CMO Spotlight | Pete Boland - Kelly

The CMO Spotlight is a chance to get an inside look into the minds and journeys of high-performing marketing leaders. 

Setup CEO, Joe Koufman, virtually sat down with Pete Boland, the CMO of Kelly, to share about his philosophy on discovering passions and the influence of mentors and Shakespeare on his career and leadership.

“Marketing is hard and work is hard, so sometimes it’s good to just see those individual small wins you make every week that add up to something else. My job and the job of senior marketing leaders is to try to create an atmosphere where skilled marketers can do their best work and then feel really good about that.”

WATCH + READ THE RECAP BELOW

Q1 | Is there any advice you would like to share?

“Don’t get stuck in a role that isn’t exciting or inspiring to you.”

Boland’s advice to marketers is to take advantage of the vast and exciting world of marketing. If you don’t like where you are in your career, he urges people to be curious and seek out something different since the marketing field has so much to offer. Boland actually prefers to hire people who have a diverse marketing background because they’re more likely to be on the pulse of new marketing trends across different industries.

He also advises to “be aware of what phase of your career you are in, and the change in behavior that's needed.” Transitions throughout your career will bring more responsibilities. Learning to adapt to new roles is crucial, especially when entering a managerial or leadership role. Even as a senior marketing leader, he’s received guidance from mentors which helped his transition to be as smooth as possible.

Q2 | What values do you demonstrate as a leader?

Boland lives by the pillars of integrity, fairness, and empathy and expects the people who he works with to live by those values as well. He added that there's also value in maintaining a level of positivity at work and celebrating team wins. Recognition contributes to an energized and optimistic team.

Q3 | Where do you find inspiration?

“Family is first; personal life is first.”

Boland’s family is a driving force in his career because they “provide a really important foundation for energy and inspiration.”

He also is inspired by his team and their personal growth and development, which helps him grow. 

Q4 | Tell us about an impactful campaign.

Boland has grown from each campaign and coworker in his journey because multiple leaders and team members throughout his career have taught him how to utilize the consumer’s thought process and flesh out every detail to develop a successful marketing campaign.

Agencies have also positively impacted his career. During his time as Senior Vice President and Head of Brand Marketing at Charles Schwab, he learned to trust the process. “Crispin Porter + Bogusky shared with me their idea ‘Own Your Tomorrow,’ which is now Charles Schwab's 10-year long-running tagline. I [originally] thought [the idea was] a bit mundane and a bit obvious, but that sort of was the strength - it was simple and clear, and 10 years later they're still using it everywhere.” 

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For more marketing leadership advice and a view into the mindset of marketing executives in various industries, be sure to watch the full interview with Pete Boland, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.

Watch the full interview to the right.