Ask most marketers what their dream role looks like, and you’ll likely hear something like: “I want to lead a team, shape strategy, and drive impact.”
But when the opportunity finally presents itself, perhaps in the form of a senior title or a significant promotion, reality hits differently. Suddenly, it’s not about running campaigns anymore. It’s about navigating org politics, managing pressure, fighting for budgets, and proving your team’s value in rooms where nobody else speaks marketing.
The transition from execution to leadership isn’t a straight path. It could be filled with uncertainty, imposter syndrome, and a need to unlearn and relearn how you show up at work.
In this post, we’ll break down what this shift really takes—drawing straight from the raw, real-life experiences of Femi Hanson, Head of Marketing and Communications at Palm Pay, shared in our recent community events for marketing professionals.
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From Doer to Driver: What Changes in Leadership
Moving into leadership is less about the number of tasks you complete and more about how you drive the business forward. As Femi said, “You’re only as good as your last campaign.” The pressure gets real. You transition from owning a channel to owning outcomes—such as revenue, growth, or user acquisition.
You become the team’s firefighter. Always ready to calm the storm, resolve crises, and still hit targets. That means learning to respond, not react. Having an escalation plan, knowing when to speak, what to say, and how to bring the right people into the room.
In fact, if you’re already in your first leadership role, you’d find this article on how to succeed as a first-time marketing manager very helpful.
Stakeholders, Teams & Politics
Here’s what no one tells you: the higher you go, the more time you’ll spend managing people and politics. You’re now the bridge between product, sales, engineering, and upper management. You’ll need to explain your work, fight for your team, and align your plans with what the business actually cares about: revenue.
It’s no longer just about likes and impressions. It’s about outcomes. That might mean advocating for a budget, negotiating with your product team, or justifying timelines with engineers.
Hiring, Managing Creatives & Leading Without Burning Out
One of the most relatable parts of the session was how marketers navigate working with creatives. The reality? There’s always back-and-forth. Designers will groan. Social media leads will complain. As a leader, your job isn’t to micromanage. It’s to set the vision, communicate clearly, and shield your team from unnecessary pressure.
Leadership means motivating your team, helping them break routine, and creating space for new ideas. That means managing energy, not just deadlines. It means prioritizing people, not just performance.
In Femi’s word, “Don’t let your team get stuck in a routine; lead them to think bigger.”
Mindset, Influence and Continuous Learning
One thing stood out strongly in the session: leadership is not about the title. It’s about trust and influence. Can people rely on you? Can they come to you for strategy, direction, or support?
To earn that trust, you need to:
- Understand the business and speak its language
- Read the room and lead with emotional intelligence
- Communicate your impact in a way the executives understand
And perhaps the most underrated advice: steal like a great marketer. Borrow what works from other markets, brands, or leaders—then adapt it.
Where Do You Start?
Transitioning into marketing leadership doesn’t happen overnight. But you can start by:
- Taking on more ownership and cross-functional projects
- Practicing how to present results to business leaders
- Studying what your leadership cares about (hint: revenue, retention, growth)
- Learning the soft skills that actually help you move up: communication, clarity, calmness under pressure.
How to Take the Step towards Marketing Leadership Roles?
If you’re ready to build the real-world skills to lead product marketing teams, check out the Treford Product Marketing Accelerator Program. It’s designed to help you transition from execution to strategy, from entry-level to leadership.
You don’t have to figure it all out on your own.
P.S. For more about Femi’s insights and real-life stories, and practical tips, watch the full session with Femi below.