What that change looks like
“I stopped proving my value by doing everything myself.”
For a long time, I demonstrated my value by being across everything.
I wanted to know the detail, have all the answers and be exceptionally
well prepared. Going above and beyond had always been part of how I’d
succeeded, but at CMO level it was keeping me too tactical and taking
up too much of my time and energy — I was exhausted.
Four months on, there’s been a real shift. I’m much clearer about where
I add the most value and much more comfortable letting my team own the
detail. They’re taking genuine ownership, work is progressing without me
needing to control every detail, and my SLT preparation has dropped from
most of a day to two or three hours.
My leadership updates are now much more focused on outcomes, commercial
impact and the “so what”, and I’ve had great feedback from the CEO on my
approach. I’m more comfortable saying no or not now without apologising
or over-explaining, and I feel much more confident owning my place in SLT.
Power House challenged me to look at why I felt I had to do so much,
then test different ways of leading in real situations. That helped me
trust that I could operate differently without everything falling apart.
I’m now leading with much more authority as the CMO. The team are
delivering, our commercial outcomes are on track, and I’m focused on
where I can add the greatest value.
Fiona Watson
Chief Marketing Officer, ICS AI Ltd