I felt like I could do no wrong surrounded by my CMO peers at the Empowered CxO masterclass. These women leaning into T-shaped leadership inspired me. We have a big challenge ahead, but the tide is rising. That is true empowerment.
T-shaped leaders work well across all parts of the business while having deep expertise in their core areas. But the foundation is having strong roots in clear thinking, good decision-making, and the ability to guide people through change. Without that bedrock, you might connect with everyone but you can’t lead them anywhere. AI makes every strength and weakness bigger.
T-shaped leaders are true business leaders, not just functional leaders.
Here are some of the highlights:
➡︎ Casey Foss (Chief Commercial Officer at West Monroe) and Coco Brown (CEO of Athena Alliance) talked about thinking and operating like a CEO. Casey’s stories of calling things as she sees them and leaning into people who raise their hands to drive cross-functional initiatives were inspiring. She shows up and leads by example and has demonstrated success when we’re able to break down GTM silos.
➡︎ Jennifer Johnson (CMO of Crowdstrike), Anna Griffin (CMO of Commvault), and Kate Bullis (Managing Director at ZRG Partners) dug into truly finding the underlying problem and playing bigger. Even when we know we have the right answer, it’s smart to get help from people who can influence and drive alignment like your customers and your CEO. These women have truly created and redefined categories that have driven business growth.
➡︎ Heidi Melin (Board Dir & GTM Advisor at Hellman & Friedman), Elizabeth Maxson Martinet (CMO of Contentful) and I covered the evolution from using AI as tools, to guiding them as teammates, and ultimately orchestrating AI systems. This breaks down departmental silos for better business outcomes. Give people space to learn AI, ensure responsible and ethical use, and infuse them in our workflows with governance for scale.
➡︎ Christine / Chris Heckart (CEO of Xapa), Latané Conant (she/her) (CMO of 6Sense), and Tami Cannizzaro (CMO of Thryv) shared that as leaders, we’re going through the fastest change at work in recorded history. Successful transformation is 80% people, 20% tech. Those who are adaptable, growth-minded, accountable, empowered, curious, learning-oriented, self-aware, resilient, and collaborative will have the highest probability of success.
The challenge is real. The opportunity is bigger. These amazing women leaders on stage and in the class reminded me that we’re not just adapting to change. We’re leading it.
Thank you again Latané Conant (she/her), 6sense, and all the sponsors for making Empowered CXO and a successful future for many possible.
