My Big Question #2

I've posted a few times  here and here about the first of two audience polling questions on the biggest barriers to improving marketing and BD effectiveness. I introduced these questions at a recent panel discussion featuring CMOs at an annual conference of law firm senior marketers and marketing partners. I’d estimate there were more than 150 people in our session.   

The second audience polling question was: What is the most difficult barrier you face in leading autonomous professionals to accept forward-thinking marketing and business development changes? 

(You may wonder why this question was posed as if marketers and business developers are not themselves autonomous professionals! But that’s a discussion for another day…)

Here are the conference's “Leading Autonomous Professionals toward Change” answers. 

• General resistance to change = 36%
• My function is marginalized (i.e., viewed with skepticism) = 20%
• An atmosphere of short-term thinking = 17%
• Unrealistic expectations for what can be done = 27%

What would your responses be to this same survey?  If you'd like to add your own voice to this poll, click here to answer these questions.  Once I get enough responses I'll blog about it.  

PSF and B2B marketers and BDers are under continual pressure to improve their firms’ effectiveness. But they are also under extreme pressure to overcome people’s general resistance to change and practitioners’ sometimes unrealistic expectations for their work. Clearly any kind of forward-thinking change -- even one toward effectiveness -- must be a collaborative effort, with shared accountabilities and co-leadership.

My big question to you is this: who should start leading forward-thinking changes first –- the practitioners or the marketing/BD professionals? Add your comments to this post and let us know.

I’ll share my own opinion on Monday April 20.