Change is an opportunity to learn and improve if you take on the growth mindset that Graham Forsyth has. In 2015, he left a large company to join a startup and develop its marketing endeavors, which have since expanded tremendously. The experience of owning so many projects in a chaotic, fast-paced startup environment was a cornerstone of Graham’s career. 

Graham currently works as the director of marketing for EMEA and Australia/New Zealand for Khoros. This year has particularly challenged Graham to engage in creative manners with Khoros’s audience, especially when it comes to creating stand-out online events for a variety of brands across the globe.

In today’s episode Graham and Shaheen Samavati discuss professional development, adapting to change, plus tips for being a risk-taking marketer.

You can watch the full conversation in the video above or on YouTube, and listen to the podcast on Apple or Spotify.

Rapid-fire recs

  • Source of inspiration: Katherine Calvert of Khoros; Sarah Moore, ex-Spredfast; and Sarah Lloyd Parry, ex-SAP. “They all lead their organizations in very different ways, but still create really human teams that harness a strong team spirit. People who foster vibrant cultures within their teams are the people I look up to, and I hope to do the same with the teams around me.”
  • Favorite book: Webs of Influence by Nathalie Nahai. “She’s a web psychologist. The book looks at digital engagement and how consumers interact with websites, social content and digital content. It gets into the psychology behind what triggers consumers into taking certain actions, which is a refreshing and interesting perspective.”
  • Favorite app: The productivity app Todoist. “I keep all my notes and stuff in there and use it every morning to plan my day out. It helps to keep me on track. When you find a productivity app that works for you, stick with it!”
  • Productivity hack: Calendars. “A revelation I had this year was using a calendar not just for planning meetings and scheduling things, but incorporating it as a part of my lifestyle. The more I can structure my day a bit better, the more effectively I work.”
  • Recommended resources:
    • One Question. “One Question is without a doubt the best conference I’ve been to in the last few years. They tackle really in-depth questions around the industry or the world at large. The perspectives that you get from different people speaking and answering these questions are fantastic. They’ve also recently launched a podcast series which is great!”
    • Contagious. “They write some fantastic long form articles typically looking at different brand campaigns from both a B2C and B2B perspective. Their ‘Most Contagious’ event is coming up soon and it’s a fantastic event which shines a light on the industry and all the great stuff that’s happened that year.”

“The key thing I’ve taken away is to be adaptable and be open to change. Don’t be scared of it—embrace it and have fun with it. I think we are lucky to be in an industry which is really creative so we can have fun with what we’re doing.”

Connect with Graham and Shaheen on LinkedIn.

This post was edited by Jamie Albert.

For more insights into customer experience software:

To see the full transcript, click on page number 2 below. 

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