Episode 106

full
Published on:

28th May 2025

106: The 3Fs of Managing Up: How to Work with Leaders, Consultants, and Teams - with Leanna Adeola, VP Marketing & Chief Brand Strategist at Black Onyx Management, Inc.

In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra chats with Leanna Adeola, VP of Marketing and Chief Brand Strategist at Black Onyx Management. Leanna, recognized as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" by the Indianapolis Business Journal, shares her journey through various marketing roles, from agency work to in-house positions. They discuss the challenges of integrating management consultants, emphasizing transparency and collaboration. Leanna highlights the evolving nature of B2B marketing, stressing the importance of authenticity, relationship-building, and balancing value with sales.

Leanna and Jane talk through:

  • Leanna’s career path from agency to in-house to consultancy leadership
  • Why her agency background helps her empathize with brand-side complexity
  • How she balances in-house marketing with client-facing consulting
  • Tactics for making brand messaging stick internally
  • How Canva and quick videos help reinforce brand standards
  • Advice for building trust when bringing in external consultants
  • The 3Fs framework for managing up: Framing, Frequency, For Others
  • How to communicate effectively with boards, CEOs, and CFOs
  • The human side of B2B: building relationships, not just pipeline
  • Why outdated ideas of executive presence are holding us back
  • The power of thought leadership and long-term brand affinity
  • Her advice: remember what drew you to marketing and protect that spark

Key Links:

Guest: Leanna Adeola: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ladeola/

^^ And follow her on IG: https://www.instagram.com/leannaadeola

Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/


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About the Podcast

Women in B2B Marketing
A weekly podcast dedicated to motivating marketers at all levels in their careers through real-life stories. Our goal is to inspire listeners to achieve more, strive for success, and feel a sense of understanding and community.
Women in B2B Marketing is a weekly podcast dedicated to motivating marketers at all levels in their careers through real-life stories of victory and defeat, challenge and triumph. Our goal is to inspire listeners to achieve more, strive for success, and feel a sense of understanding and community.

This is a place where CMOs, VPs of Marketing, and all strong women B2B marketing leaders discuss their top tactics, strategies, and tips for building teams, leveraging trends, and ultimately rocking their marketing careers - however that looks to them.

Leading marketing teams everywhere from fortune 500s to startups and challenger brands, these women share their stories of rising to the top - and how they overcame any obstacles that came their way.

Made by and for women, insightful for all.

Podcast Host: Jane Serra, 17+ years in B2B marketing across all industries from SaaS to Marketing Agencies and International Outsourcing.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninb2bmarketing/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/womeninb2bmktg

About your host

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Jane Serra