What has been the most significant change in consumer behavior in the last 10 years, and how has this impacted the way you think about marketing and communications?
Customers and stakeholders are continually divided in attention and, consequently, focus. I think we all struggle with this. As a result, it is difficult to get and keep attention. People expect interaction and engagement, and if you can’t grab attention immediately, you don’t get a second chance.
I try to build engagement by listening. It seems like the best thing we can do to fully display our humanity. We must listen, understand, extract wants and needs, and then build the products and services people want. Listen for what consumers are trying to do or accomplish rather than ask how something could be better.
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What are the key skills, mindsets and practices that are critical for insights teams today?
Insights teams need a mix of complementary skills, mindsets, and ways of working to be effective. Strong leaders need to be thoughtful about building teams with diverse experiences, strengths, and training, because no one person can do it all. Core skills still matter. Teams need solid research literacy across methods, strong synthesis skills, and the ability to turn insight into stories that make an impact and drive action. AI is part of that mix too, but it is learned by doing. It needs to be baked into everyday work and team learning, not treated as a separate or special skill.
Mindsets are important, too. The best insights teams stay curious, keep learning, and lead with empathy for both participants and stakeholders. They are open to findings that challenge assumptions and the status quo. They examine problems and mistakes to learn from one another. They listen to learn, encourage each other, and celebrate wins together.
At the organizational level, is there a link between inclusion and creativity or innovation?
Absolutely. My doctoral capstone research showed that inclusive leader strategies foster creativity, effective teams, and innovation. First, organizations need to hire a wide range of people, not just those who seem to fit in. You want to add to your culture, not hire everyone who looks and sounds like you. Inclusive leaders take it from there to build effective teams.
Inclusive leaders foster creativity and innovation by creating psychological safety among team members. When people feel free to speak up and contribute, but also are not afraid to question, discuss, and challenge, creativity and innovation thrive. To be a great leader, the best thing you can do is work on your emotional intelligence to help you build relationships with your team, give helpful feedback, and customize recognition, communications, and assignments. Being an inclusive leader is the best way to foster creativity, innovation, and team effectiveness. This is done by helping everyone on the team feel seen, heard, and valued.
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If you could wave a magic wand to fix one problem in marketing research, what would you do?
I wish it were easier to reflect diverse populations in research samples. Too many people avoid participating, game the system, or disengage because research does not feel relevant, respectful, or worth their time. When we cannot get to the truth of how users think, feel, or behave, it becomes harder and more expensive to design effective products and services.
If I had a magic wand, I would redesign research participation to be more human-centered, inclusive, and trust-building so that insight quality improves at the source. I wish we had a way to know that each participant is a human who wants to contribute and make things better.
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What has been the defining moment of your career so far, and why?
When I realized that my career had not grown much during the years I was raising my two children, I decided to be more intentional about my own development. I started learning in ways that fit my life at the time, often through listening to books, and slowly began connecting new ideas and seeing myself differently. That commitment to learning shifted how I evaluate my strengths, engage with others, and approach my work.
Becoming a lifelong learner ultimately led me to pursue a doctoral program, deepen my practice of emotional intelligence, and take more risks by speaking up and asking better questions. It has shaped not only the professional I am today, but also how I show up as a leader, colleague, and person.
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What one piece of advice would you share to those starting their career in marketing and communications?
Work on cultivating your curiosity and emotional intelligence. Be curious about something, be interested in others. Learn to be a good question asker. Build your storytelling skills. With study and deliberate practice, develop your emotional intelligence.
To develop my EQ, I read books on emotional intelligence and incorporated EQ practices in my workday and home life, studied with master moderators, and studied/practiced negotiation skills. All of these learnings make you a better human, both in the workplace and at home.
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