My friend Rich Gary has an enlightening column in the current issue of Law Firm Inc. in which he addresses "Ten Questions CMO's Must Be Ready to Answer."

If all CMO's came to the table prepared to respond to these as thoughtfully and thoroughly as Rich suggests they should, I suspect the job-tenure half-life of CMO's would immediately double or triple.

Rich seats CMO's squarely at the table.  He insists:  "Don't be afraid to speak up. You're a member of the firm's senior management team, and your opinion should be sought and valued on key issues."  Even if it means telling the managing partner that the firm offers no compelling value to clients! 

Rich also endorses a practice I see spreading, recently, among the more enlightened firms I work with: Client service teams. Client service teams form and re-form on the fly as a client's portfolio of legal needs changes. Your CMO should never miss a client service team meeting.

Most importantly, Rich approaches the CMO's job from a perspective deeply rooted in firm strategy, and the financial and economic realities of its practice areas, its approach to client relations, and even—critically—its partner compensation system.  Not that Rich recommends incorporating the CMO's evaluations of partners into the compensation calculation, but that he clarifies the essential connection between the inputs into setting compensation and the predictable outputs in terms of partner behavior.  Any CMO who does not understand the dynamics at play will be in a poor position to do their job.

Lastly, Rich reminds us that no matter  how professional, dedicated, creative, energetic, and visionary a CMO may be, all is for naught without the solid backing of the partnership:

"You must earn the confidence and respect of the partnership and be able to work with the partners in every office and practice area, whether they actively support the firm's marketing efforts or not. It's impossible to overstate the importance of this responsibility."

Ultimately, managing partners get the C-level executives they deserve.  Those who strengthen and grow their firms are astute at selecting talented people, putting them in fertile soil, and getting out of the way.