Bringing me in? How to set me up for success

1. Agree what success looks like

   Agree the target measures from the outset.

2. Be clear about authority and decision rights

   My least successful assignments are ones where I'm expected to recommend changes but not implement them. If you want me to transform your marketing, give me the authority to do it. Be clear from the start if you only want a diagnosis and recommendations.

3. Communicate my mandate

   My most successful assignments are the ones where the business knows why I'm there and what I'll be doing.

4. Act quickly

   Some companies want to onboard me the way they'd bring in a permanent hire. That wastes the first few weeks, when I can ask difficult questions and challenge established thinking.

5. Give me access to everything immediately

   Financial data showing marketing spend and revenue by channel, agency contracts, previous marketing plans and board papers. I need to diagnose problems quickly, and every day spent waiting for information is wasted. Access to systems and data should be sorted before my first day.

6. Front-load stakeholder time

   I need concentrated time with the CEO, CFO, board members (or PE partners) and peers. Not courtesy introductions but proper working sessions to understand what they need from marketing that they haven't been getting. Schedule these before I start.

7. Block time with the team in week one

   Give me unfiltered access to the marketing team and agencies without their current line manager present. I'm often brought in because existing leadership hasn't delivered, and the team needs permission to be honest without feeling disloyal.

Accept that the first month might be uncomfortable. I often need to ask hard questions and challenge established relationships with agencies or team members who aren't performing. That's exactly what you're paying for, and companies that try to soften it waste the value of bringing me in.

If this hasn't put you off, contact me to find out more.