Latest / The Marketing Career Podcast with Fexingo: Marketing Jobs, Skills, and Career Growth / How Mid-Career Marketers Use a Personal Board of Advisors
Transcript
- Lucas: So I want to talk about something that came up in a conversation I had last week with a marketing VP at a mid-size SaaS company. She told me that the single best career move she made in her thirties wasn't a job change or a certification — it was assembling what she calls her personal board of advisors. Luna: A personal board — like a corporate board, but for your career? Lucas: Exactly. Four or five people she hand-picked from different parts of her professional life. A former boss from her agency days, a peer from a previous company who moved into product, a marketing professor she stayed in touch with, a friend who runs her own small business, and a senior executive from a completely different industry who she met at a conference. Luna: That's a really specific mix. Why that particular set? Lucas: Because each person serves a different role. The former boss knows her strengths and blind spots from years of working together. The peer in product gives her a perspective outside marketing — how the rest of the company thinks. The professor brings academic rigor and a longer time horizon. The small-business owner keeps her grounded in practical execution. And the executive from a different industry challenges her assumptions about what's normal. Luna: Right, so it's not just a fan club. It's structured to give you honest feedback and different angles. Lucas: Exactly. And the key is that she doesn't meet them all together. She meets each one individually, once a quarter, for about 45 minutes. She sends them a brief agenda in advance — usually two or three specific questions she's wrestling with — and then she actually follows up on what they discussed. Luna: I love that. Because I think a lot of people have informal mentors, but they don't structure it. They wait until they're in crisis mode and then panic-call someone. Lucas: Right, and the crisis call is fine in a pinch, but it's reactive. The board is proactive. It's like having a set of eyes on your career trajectory that you trust, before you're in trouble. Luna: So how does someone actually start building one? Because I think a lot of mid-career marketers feel like they don't have the network to pull together five people like that. Lucas: That's the first myth I want to bust. You don't need to have a huge network. You need maybe three people to start. And they don't have to be super-senior. In fact, the VP I talked to said her most valuable advisor is the product peer, who is actually at her same level, not above her. Luna: So it's about diversity of perspective, not seniority. Lucas: Exactly. She told me that when she was considering a Chief Marketing Officer role at a growth-stage startup, her board was split. The former boss said 'you're ready, take it.' The professor said 'look at the churn rates — the business model might be fragile.' The product peer said 'their product roadmap is messy, but the CEO is strong.' The small-business owner said 'make sure you negotiate equity, not just salary.' And the cross-industry executive said 'does this role get you closer to the kind of life you want in five years?' Luna: That's such a rich set of inputs. It's way better than just talking to your spouse or your current boss. Lucas: And she told me the cross-industry executive's question was the one that actually tipped the scale. Because she hadn't really thought about the lifestyle implications of that CMO role — the travel, the fundraising pressure, the constant pivots. She ended up taking a different path. Luna: So the board isn't just about getting ahead. It's about making better decisions for the life you actually want. Lucas: That's the core idea. And that's why I wanted to do this for episode 100 — because this framework has come up in so many conversations with marketers who are three to fifteen years into their careers and feel like they're making decisions in a vacuum. Luna: I think a lot of people listening might be thinking, 'I don't feel comfortable asking busy people to be on my board.' How do you approach that conversation? Lucas: It's easier than you think. You don't call it a board. You say something like, 'I really value your perspective. Would you be open to a 30-minute call once a quarter where I can run a few career decisions by you?' Most people are flattered. And because it's structured — you send an agenda, you're respectful of time — it's actually a low ask. Luna: And you're not asking them to be a mentor in the traditional sense. You're asking for specific, periodic input. Lucas: Exactly. And if they say no, that's fine. You move on. But I've found that most senior people are happy to do this, especially if they see you following up and acting on their advice. Luna: So what's the biggest mistake people make when they try to set one up? Lucas: Two, actually. First, they make the board too homogeneous. They pick five people who all work in the same industry, at the same level, with the same background. That just gives you an echo chamber. Luna: Right, you want the product person, the finance person, the person from a different sector. Lucas: Second mistake: they don't prepare. They show up and say 'so, what do you think I should do?' That's a waste of everyone's time. You need to come with specific dilemmas. 'I'm considering a job offer at Company X, but I'm worried about the culture — based on what you know, what am I not seeing?' That's a question your board can actually help with. Luna: I also think it's important to rotate your board over time. The people who were perfect for you at 30 might not be the right ones at 40. Lucas: Absolutely. The VP I talked to said she refreshes her board every two to three years. One person might retire, another might move into a different field. You want people who are current and relevant to where you're heading. Luna: You know, this conversation reminds me of something. If these marketing career conversations have sparked something you've actually used — like a framework for negotiating, or a new way to think about your network — there's a way to keep this show ad-free and independent. It's a small thing, but listeners who find value here can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just an option if you want to help us keep doing deep dives like this one. Lucas: Yeah, and we really appreciate that. It's what lets us spend time on episodes like this one — where we can go beyond surface-level advice and actually give you something you can use. So thank you to anyone who's ever chipped in. Luna: Alright, back to the board. Lucas, you mentioned that the VP used her board to make a big career decision. But are there smaller, more routine things the board can help with? Lucas: Absolutely. In fact, the most common thing she uses her board for is what she calls 'pattern recognition.' She'll describe a recurring frustration — like a stakeholder who keeps overriding her marketing recommendations — and the board helps her see the pattern she's missing. The product peer might say 'that stakeholder is acting the same way with us, it's not personal.' The external executive might say 'that's a leadership gap, not a marketing problem.' Luna: So the board helps you see the forest for the trees. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the real value. Because when you're inside a company, everything feels urgent and personal. Your board gives you distance. Luna: I also like that it's not just about work. The VP you mentioned included a friend who runs a small business — that brings a whole different perspective on risk and resourcefulness. Lucas: Right. And that friend might be the one who says 'you're overthinking this. Just try the experiment and see what happens.' Which is sometimes exactly what you need. Luna: So for someone listening right now who's thinking, 'I want to do this,' what's the first step? Lucas: Grab a piece of paper. Write down five people you already know who have perspectives you respect. They don't have to be in marketing. They don't have to be senior. Then reach out to one of them this week with a specific, time-bound ask. Start small. See how it feels. Then build from there. Luna: And if that first person says yes, you're already ahead of most people. Lucas: Exactly. And one more thing — once you have a board, use it. Don't let it sit idle. I see people go to the trouble of setting up these relationships and then never actually bring them a real question. That's the waste. Luna: So the board is only as good as the questions you bring to it. Lucas: Exactly. And the best questions are the ones that are specific, honest, and a little uncomfortable. 'I'm thinking about asking for a promotion, but I'm worried I'll be managed out. What am I not seeing?' That's a question a board can actually sink its teeth into. Luna: I think this is such a practical, low-cost way to upgrade your career decision-making. And it's something you can start today, with people you already know. Lucas: That's the goal. We've done 100 episodes now, and if there's one thread that runs through all of them, it's that your career doesn't have to be a solo journey. You can build a system that helps you think more clearly. Luna: And a personal board of advisors might be the simplest, most powerful system of all. Lucas: Alright, that's it for this one. We'll be back next time with another practical strategy for your marketing career.