The endless to-do list for people in marketing operations gets longer and longer and longer and longer and longer and longer and longer. The breadth of skills required is insane.

The stress to keep up with it all and the increasing imposter syndrome is real.

Because of this, I have an (possibly) unpopular opinion on the topic:

We can't do it all and become an expert in everything. And that shouldn't be the goal.

So how do you find out what MOps hat fits you best? Follow these steps:

(𝟭) Figure out what type of MOps person you want to be.

Let’s start by Googling: "4 kinds of marketing tech roles by Scott Brinker" (or just click here). Read this article and carefully weigh out the pros and cons of each role as if you were in it yourself. Analyze your personal strengths and weaknesses and try to categorize yourself into one of the four ‘types’.

(𝟮) Audit your skillset vs. the endless list of MOps skills.

Ask yourself “What role do you want to be an expert in? Where do you need more knowledge to be able to talk with an expert? What skills can you put on the back burner for now?” You can even break out a list of these skills and categorize them under “mastered”, “need to learn more”, and “improve later” if it helps!

(𝟯) Focus your effort on priority skills and then start elevating MOps at your company to push for headcount or outside expert help.

Now that you’ve organized yourself and (hopefully) understand where you best fit into the MOps world, take your “need to learn more” skills and get going! Once all the skills you need to know are in your “mastered” category take MOps to the next level at your organization and become an even more integral part of your company.

Remember, no one can be an absolute expert in everything. Feel confident in what you do know or build a plan to continue learning without overwhelming yourself. And if you can’t figure it yourself, don’t be afraid to ask for help!