Biggest Challenges Faced By An Associate Marketing Director At NAMM
Luke's biggest challenge as Associate Marketing Director is navigating company politics, feeling that their valuable input—"a younger marketing voice"—is underutilized in high-level decision-making. This limits their ability to contribute fully, and Luke is actively working to increase their influence and impact on NAMM's marketing strategy.
Workplace Challenges, Overcoming Challenges, Career Development, Leadership, Communication
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Luke Walton
Associate Marketing Director
NAMM
USC 2013, SDSU 2020
MBA, SDSU
Fine Arts, Music
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Communication and Marketing
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Navigating workplace politics and influencing decisions at a higher level
2. Balancing a desire to contribute more with the realities of a middle management role
3. The importance of patience and strategic positioning to increase influence within an organization
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
Any middle manager would say the same thing. It's being involved in politics but not being able to truly influence them.
You try to build relationships with different people within the company through outside conversations and things like that. However, you're not in a position where you'll be called upon in high-level meetings. You'll mostly be observing, perhaps offering a statement or two during an hour-long meeting.
I think that's what's most difficult. I feel like I have more to offer than I'm being tasked to give. Sometimes I feel that's to the detriment of the company. There are decisions being made where I believe a different marketing voice, perhaps a younger one compared to my coworkers, should be heard.
Sometimes those voices don't feel completely heard. I am now part of those conversations; previously, I wasn't. I just didn't know what was going on, and I would tell my boss different things. Sometimes they would bring it up.
In this case, I'm sitting at the table, and I'm glad to be there. However, I don't quite have the voice yet, and I'm looking forward to changing that very soon. It's a tough thing.
I know many young marketing managers feel this way. You understand the company and have been there a while, but you don't quite have the wherewithal or the opportunity to contribute everything you could. Part of it is patience; I do think that comes.
But part of it is setting yourself up so that those dominoes fall, allowing you to gain more influence and ultimately help the company more because your opinion is part of the mix.