The Curse Of Quick Conclusions And The Art of Curious Collaboration

We love a good villain. Someone to blame. A plot twist to explain why the numbers didn’t land or the campaign didn’t click. But here’s the thing: sometimes the villain is just a mirage wearing yesterday’s strategy.

Marketing leaders get a bad rap for sticking to campaigns that seem stale or misaligned. “Why are we still running that webinar series?” “Who asked for another nurture sequence?” And sure, on the surface, it’s easy to assume they’re just checking boxes because they promised the ELT they would. But that’s like criticizing a magician before the rabbit has even left the hat.

What if we started with curiosity instead of critique?

That campaign you’re side-eyeing? It was likely born from a strategic conversation, budget constraints, or a deep (if imperfect) intuition about what might work. The roadmap wasn’t carved in stone—it was sketched in pencil, under pressure, with a dozen cross-functional eyes watching.

Instead of playing historian with red ink, try this: ask why. Not accusatorily, but collaboratively. What were they hoping to achieve? What changed since then? What can we do now?

Stay Positive & Giving Benefit Of The Doubt Is Cheaper Than Cynicism (And More Productive)