Did you know that about 70% of change initiatives fail? That’s a staggering number, and it’s a reality many of us face as marketing leaders. 

When change efforts fall apart, it’s more than just projects at risk – teams get worn down, morale dips, and momentum grinds to a halt. Setting your team up to embrace change is essential for staying ahead.

So, how do we, as senior leaders, use agility to build teams ready to handle change? How do we create adaptable teams that not only keep up with ongoing shifts but are motivated to get on board? How do we lead in ways that influence the direction of change – all grounded in trust?

I’m Amy King, CMO at Relias, and I’m here to help you answer those questions and more. I’ll walk you through how to create teams conditioned to embrace continuous change – teams that can adapt quickly whenever new initiatives come their way.

Let’s get into it.

Why leadership agility matters for marketing teams

Our world is one of constant change. A 2023 survey of executives found that 85% reported an increase in change initiatives that year. 

Between pandemic recovery, generative AI, vendor consolidation, and new marketing channels, the list just keeps growing. As vendor landscapes shift and audience behaviors evolve, it’s a never-ending cycle of change.

Take the graph below, for example, showing the increase in US online advertising revenue over time. When I started my marketing career back in 2003, online ad revenue was about $7.3 billion. Last year, it hit $285 billion. That’s a massive shift in how we reach audiences.

Bar chart showing steady growth of online advertising revenue in the United States from 2000 ($8 billion) to $258.6 billion in 2024.
Image source: Statista. Data source: IAB/PwC

And the platforms have changed too. In 2013, most people spent more time on desktops than on mobile devices. Today, mobile dominates. 

Channels keep evolving as well – I remember a time when social media wasn’t even a thing, much less content creators as a marketing channel.

So, our marketing world is always changing, and our teams have to keep pace.

The reality of change initiatives

As leaders, we often talk about the “change management curve.” You’ve probably seen it: a path starting on the left, dipping into a valley, then rising to a peak on the right.

Cartoon graph depicting the change process with performance over time: initial resistance and chaos after a foreign element disrupts the old status quo, followed by integration of a transforming idea, leading to a new status quo.
The change curve, as illustrated by Michael Erickson

If change happened in isolation, that model might work. In reality, it rarely plays out that way.

You launch one initiative, then your head of product drops a new solution that needs launching ASAP – that’s another change. Then IT brings in a new project management tool (yes, another one). Then your sales team wants pipeline acceleration in certain verticals. Then your CEO wants to change pricing and packaging for new profit margins.

Before you know it, your neat linear change curve turns into overlapping waves of change that exhaust your teams. It’s all change, all the time – and that chaos can drown out the great outcomes you’re trying to deliver.

Two keys to leading through constant change

In this environment, senior leaders have to be more than just cheerleaders for change. They face team managers who see the chaos firsthand and grow reluctant to take on new initiatives. You start hearing things like, “Let’s finish this project first,” or “Now’s not the right time,” or “If only we could…”

To tackle this, we’re going to explore two key areas that lie at the heart of using agility to build adaptable teams: motivation and influence.

Motivation: The fuel for change

Imagine you announce a big initiative to your team with the promise of increasing ROI by 10%. How excited do you think they’d be to jump on that change bus? Probably not very. 

You need some way to motivate them. However, what motivates one person won’t necessarily motivate another. So, it’s key to understand what drives your teams as you work to build an environment ready to thrive in continuous change.

So, let’s dive into four key motivators to keep in mind as you drive change across your teams.

Motivator #1: Purpose

Across most leaders and team members, having a strong sense of purpose is foundational. The EY Beacon Institute found that purpose-driven teams are two and a half times more effective at driving innovation and transformation than those that don’t ground their work in a clear purpose.

Leaders who rally around purpose inspire followership and engagement – they’re essential for creating a motivating environment.