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“I had been around marketing my entire career in the Valley, but I really didn't understand marketing,” Brayton explained. “I didn't always gel with marketers and I just didn't think it was going to be a fit both ways for the team or for me.”

What began as an 8-week trial run for Brayton to test out the positon turned into 3 1/2 years.

“I felt excited about, ‘Wow I'm actually learning a lot.’ I didn't know that I was bored because I was so busy,” Brayton said. “I was so crazed with my schedule, but I wasn't growing and I wasn't learning a lot. I basically had been doing the same job for 20 years.”

Running a marketing department for a major networking site takes a village, and Brayton said that hers works well because of the team’s transparency.

“I really encourage my team to be as honest as possible about whatever is causing them to leave a meeting or miss a trip or whatever it is, and I think it's really important that you don't hide parts of yourself that are key to you.”

Hear more from Shannon Brayton on LinkedIn tips and tricks on episode #120 of the “No Limits with Rebecca Jarvis” podcast.

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