Life360 Welcomes New CMO, Mike Zeman
At Life360 we look for leaders who are passionate about our mission to keep people close to the ones they love. Employees live our values everyday and work to create better experiences for our members and teammates. To give you a glimpse into what it’s like working at Life360, we’ve asked our newest employees to share more about their experience at the company! Today, meet Mike Zeman, Chief Marketing Officer.
Why did you choose Life360?
I felt Life360 was a great mutual fit on multiple dimensions. First, my family and I have been happy users of the product for over 5 years. With a partner, three kids (including a new driver) and a puppy it helps us stay connected and coordinated as a household.
Life360’s mission and values also deeply resonate with me. Keeping people close to the ones they love is something I experience with my inner circle daily on the app. I was also struck by one of the company’s core values of “Be a Good Person”. While simple, I firmly believe that companies founded on integrity and trust are the ones that ultimately win.
The opportunities for Life360 to enhance people’s lives also seem endless. Whether it’s bringing peace of mind to new audiences, or serving circles in international markets, it is clear that we are in the “early innings” of Life360’s journey and ability to serve.
What are three words that best describe your leadership style?
Maybe not 3 words, but the three common threads that have permeated my leadership reviews are:
- High Integrity. Everything to me starts with respect for each other and for the people we serve. There are no shortcuts and I believe in always doing the right thing even though sometimes it’s the harder path.
- Empowering. I very much consider myself a servant leader but also believe that individuals and teams can achieve more than they can first imagine. Setting a team culture of “high empathy, high accountability” is what truly unleashes a team’s full potential.
- Big Picture Orientation. It’s important that the organization’s mission clearly manifests in the marketing team’s priorities. To that end, as a leader it is my responsibility to ensure that every individual on the team can clearly see how their work impacts our collective vision as an organization and as a discipline.
What Life360 value resonates most with you and why?
I’m very drawn by the company’s value of Members Before Metrics. As organizations grow they often become “inward”, pursuing an internal agenda vs constantly re-anchoring to the problems they can help solve for people. While there are hacks to moving the needle on short-term metrics, durable business success only comes from continuously earning your place in customers’ lives.
Tell us about a career leapfrog moment.
I had the opportunity to spearhead marketing for Netflix’s global launch (100+ markets were “switched on” simultaneously in early 2016). Personally, it was the biggest work challenge and the largest cross-functional collaborative effort I have ever managed. The launch went off without a hitch and we not only greatly expanded our addressable market, we quickly identified where the greatest traction could be gained and steered resources accordingly (go-to-market resource but also local content and product experience).
What is your favorite feature on Life360 and why?
“Battery anxiety” is real for me and very much extends to my kids. Whether one of my teens is out and about in the evening or my youngest is at soccer practice, I want to have the confidence that they can always reach me or my wife as needed. That’s why I love low battery notifications.
What accomplishment are you most proud of outside of work?
While a cyclist for some time, until my mid 30s I had never run more than a mile or two or learned to swim beyond a doggy paddle. But when my friend called asking me to support her efforts to raise money for pediatric cancer research at the Chicago Triathlon, I knew I needed to figure out how to run longer distances and, well, swim. After lots of practice, tons of YouTube instruction and a few injuries, I learned how to do both and have since completed a number of triathlons and marathons.
