How to Inject Discomfort Into Your Scale Journey

Episode notes

Cynthia Gumbert is the CMO of SmartBear, the ~750-person PE-backed SaaS company that is on a growth tear, serving more and more software developers every day. Cynthia reflects on her transition from VP of Marketing to CMO. We discuss the difference between a marketing-centric mindset and a 'business first, marketing second' mindset. It's this 'business first' mindset that is key for a CMO in scaling mode. That mindset entails putting yourself into the CEO's shoes and thinking about how to help the whole company grow, not just how to grow marketing's results. In other words, change your frame from 'what marketing is doing' to 'what the company is doing.' A big part of scaling is creating discomfort with the status quo. You'll hear these learnings: Expect to hit plateaus as you scale. When you do, ask, “How do we double doing well here?” Hire for 'cultural add' as opposed to 'cultural fit' as you scale… even when that involves overcoming some discomfort. Look for ways to organize to reflect the full arc of the customer experience. In Cynthia's case, she expanded the marketing org to include communities and the training academy, as part of one web and digital experience team.