Dan Albaum is an accomplished marketing leader with experience launching new products and driving world-class results in global technology companies including Verizon Wireless, Cisco and Honeywell as well as in the Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) and non-profit space.  He is passionate about having a servant leader mindset in enabling teams to create more impact by building stronger internal and external customer relationships with a clarity of purpose within collaborative, healthy cultures.

A founding co-partner of marketing consultancy Market Impact, he is the host of the weekly podcast series Market Impact Insights, recognized by Forrester as a Top 100 Channel Podcast, sharing leadership best-practices from around the world. Meet Dan:

You are an author, but is it your day job? I am a passionate marketing leader and consultant, who has worked for several global technology companies and currently for Committee for Children, a non-profit provider of SEL programs in the K-12 market.

Did you always want to be an author?  I’ve always been inspired by the written and spoken word, majoring in broadcast journalism in college.  I enjoy personal connection and appreciate the power of relationships.  Writing a book is a natural outgrowth of that.

What is your most recent book and what inspired you to write it?  My book The Impact Makers shares my three-decade long journey as a leader in several successful global organizations, built on a foundation of empowering teams through a servant leader mindset.  I combine this with the voices of 81 successful C-suite, functional leaders and entrepreneurs who have driven sustainable growth through exceptional leadership.

How do you hope your book uplifts those who read it? By seeing the authentic highs and lows of my journey and the experiences of other accomplished leaders, I hope readers feel a resounding commitment to think less about traditional command and control approaches, and more about the value of servant leadership that empowers others.

What are you most excited about with this book?  The diversity of having 82 leaders communicate their powerful, relevant stories.

How did writing a book help your career take off? Writing The Impact Makers has provided a new platform to share the best of my interviews from my Market Impact Insights podcast along with a way to demonstrate the growth and learning I have benefited from over my lengthy career.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to succeed in your professional industry? Set a high bar.  Always be learning.  Actively listen.  Embrace change.  Choose optimism.

How do you handle setbacks and criticism? Look forward, do not dwell in the past.  Nothing is a failure if you apply the learning of your experience to future efforts.

Being an author today is like running a business. How do you manage all your publicity, social media and keep your engagement up with readers?  Through a disciplined schedule of podcast recording and posting on social media.

How do you hold yourself accountable and achieve the goals that you set forth? By writing down short- and long-term goals, and regularly re-visiting progress over time.  As I mention in the book, small-increment goal setting helps ensure I do not get overwhelmed and can accomplish more over time.

How do you structure your day and make time for writing? During the writing of The Impact Makers over several months, I set aside very consistent time blocks in the early morning, evenings and weekends that was protected “book writing” time.

What do you find most fulfilling in the career that you’ve chosen?  The ability to connect with and lead bright, highly motivated marketing teams is very energizing and a constant source of new learning. No two days are the same.

What book uplifts you? The Outsider (a memoir) by Jimmy Connors

Anything else you’d like to share with your readers?  Never set aside your inner dreams.  It is never too late to make them a reality!  I should know, I am a first time book author at age 60!

Readers and Business Leaders can connect with Dan on his website.

Images Courtesy of Dan Albaum