Psst… You’re the Problem!

Why the biggest obstacle in your career might be you

This week’s Sunday Blog is inspired by the many conversations I had during Advertising Week with CMOs, CROs, and business leaders who are either looking for new roles or trying to stay ahead during this challenging time. Change is happening everywhere, and companies are seeking new leaders who can adapt to the market and transform businesses, teams, and themselves. I hope the below is helpful for those looking for an insider’s take, drawn from the confidential conversations I’ve been having with CEOs and boards about what they’re looking for from their leaders.

Our Field Notes interview this week is with Babs Rangaiah, a former executive leader turned executive coach. Babs speaks openly about what he’s seeing leaders struggle with, how to be a change agent, and what drove his own career shift. This is a must-listen interview if you want to maintain your edge in the age of AI.

I love industry events, and I hate them at the same time. I love them for the networking, seeing old friends, and talking shop. I hate them because there’s often too much self-promotion on the big stages and not enough practical learning.

The events and conversations I find most useful today are the smaller ones, like the dinners and roundtables, where people tend to let down their guard, talk more openly, and have meaningful conversations instead of trying to sell their products or themselves.

We’re in a time of uncertainty, where nobody really knows what the future holds, which can be exciting for some yet daunting for many.

Today’s Business Reality

• The political and business climate is leaving both individuals and leaders uncertain.

• CEOs and boards are being more conservative in their investments and hiring decisions.

• Rightsizing or downsizing is happening. CMOs and marketing teams are being heavily impacted as there’s a growing narrative that AI should deliver cost savings while also driving growth.

• Many leaders talk about AI, but few have personally taken the steps to fully dive into the technology to understand its value and implications—or how to integrate it into their workflows.

• New companies with young leaders are scaling faster than ever before.

• Large-scale, established organizations are struggling to navigate change, and many leaders inside these companies either aren’t equipped for the challenge or lack influence.

• Managers earlier in their careers are often closer to the technology and clients but lack the leadership skills needed to drive transformation.

• The echo chamber is getting louder, as like-minded individuals—who work in the same industries or disciplines—huddle closer together for comfort instead of seeking new ways to perform and deliver.

Five Things You Can Do Right Now for Your Career

1. Become a Polymath. Go beyond owning your own discipline to understand the full enterprise opportunity. Respecting and learning how CFOs and CEOs think—and how they drive the organization forward—will allow you to bring more value to your company and teams, and become more influential and indispensable to the business.

2. Get AI Fluent. High-level discussions on AI aren’t enough. Start experimenting and personally discover how new technologies can reshape your business.

3. Expand Your Network. Your network has never been more important for learning and career building. Go beyond your industry and peers. Seek out people and companies in different industries that can teach you new ways of approaching business and problem-solving.

4. Lean Into Your Strengths and Understand Your Growth Areas. Stop focusing only on climbing up the ladder—growing horizontally is equally important. Take time to assess where you’re best and lean into that. This moment is an opportunity for learning, stretching yourself, and staying relevant. The way to keep an edge is to be a hungry learner.

5. Know What You Don’t Know. Stop posturing. It’s OK to be in learning mode—we all are. But be authentic about that. Ask questions and lean into this moment.

Smart Things, from Smart People, I Heard This Week

Because of the confidential nature of my business and the forums I attended, I can’t share who said what, but these are some of the smartest things I heard this week that I hope will be helpful for you:

• Where is AI impacting business? I don’t know.

• How will AI deliver a return to investors? Advertising.

• The CMO/CFO relationship is fractured. In an outcomes era, that can change.

• If you move fast, you’ll be fine. If you don’t, you’ll be dead.

• Great leadership means a focus on team, a drive for results, and leaning forward into transformation.

• People who love change and are flexible and resilient are what’s needed now.

• The team you start with is not the team you’ll end with.

• The C-suite is not aligned on how to use AI.

• Agents are only as good as the data layer they’re tapping into.

• You must have a “frontier mindset.”

• The rate of technology adoption and comfort is not there.

• You have to disrupt yourself. You are the problem.

It’s a lot to take in, but remember, the playing field just got even. Nobody has an advantage right now. We’re all at the beginning of something new.

Embrace this time. Don’t run from it. Don’t be scared. Be excited. Be curious. Lead, and learn.

Everyone has greatness in them, and Babs Rangaiah helps people find it and use it to create impact. After a career leading marketing at Unilever, IBM, and ViacomCBS, Babs now coaches executives to uncover their potential, navigate change, and lead with purpose. In this conversation, Babs shares what he sees leaders struggling with today and what it takes to lead in this new era.

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Talent + Tech

A weekly roundup of leadership, tech, and talent

WHAT TO READ: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful. This is an oldie but a goodie and still very relevant!

WHO TO FOLLOW: Kathleen Hogan is the Chief People Officer at Microsoft. Follow her to get firsthand insights into how one of the world’s largest organizations continually transforms its culture to stay innovative. Her posts and talks reveal how leaders can drive large scale change by pairing empathy with accountability, offering essential lessons for anyone navigating transformation at enterprise scale.

START TO LISTEN: Airbnb’s Brian Chesky in Handcrafted, Masters of Scale will reinforce how important it is to get your hands dirty and stay close to the customer. Leaders talk about this concept quite a bit but few leaders, when they get to the top, remember this. Listen to this podcast for a good reminder.