COACHING
Making Marketing Great Again Part Two
By Thrity Engineer-Mbuthia
In the first part of Making Marketing Great Again , we looked at the internal environment - the marketer . Why is it that some marketers seem to take action ? We do know that a strategy without execution is pretty worthless . The most interesting thing about human beings is not related to the amount of knowledge they have or the experience they possess . It is actually related to a Latin word ‘ movere ’ which refers to movement . The word itself - motivation - is used in many conversations , referring to people who have motivation or to those who have none .
Motivation can be explained as an internal force that gets you moving towards a particular direction . Motivation can be thought of on a scale where on one end , there is low force or motivation and on the other end there is a high level of force or motivation . One can also visualize it in the form of a drive or a need for change that compels one to move in a different direction . There are plenty of theories of motivation studied and discussed by scholars of various disciplines . Both marketing and leadership students want to understand motivation in terms of how to derive the best from teams and co- workers . It also helps to understand consumer behavior .
But what about self-motivation ? That ability to motivate or drive oneself is sometimes the most challenging of all . Waiting for external factors often referred to as extrinsic factors means you the marketer are relying on a pay increase , a promotion or a promise of a great future , all of which are important as part of your career but is there more ! Self-motivation is defined by different authors as the ability to do what you need to do , to move to where you want to be , no matter what the obstacles . The obstacles can be imagined or real but overcoming them and overcoming fear related to these obstacles is what self-motivation is all about .
What has self-motivation got to do with making marketing great again ? Understanding elements that go hand in hand with self-motivation like resilience , hard work , perseverance and having vision all contribute to making world class marketers . These skills help a marketer grow and stretch beyond what they thought they could do , to achieve greater heights . All the challenges thrown at you , in the previous article ( https :// joom . ag / eNEC ) cannot be achieved by the author telling you what to do . It must come from within you . You the marketer have to want to contribute to the marketing profession . You the marketer have to want to identify a mentor or a coach to walk on this career journey with you . You the marketer have to want to participate in giving back to the profession by being a role model .
What motivates you ? I have been recently following the progress of an entrepreneur who is totally motivated and driven . What makes this person wake up every morning and move towards their goals ? The single most important thing I was able to pick out was having a vision . What is your vision ? What does it look like ? Can you see it in your mind ’ s eye ? Perhaps you have a vision board that captures the look and feel of your vision .
As a marketer challenged to make marketing great again , what ’ s your vision for this ? Allow me to share mine . My vision for making marketing great again , is to inspire marketers to embrace excellence . Excellence in the way you carry yourself , you build your brand and of course excellence in the professional activities you carry out . To see the marketing profession recognized and appreciated . To see marketers work together with many other specializations , to deliver value to customers and growth for organizations . To see the marketing profession properly regulated where we encourage those who want to learn marketing to do so , and remove quacks damaging our professional reputation .
It needs to start with each of us . Selfmotivation that will make each of us stand up , stand out and be proud of the marketing profession . Do you believe it is possible for you to make a difference ? It starts with you putting aside all the negative thoughts like I don ’ t have enough experience , or I don ’ t work with big brands or I don ’ t have professional qualifications . The next step is for you to really want to be motivated to make the difference . This requires a good hard look at the emotional investment . What is the level of emotion you feel about the marketing profession ? Is it something you just know you have to do and you can feel it in your bones ? Then is the ever important question - what is in it for me ? What will you gain if you contribute to making marketing great again ? I would say it would help you build your personal brand . It would allow your colleagues to see what you stand for and what value proposition you bring to the profession .
Do I have all the answers ? Of course not . Do I know how we are going to do this ? I have some ideas but I need your help to do it . I need the help of each and every marketing organization and any other body involved in marketing - in digital , advertising , PR , branding , communications , strategy , content creation and many more . We all need to come together to drive this single agenda of being recognized as qualified professionals . It is only together that we can Make Marketing Great Again . I love my profession - I am a proud marketer and I want to help both businesses and individuals flourish and succeed . In doing so , we can make marketing great again . Will you join hands with me ?
Thrity Engineer-Mbuthia is a seasoned marketing professional and a personal development coach . Want to build your leadership skills ? Drop her a line at : Mycoach @ thrityengineer . org for a free virtual 30 minute coaching consultation .
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