dEsIrEd SKILLs...

Analysis: The ability to integrate disparate quantitative, qualitative and anecdotal data about market dynamics into an integrated framework of both the current marketplace and reasonable forecasted scenarios for future developments of that marketplace.

Learning: The ability and willingness to learn rapidly to see and appropriately react to real shifts in the changing marketplace—not false signals. In a parallel way, the ability to learn and appropriately apply new marketing best practices. In both situations, an ability to understand and critically assess the situation at hand and to apply only those that are of important consequences vs. over reaction is required.

Communication: The ability to develop an engaging and easily understood translation of that marketplace to each business function through their own unique perspective of thinking about the market. Think about the communication challenge in a company to be the same as describing a house where everyone is looking in a different window. While it is the same house, each person sees it differently. The ability to effectively translate for each function greatly improves the strength of understanding and acceptance by all stakeholders.

Leadership: The ability to build trust and credibility with leadership across all other business functions that allows this market view to be accepted and therefore reflected in all of their decisions/plans. Given that this almost always include some level of ambiguity, a high level of trust and credibility is necessary to get others to follow through the ambiguous gaps. In the absence of this trust, internal debates can often bog down or diffuse actions to the point where nothing happens.