The problem of leadership

Leadership is often mentioned as a prerequisite of integration and coordination. It is also one of the most difficult of management activities to define. Leadership involves giving and receiving loyalty and cooperation between and among subordinates, associates and supervisors. But the modern marketing leader has to be much more than simply a good leader of men.
The knowledge required of a marketing executive today is much greater than it was ten years ago. Such an executive must have a good working knowledge of statistics, scientific decision-making, legal regulations. He must have an appreciation of the interdependence of the activities of a business. He must be profit- conscious, with a firm grounding in economic knowledge of the role of profits in modern business.
The marketing executive also must have a keenly developed appreciation of the need for flexibility and for innovation; hence, he must be ready to change, to develop new blood, to divide his time between people and operations. He must know what motivates subordinates, and how to help them to attain their individual aims and aspirations within the framework of company objectives. The new marketing leader must be able to attain that delicate balance between ethical conduct and moral principles, without which no leader can succeed. He must rise to the day-to-day demands and exigencies of a constantly changing market It cannot be repeated too often that marketing, although it has of necessity become the most important element of successful business today, is only one part of the total management job. Growing pains within the department of marketing are not the only integration difficulties encountered. Marketing must be integrated with every other major department in the business, receive assistance from such departments, and, in turn, render service to these departments.
Marketing must be integrated, for example, with manufacturing. Manufacturing in most modern business firms includes engineering, production, purchasing and service. To coordinate with production, marketing must have prompt and full information from manufacturing as to schedules, quality controls, deliveries, changes and costs. Manufacturing must also be willing to cooperate with marketing in trial runs, changes as called for by the market, and in making deliveries as promised.
Engineering (research and development) must likewise cooperate with marketing in product design to meet customer specifications, in willingness to make changes and adjustments-even when market requirements run counter to engineering perfection. And customers must not only buy products. They must be satisfied with their purchase. This calls for post-sale product service, in which manufacturing plays a large role.
Conversely, marketing has obligations towards manufacturing. Marketing must get reliable market information. It must select the proper products for manufacturing to produce. It must advise manufacturing of the needed volume of products, of the proper product mix, and of changes in marketing policies and programs which may affect the manufacturing department's ability to deliver on schedule.
Further, marketing must understand that changes in production schedules and product mix require time and planning. Marketing must cooperate with manufacturing in effecting such changes with minimum disruption of schedules and purchasing activities. Marketing must keep manufacturing advised of competitive changes and competitive activity. In plain words, marketing has the responsibility of fully advising manufacturing as a full and active partner.
Marketing must also be integrated with finance. The primary responsibility of the finance department is to watch costs and to protect the company's financial position. Marketing costs, as we know, are an important part of total costs. It is the responsibility of marketing to cooperate with finance in establishing what reliable and realistic cost information may be needed, to keep finance informed of market trends and changes. In the past, when the sales department had the simple job of selling what the manufacturing department turned out, emphasis was on volume. Marketing was said to have done its job when it got rid of the volume production. The question of figuring profits and profitable sales was up to finance.
Today, we consider that marketing is responsible for creating and maintaining a profit. It is not volume but profitable sales volume that counts. Marketing and finance are partners in protecting the company's interests and financial integrity. Thus, marketing must work to control costs in sales, transportation, handling, packaging, and promotion.
Finance, on the other hand, can help marketing by pointing out areas of possible cost reduction, such as sales expenses and territorial deviations from the "ideal." Finance must also keep marketing advised of possible areas of profit in such things as product innovation, new facilities, internal auditing, and the like. And finance must furnish marketing up-to-date cost control data, dealer audits, and similar information in order to make for more effective marketing effort.