Marketing Leader: Decoded

The Data-Driven Lie

"Data-driven" appears in almost nine out of ten senior marketing job listings. But ask those same listings which tools the role requires, and the number collapses. Google Analytics shows up in fewer than 10%. A/B testing in 10%. Attribution in 26.7%. This episode pulls apart what's actually happening when employers write "data-driven" into a job description — and what the gap means for anyone on either side of the hiring table.

The Squeeze

What changes in marketing leadership job listings in just three months? More than you'd think. In this episode, I compare 300 listings from November 2025 with 150 from February 2026. The biggest finding: roles combining "strategic," "hands-on," and "revenue" language grew from roughly one in ten to one in four — in both the US and UK. But the two markets are diverging fast. US listings are accelerating toward AI, pipeline accountability, and growth marketing. UK listings are broadening into sustainability, SEO, and brand stewardship. The squeeze is getting tighter. This episode breaks down what moved, where, and what it means for your next application.

Stakeholder management - the secret skill

You'd expect KPIs and analytics to top the list of skills companies want from marketing leaders. They do. But the #3 skill — ahead of brand strategy, team leadership, and digital marketing — is stakeholder management. Over half of all listings ask for it. In the US, that jumps to 83%. This episode breaks down what "stakeholder management" actually means in job listings (hint: it's not "good at meetings"), why it trips up otherwise talented marketers making the jump to leadership, and four concrete ways to start building this skill — even if no one's taught you how.

The Atlantic Divide in Marketing Leadership

Same title, different job. I analyzed dozens of Head of Marketing roles across the US and Europe to uncover what companies really want—and the differences are stark. American listings optimize for velocity and individual impact. European listings prioritize structure and stakeholder alignment. Even the office presence expectations tell different stories about trust and leadership. If you're targeting roles internationally, this episode shows you exactly how to adjust your positioning for each market.

When Job Listings Warn You About the Job

Most people skip over the phrases about "managing ambiguity" and "thriving in dynamic environments" in job listings. But these aren't throwaway corporate speak—they're honest warnings about what you're walking into. In this episode, we decode the language of organizational chaos. You'll learn what "self-starter who can drive focus through ambiguity" really means, why "varying pace" is code for reactive culture, and how to tell the difference between strategic agility and dysfunction in your next interview. Because job listings tell you what companies want. But sometimes—if you read carefully—they also tell you what they are.