Do CEOs simply pick their opposite for marketing?

Building the perfect CU Marketer

I’m not sure how a CEO of a credit union selects a Marketing Director when they have an opening – especially since most CU CEOs come from a dollars and sense background rather than a creative background. Do they simply pick their opposite for Marketing?

Or maybe they hire based on something else entirely. I got one of my earliest jobs just because I wasn’t as tall as the other candidate, and the interviewer was kinda short — it was a very sobering thing to find out a few months into the job that it wasn’t my portfolio or talent that got me the job. But that opportunity launched my career, and it did give me a rather unique perspective on the whole hiring process. Maybe it is the little things that matter more. Maybe there isn’t always a perfect person for the job.

 

But what if you could  “build” the perfect CU Marketer?  Since I have had the pleasure of working with some excellent CU Marketers over the years (some CEOs obviously got it right), I thought maybe I could combine the best qualities of all of them. See if you recognize yourself or others in this list:

1. She’s a whirlwind.
So don’t stand in her way.  She will spend more time away from her desk than at it, with creativity that does not watch a clock. This person has a high level of originality, a strong intuition about what will work, and strong values of what is right. Building a fun brand comes naturally, and good people skills leads to good communication with staff, members and vendors. Possibilities are truly endless to this person, so don’t expect too many details when celebrating the results.

2. He’s everyone’s friend. A true people person, this Marketer understands how strong connections make a strong community of members, and that products need to match up to how members live. Warm-hearted, charismatic and conscientious, this person prioritizes people over procedures.

3. She’s curious.
She cares enough about new ideas that she reads every blog, every book that piques her interest. She shares her ideas with others, sometimes just to get a reaction. She then processes and shares this information in new ways that opens eyes.

4. He’s connected.
And I don’t mean politically. Complex projects fall into place as each piece connects to the prior step. From concepts to layout to media placement, this marketer understands how each part is intertwined, how each part helps meet the strategic goals.

5. She’s motivated.
Self-imposed goals are what drives this marketer more than those handed down from above. Not only is it more satisfying for her to hit new heights, but she looks forward to raising the bar. She knows that it isn’t what you are given that matters. It’s what you do with it.

If you were in charge of building the perfect CU marketer, what other qualities would you add to the list?

Kent Dicken
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