Ali Rastiello

Following in the footsteps of my dear friend and fellow marketer Sherry Woodard, I wanted to publish a list of beliefs that define me. Sherry used to have a blog called “I Believe…” and it was AMAZING. She started every post with “I believe…“and then showed us all an incredibly well written, personal piece of her soul. No matter what the subject, it always made you feel. It unlocked her heart and made you understand what an incredible human she is.

So, here’s my attempt at showing you who I am.

I believe organizations that have a true people-first mentality will always succeed.

I believe that a leader's #1 job is to honor and support the people who work for them. It’s our job to not only give them direction and purpose, but to help them navigate ambiguity, workplace politics, and mistakes that they will inevitably make.

I believe that approaching the hard conversations with compassion and clarity are the times when the people you lead will respect you the most. It’s what they’ll remember about you as a leader, and what will stimulate real growth for them.

I believe that the best thing you can do as a leader is to show that you are human, too.

I believe that passion will only take a person so far. Grit and determination are the real drivers of success.

I believe, like beauty, success is in the eye of the beholder. Only you can define what success looks like for you. (That’s a hard one for me. I do believe it, but that doesn’t mean my ego or heart can abide by it 24/7.)

I believe that at the end of the day, trust and respect is the only thing that matters.

I believe that no company can ever achieve greatness without smart marketing.

I believe that if marketing and sales aren’t playing together nicely like true BFFs, the company won’t hit goals.

I believe you can’t run a successful marketing campaign without making an emotional connection with the audience, no matter the subject.

I believe that you can make the most creative, fantastic campaign ever, but if you don’t have the foundational operations set up correctly, it won’t matter. Who cares if a million people engage with your marketing programs if you can’t action the leads and measure the results?

I believe that all marketing executives need the ability to get down into the weeds and understand the technical challenges their teams face. If they can't do this, they run the risk of not being able to effectively advocate for their team's needs to the rest of the executives and will struggle to make the right technical decisions for Marketing.

I believe Dave Grohl is one of the single most talented and amazing humans on the planet and I will judge you if you don’t agree.

I believe that food is my love language.

I believe the people we choose to spend our time with should help us be the best version of ourselves possible.

I believe weekends are for sleeping late then spending the day drinking coffee in pj’s and binge-watching all the good shows.

I believe that if you’re going to go out to dinner, make it count. Take an Uber, order the whole bottle, and have dessert.

I believe that your home should be the one place you feel safe and secure and happy… a reflection of all things that bring you joy.

I believe life is short, so make the most of it. Work hard. Love big. Be someone’s light.