Marketing Today with Alan Hart

341: What Makes a Great CMO with Norm Yustin, Partner and Global Leader of Customer Activation & Growth Practice at Russell Reynolds Associates

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Norm Yustin spent the first part of his career as a marketing executive. However, after a particularly impactful recruiting experience and some encouragement from friends and family he made the move into leadership recruitment himself. Norm is widely published on the future of tech-enabled, go-to-market leadership and he brings a unique perspective of developing self-awareness in pursuit of your passion.

In this episode, Alan and Norm discuss why CMOs need to be the most dynamic players in the C-suit, the danger of hyper-specialized teams and why risking leadership changes may be the right thing to do, and where the next-gen CMOs are coming from.

In this episode, you'll learn: 

  • The state of the CMO role today
  • What should job seekers need to know from a recruiter's perspective
  • What aspiring CMOs should be thinking about in terms of skill development

Key Highlights 

  • [03:30] Norms transition from being an executive to recruiting executives
  • [07:17] How losing out on a job shaped the way Norm thinks about recruitment now
  • [11:05] What does it mean to be a CMO today?
  • [14:00] Evaluating if a job is a right fit for you or if you just covet the role 
  • [16:20] Why marketers tend to job hop more frequently 
  • [18:30] Psychosomatic look into CMOs
  • [19:40] The obsession with Growth Titles and what it tells us about the state of change
  • [22:00] What to take away from the Trends of engineers turned markers 
  • [23:30] Why are 80% of CMOs external hires?
  • [27:40] Wavemaker vs Waveriders
  • [31:40] Norm's thoughts on the CMO to CEO trend
  • [37:05] How traveling shape Norms worldview and leadership style
  • [40:45] Norm's advice to his younger self 
  • [43:50] The everchanging quest of understanding consumers 
  • [47:00] Positioning yourself as a “Customer-centric tech-enabled leader”


Resources Mentioned: 

  • Norm Yustin 
  • Russell Reynolds Associates 
  • Norm at Russell Reynolds and writings 
  • Aligning Tech & Digital & Customer Roles post-pandemic (Russell Reynolds)  


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Marketing Today with Alan HartBy Alan B. Hart