fbpx skip to Main Content

Craig Pladson: Put Yourself in A Position to Learn

June 20, 2020   By Jim Cuene

Take Intentional Risks to Accelerate Your Professional Development

Craig Pladson is a marketer and leader I’ve been following for years. I met him after he heckled me (in a good natured way!) at a MiMA talk years ago. We’ve been in an ongoing discussion about brands, digital, marketing and business ever since. These conversations happened during times when we worked together, times when I needed advice, and most recently when I was trying to get smarter about what’s coming next for brands.

He was the right guy for the job –– his new adventure is building his own consulting practice based on his experience at Digital River, Colle McVoy, General Mills, GoKart Labs, and Ovative.

While we talked at length about brands and what’s going to happen to marketing over the next couple years, I really enjoyed hearing him talk about his growth as a leader. I asked him about the experiences that taught him the most –– the ones that created an environment for accelerated development. I expected him to say it was his first job out of school (as part of the Digital River mafia), but it was actually his most recent role that generated the most discussion. It became clear that one of the drivers of accepting the role was the fact that this role would stretch him, providing an opportunity to, as he said, “put myself in a position where I was intensely learning. I thrive in that type of environment.It keeps me dusted off and pushes me to take a modern approach in how I solve marketing problems.”

The role was in a fast-growth, high performing organization staffed by great talent, smart people moving at digital speed.

But how do you lead a team, keep them moving fast, when you’re learning, too? How does a leader strike the balance between fast and frantic, especially when the leader is learning alongside the team?

Craig reminded me that a good leader has to make sure “there’s clarity and a forecasted roadmap of where we’re going and why,” but that leader must also support a team that’s learning through inevitable adjustments and pivots. By getting work to market, the team can watch and adjust based on the results, knowing “feedback will start to direct you in a way that continues to lessen the subjectivity of it,”he told me.

I’m someone that takes pride in my ability to stay curious and stay open to new ideas, but I was inspired by Craig’s intentional, focused effort to put himself in the hard situations that transform experience into insight. He made it hard for himself on purpose! When I consider my own history, I know Craig’s instinct is right: good stuff inevitably comes out of those “crucible” moments, where pressure, curiosity, opportunity and experience get blended and good ideas come out as a result. If we want to keep open, keep growing, we have to seek out and embrace those hard moments, the ones that test us, but put us in a position to learn.

Co-Founder and CEO

Jim has over 20 years of digital brand building experience. From running a start up digital agency to leading digital strategies for global brands at Ameriprise and General Mills, he’s been at the front of digital marketing his whole career. He loves the web and the opportunities it is creating for people and businesses to actually make the world better. Jim has an entrepreneurial mindset, the ability to see how the dots will connect in the future, and the knowledge & experience to put plans and teams in place to get results now.

More from Leadership, Marketing
nterim Marketing Leader fahren
Business Drivers

By Susan Rylance

Have the titles Interim Marketing Leader or Fractional Marketing Leader come up as you’ve considered temporary support in marketing roles for your organization? They may sound similar, but the terms are not interchangeable. Implementing one when you need the other could end up costing your organization in the long run. You might need an Interim…

Read More
Organizational Transition and leaderhsip fahren
Business Drivers

By Susan Rylance

  When it comes to organizational transition, not all leaders are created equal. If you don’t have the right person with the right skill set spearheading change, your organization probably won’t transform in a meaningful way (or at all). This can be a challenging reality as it sometimes means we need to replace existing leaders…

Read More
product marketing leaders fahren
Business Drivers

By Kent McDonald

Companies are struggling to find top talent who have more choices and opportunities than ever before. Those companies are also struggling to keep talent within their four walls. Burnout and the great resignation are real. Hybrid work is still in its infancy.  Many product leaders are trying to figure out the current workforce economics and…

Read More
Back To Top