CMO Spotlight | Navin Sharma - Church's Texas Chicken
The CMO Spotlight offers an inside look into the minds and journeys of high-performing marketing leaders.
Setup CEO + Founder, Joe Koufman, sat down with Navin Sharma, Chief Marketing Officer at Church’s Texas Chicken, to talk about the importance of hard work, resilience, and why simply getting started is often the most imperative step to success.
“If you just start, start working, build a plan, and stay at it—you’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish. The best way to do something is to start doing it.”
WATCH + READ THE RECAP BELOW (SCROLL TO THE END FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW)
Q1 | What advice would you share with marketers?
Sharma shared two valuable lessons that helped him navigate the start of his marketing career in addition to shaping his long-term growth.
Diversify your experience. Sharma emphasized the importance of learning across functions: “That experience and learning across all of marketing would be more helpful to your growth than just getting the titles. “
Make connections. “Your network can help you a lot, both when you're looking for a role, but also when you're in a role and you've come across a problem you don't know how to solve. You might know someone or have talked to someone who's done that, and they can help you out along the way.”
Q2 | What is your superpower?
Sharma sees his superpower as strategic problem-solving, particularly when it comes to building new systems and solutions from the ground up.
He is adamant about making sure efforts are not wasted and that the company is taking the right steps and not “going down the wrong road.”
Sharma shared, “A lot of times, when you're in a role like a Chief Marketing Officer, you're not just going to go out and market. You're not just going to go out and make ads or just start putting products out there. You need to understand the consumer and what problem you're trying to solve, right? Then, how are you going to take steps to solve it for them and tell them the story that you have something they want? That problem-solving and insight has served me well because it helps you down the road.”
Q3 | What values are important to you?
Sharma appreciates employees who collaborate and have a strong work ethic, and he leads his team by example. The following qualities are important to him as a leader and what he showcases to his team:
Be Hardworking
Act as a Team Player
Become a Critical Thinker
Optimize your Knowledge and Skillset
Q4 | Tell us about an impactful marketing campaign.
Sharma had the opportunity to be a part of the team that developed and rolled the Arby’s “We have the Meats” campaign.
The format and campaign became a powerhouse and truly worked and resonated with the consumer. “[The campaign] challenged what held Arby’s back at the time—that it was just this place for roast beef that you went to once in a while. When we went to Arby’s, there were like eight different types of protein there, and they were prepped in the restaurant. You had these fresh sandwiches with a wide offering, but people didn’t think about that—they just thought about this really simple thing.”
This campaign, with the help of their agency partner, broke through and changed the brand’s trajectory. “I’m very fortunate to have worked for Rob, the CMO, who had me on his team. I learned a ton, and I keep applying that,” he shared.
“The brand’s not about being everything for everyone. Know your guest, know what they’re looking for, and deliver on that.”
Q5 | What is a quote that inspires you?
Sharma quoted Confucius, “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
This quote is particularly meaningful to him because you can make big things happen if you’re diligent and work hard chipping away at the small things.
Oftentimes change can lead to overwhelming feelings and questions, but Sharma pointed out that starting is the most important step. You will never get anywhere without starting.
“If you just start, start working, build a plan, and stay at it—you’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish. Some people just spend forever thinking through what they have to do—planning and planning. You should do planning, right? Because if you just start running, you might run in the wrong direction. But figure out where you need to go, and the best way to learn or the best way to do something is to start doing it.”
For more marketing leadership advice and a view into the mindset of marketing executives in various industries, be sure to watch the full interview with Navin Sharma, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.
If you know an impactful marketing leader who would be a good candidate for the #CMOSpotlight series, nominate them here.
Watch the Full Interview to the right.
Setup CEO + Founder, Joe Koufman, sat down with Navin Sharma, Chief Marketing Officer at Church’s Texas Chicken, to talk about the importance of hard work, resilience, and why simply getting started is often the most imperative step to success.