising. And her fierce loyalty to the team and the organization were evident. However, the hospital leadership realized that more was now needed and with her retirement eminent, it might be the opportunity to look for new talent. The organization’s once stronghold on the local market was eroding and they knew after discussing with their agency that a search for the right candidate would take some time…time they didn’t have.



The decision to go with an Interim Chief Marketing Officer (ICMO) as suggested by the agency did not come easy for this mid-sized hospital. However, after meeting with myself, the CEO saw the potential that my experience represented…I could hit the ground running, contribute to his leadership team and strategy setting, manage a staff, and assist with the search to find a full time replacement. It became clear that this time would not only be a time for transition but also for progress.



About Transitions




The Assessment





This, of course, led the work the engagement would include…and what it wouldn’t. In assessing how much time would be committed to the engagement, the CEO and I discussed the scope of work I would do and the fees I would charge. We settled on a time line, work plan, and fee schedule that worked for both of us. I agreed to step into two roles during the engagement…first, with my senior executive background and hands on experience in complex organizations in competitive markets, he wanted me to join his senior executive leadership team with license to react and comment on everything…uncensored. He saw this as an opportunity to watch his team respond and potentially grow. Secondly, he needed me to sort out the talent (a staff of 9) who each reported to the former director…were they the right nine, was nine the right number, were they doing the right work, etc. He encouraged me to identify an organizational structure I would use and one that would feel manageable by the replacement director. He needed me to craft that director job description, revise and revamp the other job descriptions, and prepare the team for the search. Finally, he needed me to direct the agency and react to the strategy in place.


He also wanted my assessment of his entire organization. He had been with this organization for over 25 years…in fact, he was only the 5th administrator in this organization’s 80 year history. In just a few short weeks, he had come to respect and value the variety of organizations I had either served or observed. What could I tell him about his organization? What seemed to be working? Where could it improve?


The Work of the ICMO




As the ICMO, the work I’ve done has been intended to influence, not set, strategy and see to the day to day continuation of the work of the department. To do that, I have had to understand the roles of the existing team members. My personal goal has been to have no turnover during this transition time. It would not be fair to the individuals, the team, the organization or to the administrator to lose anyone at this point. Yet, as with most leadership transition, you face a work group with trepidations, ambitions, challenges and opportunities.



I began by preparing a set of interview questions (see side bar) to guide my inquiry and I uncovered, much to my delight, a very talented team doing somewhat fragmented work. I found leaders and followers. I used this initial time to learn about them, knowing they’d already formed some opinions of me (twenty five years in the senior role taught me that much!) I shared my goal of no turnover with them. I clearly stated that unless they 1) failed to come to work; 2) refused to try to do the work; 3) violated a major policy; or 4) chose to leave, they’d have a job as long as I was there.
In fact, what ultimately occurred with this team was a reorganization with five promotions and salary adjustments; a realignment of the work and the people along functional lines---aligning skill sets with job assignments; and, so far, no turnover. But, even better has been the personal growth of those promoted, better direction for the staff, and a lighter step in everyone’s walk.


As an ICMO, and in partnership with the staff, we set out to understand the current direction (largely set by the ad agency that brought me the assignment) and assess /translate that into definitive market plans for the major service lines (none of which currently existed). This gave me the opportunity to pass along a set of skills (namely how to facilitate and write a market plan) and engage the service owners and physicians in this work. You see, every service leader and every key physician wanted time with the ICMO…because they all wanted their TV commercial and ad campaign. By convening these market planning sessions, I was able to grant each a voice to express their ideas while at the same time engaging in a dialogue about target audiences, referral sources and aligning market tactics to these audiences. We ALL learned a lot and achieved a consensus on what would guide our work in the coming months.


The Organization




As I member of the hospital leadership team, I initially observed the team and its dynamics, again using inquiry to gain an appreciation of each leader’s skill set and position. Within just a few meetings, I became a regular contributor and challenger. My goal was to help them align their work with the strategic imperative of improved physician relationships. Secondarily, after years of integrating internal and external communications, I saw an opportunity to make stronger ambassadors of the work force…2500 members of this community.



In very little time, the role of the ICMO reached beyond leading marketing as a division and became creating a market impassioned and directed organization. It was shortly after the second thirty days when the CEO proclaimed to the leadership that previously, he had thought he understood marketing but now, he feels relieved to admit he did not; and even more relieved to have this interim leadership to appropriately set the stage for the future. After all, how can we know what we seek or need if we don’t know what it is, or what it looks like?



The Search for the Replacement




This is perhaps the hardest part. How do you step outside of what you bring (the experienced senior marketing leader, over-qualified and over-priced for this role long term) to the organization and describe in realistic terms what this organization needs to be successful? As I worked with this administrator, I assured him the talent was out there; that the organization was a highly desirable one within which to work (as opposed to dysfunctional; some are, as you know, and this makes for a more challenging assignment); and that we could either engage a search firm using the position criteria I had developed or take a stab to find this person on our own…he chose the latter with the caveat that if after 90 days we were not attracting the caliber of candidate we sought, we’d engage a qualified search firm.



As an ICMO, I had an arsenal of industry contacts, including multiple professional associations within which to launch this search. The ICMO’s role in this process is to create a comprehensive, accurate job description; honestly and fairly portray the organization to potential candidates; and prioritize the résumés for consideration. With firsthand knowledge of the organization, not only can the ICMO assess the marketing expertise of the candidates, but he/she can also measure the political sense and sensibilities of the candidates…aligning what’s best for the existing team/staff, who they now know and respect, and who can appropriately add value to and gain the respect of the leadership.



The greatest challenge is to look for the sweet spot where experience meets potential. And, in the role as ICMO, I recognized that choosing well would only add to my credibility and the potential to have a long term consulting client.



I also found myself during the engagement preparing the two teams (staff and leadership) for the search and selection. My responsibility to the staff was to 1) allow them to grow and contribute, and 2) accept a new leader, with a new leadership style; a style that would be different from the former director (100% hands on) and different from mine (80% hands off). This team needed confidence in themselves, exposure to managing (things like budget setting and management, hiring and performance management; decision making and perspective) and realizing that value came both from doing and from leading.



In preparing the leadership, I had to help them move past both the frustration and the comfort they knew from their long term experience with the former director. Her capabilities and competencies had served them well for many years. It was the market that had changed and demanded new skills. They knew and appreciated this on many levels. In this particular transition, the incumbent remained on board for the entire engagement (initial 6 months), essentially using up her PTO and easing into retirement…a challenge for everyone concerned. To her credit (and mine) we settled into a peaceful co-existence and this has allowed her a very graceful exit.

Measuring Success




The ICMO’s success is easily measured. I suggest at the onset, you agree to a definitive set of expectations and priorities; document these with deliverables, timeframes, and parameters. I recommend periodic written reports; especially if the administrator has given you open access to the organization. These reports serve to allow him/her a window into your access points, your observations, and your periodic recommendations. I found that in doing so, when I was in an audience with the CEO, we spent our time on next steps, not on a review of who/what/where. As I have come to learn from a few of these assignments now, and from many years of hands on experience, every leader is different, each having different comfort levels with different amounts of detail. Yet, no matter the level, written documentation is a must.


In the case of finding a successor, measuring the length of the search, the quality of candidates presented, and ultimately the consensus on the final selection is paramount. I offer to my clients a first year, fixed fee, retainer access to me to assist the new placement and to counsel as needed.
The bottom line for the ICMO, if consulting is your passion and the ICMO assignments are the door to that work, is to walk away with both the administrator and the replacement permanent CMO viewing you as the long term partner to the team.


Today


In spite of the plans to hire a new marketing director, and have a full time replacement on board within six months, the hospital organization has decided to keep me in a permanent consulting role that essentially commits me to the organization at 50% to function as their chief strategist. They have expanded the interim role of CMO to include another two areas of focus, and have engaged me in a longer term assignment. As for the search for the next Marketing Director, we have agreed that I will work with the existing staff and hopefully groom someone to step into that role in the coming months.



The other company that has me serving at about 25% as their ICMO will be reviewing the role and the longer term needs of their company later this spring, and together we’ll determine what will be the best approach for the longer term. In their case, I stepped in to help design and mold the CMO role and really put into place some tools and discipline for the permanent function. We have worked together over seven months at this point and have a marketing plan for the organization, a sales strategy and a new client relationship program.


For me, I am able to consult with several clients at once, and the current arrangements allow me to consider further clients for a similar role. With this experience under my belt, I would welcome the next interim CMO opportunity…for my money; it’s the best of all worlds.



Side Bar One: Getting to know the team: How to break the ice

2. What would you do first if you were me?
   Interestingly enough, In the case of the hospital, I learned that the staff had a fairly good understanding of what needed to happen. The team articulated their strengths, the incumbent’s challenges, and the organizational opportunities. You learn very fast if you have hostilities to deal with or any other dysfunctional behaviors.


3. Thinking about the leadership of the department and the discipline, what’s really needed?
   The individuals will frequently either highlight their skill set that went unappreciated by the former person or will highlight what skills seem to be missing altogether. However, be prepared; many don’t know what they don’t know.


4. If you were to reorganize, what would it look like?
   The most common input here reflects a lot about what happened historically around control. Individuals will be able to reflect upon how much control they had or didn’t have, and how that made them feel. They will also share with you their observations about leadership talents among the team members.


5. What are your individual plans…one year, five years?
   Responses here are usually all over the board. You can expect “it depends”; but you don’t have to accept that response. This is really where I had the leader v. follower discussion; educational aspirations; family goals, etc.


6. What is your greatest job satisfier? Dissatisfier?

While you can’t always impact these items, you can get a lot closer to major mismatches in assignments. I was able to make some job assignment tweaks, and after 90 days, the next conversation on this topic looked very different. The CEO had also felt that the team members were doing work that might be better assigned to other areas, but the former director enjoyed those jobs and was reluctant to give them up. He was right.
 
Side Bar Two - The Pro’s and The Con’s for the Professional

Pros:
„« You get to do the work you are trained to do.
„« You get to maintain some variety in your work .
„« You get to actually continue to lead and manage; not just consult.
„« You get to try on an organization for potentially longer term relationships.
„« You get to leave an immediate mark and lasting impression at a time when an organization is most open to what you do.

Cons:
„« The travel can be very demanding.
„« You are often seen as temporary by the people you manage which can lead to problematic situations. It is the “I’ll just outlast her!” philosophy of job performance.
„« You may not have the authority you need to make changes that are critical to the development of the function.
„« You have to be ready to go…it’s temporary, and it can be hard to find your own replacement. The ability to be objective and ready to move on after a short engagement can be emotionally taxing.
„« Without the right support at the top of the organization, you can have challenges with the other leaders in the organization…they can suffer from the same performance behaviors as the staff….we’ll just outlast her. Others can feel threatened that if you’re successful, then who’s next to be replaced by an interim consultant.


Can you give me the 5 things that make up 80% of your work load?
Many team members came armed with two pages of things on their to-do list and what you really need in this circumstance is not the minutia but the 20,000 view of what the team is currently focused on.Many organizations have a good handle on the competitive market within which they operate. In most cases, an ICMO brings a new set of critical eyes to the picture. It’s just like those picture puzzles…one can look and look and not find Waldo….but then a new set of eyes looks at the picture and, aha, there he is leaning up against the building! An ICMO can see trends and patterns emerging that can be less obvious to those immersed in the battle. In the case of the Midwest client I cited earlier, the market was less dire than the team initially assessed. Instead, I could see patterns very geographically distinct and immediately recognized some market opportunities as well as strategic imperatives.Whether the transition of the existing marketing leader/and-or team is planned—retirement, relocation, severance—or unplanned---short notice, death, etc---there is an opportunity locked within the transition itself. Change. The organization has and should take advantage of the opportunity. It’s a time for assessment---where are you? Where were you headed? How’s your brand doing? What’s happening elsewhere in the world with brands like yours?
It’s time to think about the replacement strategy---what do you need? (As a CEO…what’s the skill set that most compliments you). What does your leadership team need? What should the scope of the position include? What are you prepared to pay for this position?
It’s time to consider how the organization will manage during the search…how long will it take? Today, the average search for a senior executive from time of vacancy to time to start can be as long as a year. Who will steer the ship and oversee the team in place? Who will help with longer range planning? Who will help you find the right person?

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Article Tags: chief marketing, cmo, interim marketing leadership, leadership transition, marketing health services



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