MR Leadership Week: Merrill Dubrow of M/A/R/C Research

Merrill Dubrow is a thoughtful leader, podcast host, blogger, sought after keynote speaker and CEO of M/A/R/C Research. At the first sign of the Coronavirus making an impact on American business, Merrill moved quickly to spearhead a leadership roundtable and has been listening as much as leading, giving voice to many within the MR industry to help us all face what he refers to as this "opportunity to lead." He's moving through a hard time to lead 65 employees with class and a total commitment to strong and frequent communications.  He openly discusses the hardships of leading and acknowledges his need to be mindful of his own needs while balancing the needs of others. While he reaches out to others for personal check-ins with his team he's been trying to keep things light while never mixing words about the future. It's a tough balance Merrill is managing, but his tenacity to keep leading with empathy is encouraging and inspiring.  In a show of vulnerability Merrill shares a personal story from his childhood that prepared him for a moment such as this. It is this kind of openness that has earned him the respect of his peers for so long.  Merrill counts some of the market research greats as personal friends including Steve Schlesinger, CEO of Schlesinger Associates, Adam Froman, CEO of Delivina, Ryan Barry, CRO of Zappi and Sarah Kotva, Vice President of Fieldwork and more.  M/A/R/C Research also has a podcast called On the Marc. Merrill interviews a wide variety of interesting people, artists, and sports experts as well as market research leaders. Another timely interview of Steve Schlesinger can be found here.