The Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘high performance’ as “working or operating at an above-average level”. But expecting that of marketers right now, to paraphrase Lily Allen, is not fair and it’s not okay. Given the harsh realities many marketers are facing, for most it’s also unrealistic.

Don’t get me wrong, I want marketing teams to be successful and fulfilled. To stand in their power, to lead the long-term commercial agenda and drive growth for brands and businesses. But rather than piling additional pressure on them to be high-performing, a protective shield might be better.

I’m seeing marketers with increased commercial accountability and breadth of role –  whether that’s comms roles being expanded to include proposition development and innovation, or brand management roles being handed, quite rightly, full P&L ownership and attendance at production and procurement meetings.

This is great – marketing should be involved in the long-term commercial agenda – but it’s being done without an increase in team resources or investment. Marketing Week’s latest Career & Salary Survey reveals that more than half of marketers are being asked to do more with less, and without an appropriate increase in remuneration – a figure that’s up significantly year on year.

The ‘always-on’ nature of today’s work has created a reactive mindset.

Recruitment freezes and headcount reductions are resulting in team members feeling stretched, overwhelmed and often spread too thinly, which has impacts on wellbeing, motivation and fulfilment. Delivery of day-to-day tasks are a stretch, never mind finding the time to plan strategy. The survey found 58.1% feel overwhelmed.

Anecdotally, there has been a reduction in senior marketing and leadership roles. Many talented marketers are out of work and lots have to opt for fractional or interim roles. As a consultant, I am increasingly being asked for support from the most senior marketer in a business, whose CMO is no longer in role, to get buy-in or alignment at board level. This contraction is impacting the presence of marketing leadership in the C-suite and leaving many disillusioned, forced to take on a role they’re not ready for. This also impacts their ability to provide day-to-day support to team members.

The ‘always-on’ nature of today’s work has also created a reactive mindset – developing work quickly to address short-term performance issues while trying to educate others on long-term impact. Working at speed, with less support and reacting to address short-term performance issues, leaves little headspace to make the right decisions – let alone mentor, coach or develop others.

‘Pressure in all directions’: What’s causing marketing’s burnout crisis?

A better way

I want marketers to feel supported and empowered. To be able to do great work and be happy doing it.

What if, instead of striving for high performance, we rethink what good looks like? Reframe success. Even the phrase itself conjures up images of people running constantly at full speed with little concern for the energy it takes or that the team may have.

Better to focus on sustainable performance while resource is in an issue. An approach that focuses on doing great work well, that is intentionally delivered in line with strategy, with the realities of resource and investment. And with wellbeing in mind.

So, what can we do to support our teams?

Provide clarity or ask for it. Understand (or challenge) why and how a project, workstream, brief, or ad hoc request will deliver short- and long-term growth.

Make time to reflect on learnings and ensure clarity is given on long-term strategic direction, so you and your team are empowered to make the right – and intentional – decisions in the day-to-day.

Reprioritise and then reprioritise again. We can do anything, but not everything. Focus your team’s energy on the work that truly delivers against your strategy. Push back on last-minute internal requests, especially in times of reduced resource. Channel effort into activities you know you can execute brilliantly; those rooted in consumer insight, not internal opinion. Internal demands for growth need to be met with requests for adequate resource to deliver.

Keep talking and actively listen. Building trust and psychological safety is what should underpin any team. With burnout rife and overwhelm constantly present, making time to support and connect with both the marketers in your care and your peers is more important than it has ever been, especially as the number of senior marketers decreases. Create spaces for honest, transparent and vulnerable conversations.

Reduce complexity and face into tension points. Much of the conflict I see in teams stems from unclear ways of working or overly complex decision-making and approval processes. These drain energy, create conflict and use up our limited resource. By facing into them, you can redefine processes, clarify ownership through RACI models (standing for responsible, accountable, consulted, informed) and create improved ways of working to free up much-needed time, resource and headspace.

For now, let’s put ‘high performing’ on the back burner, and focus time and energy on providing clarity on priorities that can be delivered in light of current challenges. Leaders can ensure the marketers in their care remain motivated and empowered, with ways of working that reduce emotional energy and tension and are supportive. With psychological safety, we can still create teams that are successful and fulfilled – and for me that’s the real measure of success.