From Reads to Leads is a newsletter for writers who want more. It's about marketing. Strategy. Positioning. Operations. Results. And yes, it talks about writing too. But through a marketing lens. If this was sent to you, subscribe here so you don't miss the next email.
In today's newsletter:
This week, during a mentorship session, a content manager asked me: "What career growth opportunities are actually available in content marketing?"
Great question! I wish more people would ask that.
Here’s what I said: Do you want to be a manager or a creator?
Managers zoom out. They build systems for others to follow.
They jump from meeting to meeting, message to message, email to email.
Their time gets sliced into 60-minute chunks. Their focus, spread thin across priorities. Deep work? It's not for managers.
“The manager's schedule is for bosses. It's embodied in the traditional appointment book, with each day cut into one-hour intervals.”
Paul Graham in “Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule”
Manager's goal? Get the best out of their team. Their struggle? Making progress with as little time investment as possible. Doing this well means constantly making tradeoffs between the work, the people, and the financial pressures.
Where does work satisfaction come from for managers?
Their decisions. If they lead to growth. But the results take time and aren't always visible in the moment. Which means managers can go through entire weeks thinking, “I worked my ass off and still feel like I didn’t do anything.”
Creators zoom in. They do the work. And that work requires focus.
“When you're operating on the maker's schedule, meetings are a disaster. A single meeting can blow a whole afternoon, by breaking it into two pieces, each too small to do anything hard in.”
Paul Graham
Creators hate context switching.
Their goal? Create something beautiful.
Their struggle? “Good enough” isn’t good enough. They want to create the best version possible. That requires time and focus to master their craft: how it flows, where it breaks, what sings, and what falls flat. That demands immersion.
Where does work satisfaction come from for creators?
It comes from knowing that they have accomplished something. Like getting their article published, and seeing their copy materialize on a new website.
David Ogilvy, the legendary ad man, started as a creator but built and ran Ogilvy & Mather. He is a manager. He managed to scale creative through systems and teams.
If you dream of building an empire and leading a team → look to Ogilvy
Ann Handley, the author of “Everybody Writers,” is a creator. She writes, teaches, and inspires other creators. She built authority through writing, not managing teams.
If you want to create timeless work and make an influence through your ideas → look to Handley
You can do both, by the way.
Managers also make things — strategy is a creative act.
Creators also manage, because making anything usually involves people, deadlines, and collaboration.
But which one feels more you?
To do something well, you have to like it.
So are you a manager or a creator?
I'm a creator for sure.
Yesterday, I drew this image of my son in the diary I write about him. It made me feel accomplished all day.
Kate
P.S. If we aren't connected already, follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram. If you like this newsletter, please refer your friends.
P.P.S. Need a hand with content? Fix your mediocrity problem with Zmist & Copy
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Articles no one reads... Non-stop requests from ebooks to Instagram captions... Feeling a cog in the content machine... If you're thinking "Oh sh*t, that's me!" it's time to pivot into high-impact work. My newsletter will tell you how.
