It’s Okay to Be Wrong | Peter Mertens, Sprout Social
Hosted by: Clara SmythPeter was a competitive intelligence specialist when he first joined Sprout Social back in 2017. Barely four and a half years later, Peter Mertens landed the role of Director of Market Strategy.
It was clear to Peter that the executive team at Sprout — a team that plays in the uber-competitive social media space — was hungry for competitive insights.
Lucky for him, analyzing broad trends and turning them into actionable intel was a muscle he’d already developed as a competitive intelligence specialist.
It was these skills, and many more, that helped Peter get from the back office to the boardroom. He sat down with host Clara Smyth to talk about his career journey and much more in this episode of Back Office to Boardroom.
Key Moments:
(01:43) Peter’s career journey from PR Agency to Sprout Social
(03:50) How competitive intelligence helped him climb the ranks
(06:24) The moment Peter knew he had “made it” as a CI professional
(07:59) What it looks for CI to engage with the executive team
(10:06) What to do when execs don’t follow your recommendation
(17:20) How competitive intelligence has evolved throughout Peter’s career
(22:38) Why you shouldn’t measure success by how big your team is
(28:38) Peter’s newfound passion for coffee
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Check out past episodes of Back Office to Boardroom here.
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