Are you a CMO or marketing leader looking to uncover your blindspots, build out your team, or improve team chemistry so you can drive engagement and do more with less? If so, you are in the right place. The Birkman Method is a valuable tool that can help a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) become a better leader by providing insights into their personality, needs, and motivations. Understanding one’s behavioral tendencies and those of their team members can enhance leadership skills and contribute to more effective decision-making and team management. Here’s how we have seen the Birkman Method benefit a CMO in their leadership role:

1. Self-Awareness: Do you know how you need to be treated by your boss, peers, and subordinates? The Birkman Method assesses an individual’s personality and behavior, helping the CMO better understand their strengths, stressors, and communication style. Self-awareness is crucial for effective leadership. If you understand your needs, you can better manage your reactions, make informed choices, and lead by example. For example, do you need people to be direct and straightforward with you or do you need more diplomacy and respect? How do you react when you don’t get your need met?

2. Improved Communication: The Birkman Method reveals an individual’s communication style, preferences, and needs. You can use this knowledge to tailor your communication approach to team members’ unique personalities and needs. This leads to more effective and empathetic communication, reducing conflicts and misunderstandings within the marketing team. Do some of your team members need one-on-one interaction instead of group communication? Birkman can help you figure this out.

3. Team Building: A CMO must understand team members’ personalities and motivational needs to build a cohesive and high-performing marketing team. The Birkman Method can help in team selection, allowing the CMO to assemble teams with complementary strengths and personalities. This can lead to increased collaboration and productivity. Once everyone on your team has taken the assessment you can even get customized reports to understand how to improve team chemistry and performance.

4. Conflict Resolution: The Birkman Method provides insights into potential sources of conflict among team members. A CMO can use this knowledge to address conflicts proactively and find solutions that consider the individual needs and preferences of those involved, leading to more harmonious working relationships.

5. Effective Decision-Making: As a CMO, making critical decisions is part of the job. The Birkman Method can assist in making more informed decisions by considering one’s behavioral tendencies and those of team members. This holistic approach to decision-making can lead to better outcomes and a more engaged team. For example, do you need more time and information to make decisions or are you very decisive? Do you get frustrated with team members that don’t match your style? Birkman can provide you with data to help you work through these challenges.

6. Stress Management: Understanding personal stress triggers and team members’ stressors is essential for a CMO to lead a high-performing team. By recognizing the signs of stress and having strategies to manage it, a CMO can create a healthier work environment and ensure that the team remains productive even during challenging times. Birkman helps you understand your needs. For example, if your need for food isn’t met, you are acting your stress behavior. Conversely, if your need for food is met, you are acting in your usual, most productive behavior and people can see the difference.

7. Motivation and Engagement: The Birkman Method can uncover what motivates individuals within the marketing team. CMOs can use this knowledge to tailor rewards, recognition, and career development opportunities to align with their team members’ intrinsic motivators, increasing job satisfaction and engagement. Some team members may be motivated by short-term monetary rewards, while others may be more motivated by praise and long-term rewards.

8. Personal Growth: The Birkman Method is not just a leadership tool but also a tool for personal development. CMOs can use the insights gained to identify areas for growth and development, helping them become more effective leaders over time. Birkman has recently released a series of “Mindset” reports that help you understand your attitudes and how these impact you and the people around you. These attitudes are best explored in a situation such as strategic planning with others on your team. How do you think our “mindset” and the mindset of others impact this task?

9. Crisis Management: In high-pressure situations or crises, a CMO who understands their team’s reactions and needs can provide the support and guidance required to navigate challenges successfully. This is especially true when the organization undergoes many changes in structure, process, personnel, etc. Some people deal well with change, while others do not. If you understand how change impacts your team, you can better guide them through it on an individual level. 

Are you ready to do more with less and improve team chemistry? If so, the Birkman Method can be a valuable resource for a CMO looking to become a better leader. By fostering self-awareness, improving communication, and creating more effective teams, a CMO can build a stronger and more successful marketing department. The insights gained from the Birkman Method benefit the CMO personally and positively impact the entire organization, leading to improved marketing strategies and overall business performance.

To explore further how the Birkman Method can benefit you as a CMO in your leadership role, contact Career Upside today to schedule a free consultation. Visit us on this page to learn more.