Jon Bausman is the VP of Marketing at Outward Hound, a pet lifestyle brand. In his role, he oversees content creation, the brand’s website, and paid media. With over 15 years of experience developing marketing strategies, Jon has held leadership and management positions in Fortune 500 companies and startups, including Airhead and Columbia Sportswear. 

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [1:13] Jon Bausman's journey from retail to the VP of Marketing at a pet product brand
• [5:26] The challenge of building teams in a digital-first society
• [11:33] How constantly shifting roles hinder leadership structures in a digital organization
• [18:27] Jon shares his approach to hiring new team members
• [29:57] Cultivating an organizational culture to build a winning team
• [32:21] The importance of shared values in a digital team
• [40:19] Insights on work-life balance and being selective with commitments

In this episode…

Rapid advancements in the digital space have created a workforce culture that demands instant gratification. Executives from digital organizations are shifting roles constantly, leading to fractured leadership structures. How can businesses foster adaptable, committed, and success-driven teams among workforce and industry pressures?

Rather than hiring an executive who has transitioned from multiple leadership roles in a short time span, digital team builder Jon Bausman says to nurture your talent to progress through the ranks. This allows them to gain invaluable experience and builds resilience and adaptability to the fast-paced digital landscape. Cultivating shared values among team members and encouraging transparent communication creates a robust culture where challenges become opportunities for growth and innovation.

Join Aaron Conant in this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as he welcomes Jon Bausman, the VP of Marketing at Outward Hound, for a discussion about creating powerful digital teams. Jon talks about developing hiring practices rooted in trust, how to develop a culture of accountability and transparent feedback, and how to align team efforts with core values. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Aaron Conant on LinkedIn   
• BWG Connect  
• Jon Bausman on LinkedIn
• Outward Hound 
• Hawkeye Search Group

Quotable Moments:

• "The only silver bullet is hard work, and those things you work the hardest for seem to be the most fulfilling."
• "You're always going to have problems, but part of it is, have you been somewhere long enough to solve meaningful problems?"
• "Investing in people is what leads to a successful digital transition. It's not just about the tools; it's about the team."
• "Leaders need to exhibit the values they seek in their team. Teams beget the behaviors of their leaders."
• "Saying no is powerful. Every time you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else."

Action Steps:

1. Set clear team goals that align with executive expectations to ensure everyone is working towards the same objectives.
2. Develop patience and adopt a mindset of deferred gratification to avoid rushing career progress and focus on gaining invaluable experience.
3. Embrace the power of saying no to overcommitments, allowing you to prioritize effectively and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
4. Foster open communication within your team, encouraging honest feedback and accountability at all levels.
5. Prioritize hiring team members who share your core values, as this will create a strong foundation for trust and collaboration.

About BWG Connect...

BWG Connect provides executive strategy and networking sessions that help brands from any industry with their overall business planning and execution. We network and knowledge share together to better understand and adapt to the newest trends, strategies, and pain points shaping growth in the digital space. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Strategy, has built an exclusive network of 125,000+ senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events on an annual basis.

In addition, we have had 1x1 conversations with over 5,000 brands and have a real-time pulse on what digital strategies are successful and why. This in-depth knowledge allows our team to operate on the cutting-edge and provide our clients with best-in-class guidance on how to win in the digital world. We have provided free consultations and strategy sessions for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune-100, to enable growth, resolve issues and make curated service provider introductions that can impact your digital footprint.

We have held to the philosophy of providing high-level insights and actionable knowledge with no sales pitches in order to provide to our network the ability to listen, learn and act to improve themselves as well as their organizations. Our ultimate goal is to be the resource out there to help digital executives find the research they need to excel in the modern marketplace.

If you are interested in getting involved with any of our current or past events, you can find them here. If you are looking for help & would like to set up some time to chat with our team, you can schedule a time or reach out directly to Aaron@bwgconnect.com or Tiffany@bwgconnect.com.