What A Monster Energy Head Of Strategic Planning Wishes They Had Known Entering The Role
Blake, Head of Strategic Planning at Monster Energy, wishes someone had prepared them for the inherent challenges of influencing others and the resulting emotional complexities; the feeling of "a huge sense of pride in ownership" can clash with the reality of others taking credit for ideas, a dynamic likened to coaching a sports team where the players receive the glory.
Leadership, Influence, Strategic Planning, Teamwork, Mentorship
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Blake Britten
Head of Strategic Planning
Monster Energy Company
University of Michigan, 2006
UCLA Anderson, MBA
Engineering - Industrial
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Business Strategy
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. The role involves significant influence and guidance of others, which can be challenging when others don't agree with your ideas.
2. It's important to celebrate the successes of others, even if those successes stem from your own ideas.
3. Gaining perspective on the challenges of influencing and building up others early in one's career could significantly impact how one approaches such roles later on.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you started?
It sounds terrible, but there's a huge sense of pride in ownership in the work I put out. In this role, you're trying to influence and guide others in the organization toward your thinking.
It can be really challenging when people don't agree with you or take your idea and celebrate their own success. You might be thinking, "That was my idea. Where's my credit?" It's a selfish thought, but it's like being a coach.
You create the play, but the player gets all the credit for winning the game. It's a weird dynamic. As I continue to grow in my career and it becomes more about influencing and building up those around me, I just think someone junior in my career building up to this type of role might have found it interesting to have some perspective on it 15 years ago. It might change the way I think about and approach my role today.