Often marketers are too externally focused, in terms of worrying about the world of brands and external customers and distribution and partners they sell through.
My secret work weapon is balancing that with building the right relationships internally.
Until about three years ago, my strapline was simply "Make friends with finance". The people in your finance department are the ones who can help you prove to your chief executive the return on the marketing investment – and there are more chief executives from a finance background than a marketing one.
Now, with the rise of social and digital, and all the opportunities that offers, we are officially in the era of marketing married to the technology department.
So, put as much time and energy into relationships you build at work as with the relationships you build with your customers.