How to Be an Emotionally Intelligent Leader
How to Be an Emotionally Intelligent Leader (While Crushing Your Goals)
Profiles of Emotionally Intelligent Leaders: Lisa M. Masiello, Chapter 21
Chief Marketing Officer and Founder at TECHmarc Labs, Inc.
“Twenty-first-century leadership relationship dynamics are from the bottom up rather than the top down; from the outside in, rather than the inside out.”
Background
Lisa M. Masiello is an award-winning business-to-business (B2B) marketing executive and advisor to the IT services industry where she has held marketing leadership positions at technology start-ups and some of the Fortune 500. Her resume is impressive, with a long list of honors and awards, organization affiliations, successful projects, and publications.
But what’s most impressive about Lisa is how others feel about her. There is a theme in all her LinkedIn recommendations that comes through quite clearly. Lisa is an emotionally intelligent leader. Though it never occurred to her to describe herself as such.
“I never really thought much about how I lead others until I received a recommendation that described my leadership approach,” she says. Lisa was described as the kind of manager who “mentors without micromanaging, setting an example of how things should be done” and “identifies your strengths and interests, providing opportunities to maximize your potential.” Lisa says, “I don’t think I would have ever described myself in that way, but I do see myself in that description.”
I had always been an avid reader and I enjoyed writing, so it was natural for me to demonstrate my leadership through my writing and messaging, first.
- Lisa M. Masiello
Lisa grew up in Boston, the oldest child in her family. She was always a go-getter with leadership tendencies, but it wasn’t until college that she began to activate those tendencies with greater intent. “I really wanted to help shape the future of the school in a meaningful way,” she says. She became a resident assistant, joined the campus ministry organization, co-founded the university’s first student newsletter. Lisa adds, “I had always been an avid reader and I enjoyed writing, so it was natural for me to demonstrate my leadership through my writing and messaging, first.” Her talent for leading through effective communications served her well when she entered the workforce after graduation.
Pivotal Moments
A pivotal event in Lisa’s emotional intelligence leadership development came in 2007 when, after a period of years working for larger companies, she took a position working for a new and very small SaaS (software as a service) and hosting company. “It was at that startup where my whole perspective on leadership changed dramatically,” she says.
Before working with the startup company, Lisa described herself as a “micromanager” who was more internally focused on getting projects done and meeting departmental goals…on her own. But with the startup, for the first time in her career, she felt that she was part of a family of like-minded team members. She believed in the objective of the company as much as the CEO did. She truly cared about the company’s success in a very deep and meaningful way.
“I realized for a startup to be successful and all people in the organization to share in that success, everyone needs to have a real ‘we’re all in this together mindset,’” says Lisa. “You can’t live in a departmental silo or have a ‘it’s not my job mindset.’ It requires everyone across the company to work together, sharing their experience, insights, and knowledge for the company to grow.” When a few years later the startup was acquired by another organization, Lisa brought her evolved mindset to a much larger company and, eventually, her own. It was a unique skillset that played well in helping any sized organization flourish.
I realized for a startup to be successful and all people in the organization to share in that success, everyone needs to have a real ‘we’re all in this together’ mindset.
-Lisa M. Masiello
Her leadership mindset continued to evolve. She became an even more thoughtful leader, someone who viewed the company from her customers’ perspective, thinking about their journey, and what’s important to them. “I was better able to put myself in the position of the customer and consider how they work with all our different departments, not just from a marketing perspective, but from an engineering, sales, finance, and customer care perspective.” In 2014, Lisa took her ability to empathize with customers to help grow her employer’s company and used it to form her own business—TECHmarc Labs, Inc.
“Years of volatility and constant change in the technology industry required me to reinvent myself, and I recognized the timing was right to become a business owner,” Lisa says. “While I provide strategic marketing services, the real value I bring my B2B clients is that I help their companies achieve their growth objectives, whatever they may be. I actually function as their Chief Growth Officer as well as their Chief Marketing Officer.”
Years of volatility and constant change in the technology industry required me to reinvent myself, and I recognized the timing was right to become a business owner.
-Lisa M. Masiello
Lisa experienced another pivotal moment in her career on her second day of being an entrepreneur. “It’s funny when I reflect back on it, I went into business thinking I had my ducks in a row—having a solution for every possible issue that might arise. I had previously worked for a startup and was in one way or another involved in all aspects of the business. Surely, that experience would equip me with the knowledge necessary to create a successful new enterprise. I quickly realized that having the knowledge is one thing, but successful execution is something completely different. As an entrepreneur, I had to be the Chief Marketing Officer, vice president of sales, accounting, operations, and human resources, as well as the company attorney and client-facing account executive. To say I was overwhelmed in those early days and months is an understatement.”
Lisa immediately sought out resources to help her think more deeply about entrepreneurship, and everything it entails. She found The Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE), a nationally known, New England-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people start and grow their businesses. CWE has worked with more than 51,000 entrepreneurs since 1995.
The CWE mission is to empower women to become economically self-sufficient and prosperous through business and entrepreneurship. Though Lisa had significant business experience, CWE helped her quickly close the entrepreneurship gaps she had identified by recommending resources, contacts, and services she could utilize and providing training, including labor law and legal requirements of an early-stage startup. Her admiration for the nonprofit grew so much that she became a volunteer, working closely with other new women entrepreneurs. Recognizing her passion for her own business, women’s entrepreneurship, and her desire to help other women on their journey to business ownership, the CWE executive team asked Lisa to join the organization’s advisory board. She subsequently became the board chair for their New Hampshire business center.
Another pleasant biproduct was that Lisa’s work with CWE led to an introduction to the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire. The nonprofit strives to connect New Hampshire citizens to the rest of the world with programs that promote awareness of cultural diversity and international politics. Through her support of the World Affairs Council’s Citizen Exchange Circle initiative, Lisa has met with delegations of business, nonprofit, and government leaders from countries around the world to discuss the different challenges women business owners face due to cultural beliefs, politics, and other business practices beyond their control.
“In my conversations with men and women from around the world, there is an underlying theme that women in other countries experience difficulty in seeing opportunities to become entrepreneurs because they are not presented with examples of successful women entrepreneurs in their own country—women who look like them, understand them, and could be their neighbor,” says Lisa. “It’s hard for them to relate to women business owners and executives from the US because, in most cases, they have a very different experience on their entrepreneurial journey than those women entrepreneurs who are traditionally celebrated in the media.”
In my conversations with men and women from around the world, there is an underlying theme that women in other countries experience difficulty in seeing opportunities to become entrepreneurs because they are not presented with examples of successful women entrepreneurs in their own country—women who look like them, understand them, and could be their neighbor.
-Lisa M. Masiello
The problem has prompted Lisa to think about writing a second book (her first features tradeshow and event management best practices). The new book would take a close look at women entrepreneurs from different countries. Lisa’s plan is to feature women running various types of businesses and the challenges and opportunities they encounter. For example, a woman from the United States with a retail business, a woman from Nigeria with a hospitality business, and a woman from Singapore with a tech business, all have experiences unique to their country. “Through the book I can show young girls and women who are not as confident, ‘Look, here are women like you, from your country, starting and running their own businesses. And you can do it too, here’s how.’”
Emotional Intelligence Leadership in Action
Here are Lisa’s Top Five Emotional Intelligence Leadership Superpowers (those attributes or leadership “strengths” having the greatest positive impact on her work). Learn more about your own Top Emotional Intelligence Leadership Superpowers. Take the self-assessment featured in Section II.
I am open minded towards new information and changing parameters or ways of doing something. (#9)
I’m not afraid of change. I understand it’s a necessary part of life and I can adapt. (#32)
I’m comfortable doing something for someone without expecting a favor in return. (#16)
I do my part to create an atmosphere that paves the way for positive interactions. (#22)
I easily inspire my team to go above and beyond the call of duty when necessary. (#2)
When Lisa completed the self-assessment in Section II, emotional intelligence leadership attributes #9 and #10 rose to the top of her list—I am open minded towards new information and changing parameters or ways of doing something (#9). And I can look at and understand things from a different point of view. I feel comfortable changing my position on a topic after gaining additional information or insights. (#10) The advice Lisa offers others interested in developing these two attributes is the same.
First, if you want to improve your open mindedness Lisa has found it beneficial to go into meetings without pre-conceived notions about how a conversation may play out, based on past experience, the expertise of the person with whom you’re speaking, or any other variable. “If you go into a meeting with thoughts such as ‘whatever he’s going to tell me is bad, so I’m just going to shut down and not take in anything he has to say’ or ‘she doesn’t understand, she’s never experienced this before so why should I listen’ that will not work to your advantage.”
One technique Lisa has used to good effect is to go into the conversation with the intention to actively listen to the person as if it’s the first time the two of you ever talked. If you never talked to the person before, the chance of having a preconceived notion significantly decreases.
Another technique Lisa has used consistently is to refrain from preparing a comeback response to another person before they’re done sharing their information with you. She recognizes that for some this may be more difficult the more experienced they may be. Nevertheless, she counsels other professionals, especially those who are tenured, to listen carefully and give their full attention. “I’m an executive who has been marketing technology products and services for decades. I often speak with job applicants right out of college or employees who have less experience. While I have seen and done a lot, it really doesn’t matter because I know I don’t have all the answers. When I take time to listen completely to people, I usually learn something new.”
But there’s another perk for listening completely to others, in addition to gaining new information—you also gain trust and respect. “People really don’t like to be interrupted before they’re done talking,” she says. “Plus, if we give a comeback too soon, we run the risk of giving an inappropriate response that shows the other person we weren’t listening to them in the first place. When you listen, you’re showing the other person a sign of respect.”
Lisa also welcomes change. Another emotional intelligence leadership attribute that resonated with her was #32—I’m not afraid of change. I understand it’s a necessary part of life and I can adapt. As Lisa sees it, being able to adapt to change is a prerequisite in business, especially if you’re an entrepreneur or plan to become one.
The technology industry is in a constant state of flux. Companies go out of business, get acquired, and transform their portfolio of products and services to meet quickly changing market demands. “I have been laid off twice in my career—once due to corporate downsizing and once due to acquisition. I’ve marketed and sold traditional boxed hardware and software, semiconductors, coaxial cables, antennas, cloud computing, managed IT, and data center services,” Lisa explains. “Each experience and the knowledge I acquired built on the previous experiences and brought me to where I am today. Although the experience may be challenging while you’re going through it, you will come out on the other side stronger and more confident that you will be able to take on the next challenge.”
“Today, as a business owner, I still have to embrace change,” says Lisa. “If my customers say they wish I was selling my services in a different way or they don’t want what I’m selling, I better listen to what they’re saying and change accordingly.”
Lisa also welcomes change after experiencing failure. “Failure is an opportunity to rethink what you’re doing and move in a different direction.” She sees failure and what you do next as simply another path that gets you to the same destination— your goal.
Yet another superpower that has helped Lisa grow into a more emotionally intelligent leader is #16—I’m comfortable doing something for someone without expecting a favor in return. “Some may overlook this attribute or ‘pooh pooh’ it as being unimportant, but it’s critical,” she says. Lisa believes in being someone who does things for others without any strings attached. And even though the impact of her actions may be more subtle, they can be just as powerful. For her it’s a way to pay it forward for the many acts of kindness others have done for her.
“Whether I’m working with women new to entrepreneurship who need education and mentorship, or I’m working with young people early in their marketing careers who need someone to bounce ideas off of, I want to be there for them, because I was once in their position,” she says. “I believe it is my responsibility to give back to the people who are behind me on this journey. It’s my time to give.” Much of the volunteer work that Lisa does or advice she provides to businesses or professionals is driven by her desire to do something for someone without expecting a favor in return.
Attribute #22—I do my part to create an atmosphere that paves the way for positive interactions—is an essential tool in Lisa’s emotional intelligence leadership toolkit. While there are many ways leaders can create a positive work environment, Lisa’s go-to strategy is to help everybody feel comfortable expressing their ideas. She recognizes that people who never speak up may have had a negative experience when they did so in the past so she works deliberately to ensure all can share their ideas equally, fairly, and respectfully.
“You can’t create a positive atmosphere for idea sharing if you say something that makes people feel their ideas are stupid or inappropriate, or if you ignore their input altogether,” says Lisa. “You have to encourage a stream of consciousness where everyone’s idea feeds on the previous until you get to the idea that helps you achieve your goals.”
Leaders can get stumped when a team member offers an idea that might not be appropriate for the outcome needed. When this happens, Lisa will acknowledge the idea and use it to build upon and generate additional ideas. “I’ll say ‘yes, let’s look at that idea more closely’ followed by ‘what could we add to the idea or how could we modify it.’”
Lastly, an emotional intelligence leadership strength that has played a significant part in Lisa’s leadership success is #2—I easily inspire my team to go above and beyond the call of duty when necessary. And, again, while she recognizes there are many ways a leader can express this strength, she has her favorite strategy—respect people and work shoulder to shoulder with them.
“As an employee I would give 110 percent of my effort for leaders who were in the trenches working right next to me, especially when the workload was heavy,” Lisa says. “I remember those leaders and would do anything for them and the company.”
In contrast, Lisa has experienced leaders who did not operate with a mindset of cooperation and support. They were just as memorable, though not in a positive way. “Our team was crazed for weeks preparing for a big conference we were running in Europe. The day before all the boxes of materials had to be shipped, myself and another team member were working late getting everything pulled together. Our manager stopped, chatted for a few minutes and then said, ‘I’m going to the club tonight with my friends, see you tomorrow.’ He knew how important the project was and that we were under a stressful deadline. He didn’t have to spend all night helping us. Just 30 minutes or an hour chipping in would have made a difference. Making an effort to share the workload, even in a small way, would have demonstrated that he valued our efforts and would have resulted in us working even harder for him and the larger organization.”
As a business executive, Lisa lets her employees know she has their backs and that she’ll always be there for them when needed. She also stays in tune with what’s happening in her work environment and pitches in without being asked. “Your employees will respect you more and work harder for you when your roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty, and do the job with them. And it creates a lasting and memorable bond with you and your team that’s hard to break.”
More about Lisa M. Masiello
Lisa M. Masiello is Chief Marketing Officer and Founder at TECHmarc Labs, Inc. She’s an award-winning marketing executive with in-depth experience building integrated marketing programs for business-to-business (B2B) companies in the IT services industry from start-ups to large enterprises. Her technology expertise is extensive and includes public, private, and hybrid cloud computing; SaaS; managed IT services; data center services; disaster recovery; mobile device management; managed hosting; regulatory compliance; business continuity; and data security.
Lisa brings her clients an impressive track record of developing and implementing innovative solutions which drive new revenue growth, strengthen channel development, and increase average revenue per user (ARPU), among other key metrics. She specializes in: corporate positioning and messaging; merger and acquisition preparation and acquisition integration; brand strategy and refresh; go-to-market strategy; marketing technology; customer lifecycle management; customer experience; marketing analytics; channel development; conversion optimization; public relations; digital marketing, as well as industry trade show and conference management.
Before establishing TECHmarc in 2014, Lisa ran the corporate marketing department at Boston-based mindSHIFT Technologies, one of the country’s largest IT outsourcing and cloud service providers. She served as the marketing advisor to the founder of AstraIDentity an email security company focused on reducing internet fraud. She also speaks on marketing and strategic business topics at tech industry conferences including the Ingram Micro Cloud Summit and Channel Partners Conference & Expo.
Lisa is a published author. Her book, Insider’s Guide to Tradeshow and Event Management, features 23 expert insights, best practices, and money-saving tips for successfully exhibiting at trade shows and conferences. The book is available on Amazon.
Over the years, the focus Lisa and her team have demonstrated in marketing excellence and customer experience has helped drive growth for the companies in which she has worked. Several tech industry awards and recognitions include: Marketing Excellence Award, Citrix, Service Provider Partner Program (Winner); Best Customer Life-Cycle Marketing Program, Oracle Eloqua (Finalist); Partner of the Year, Microsoft Corporation, Hosting Solutions (Winner); and SaaS Partner of the Year for the Americas, McAfee, an Intel Company(Winner for 2 years).
Lisa attended Boston University, completing post-graduate studies in international relations. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Salve Regina University, as well as a minor concentration in Information Systems Science. In addition to her formal education, Lisa is a Certified Inbound Marketing Professional by HubSpot Academy.
An active volunteer, Lisa currently serves as a judge for The Stevie Awards in their American Business Awards category and is a Tech Women Ambassador for New Hampshire Tech Alliance. Lisa also served as the past Chair, Board of Advisors, New Hampshire Business Center for the Center for Women & Enterprise.
Chapter 21 of How to Be an Emotionally Intelligent Leader (While Crushing Your Goals), written by Cheryl O’Donoghue, was reprinted with the author’s permission.