You finally got the title.
VP of Marketing.
And not just you. Your peers too. The company is building out its first real V-suite. Sales. Finance. HR. Ops. IT. It’s a sign of growth, ambition, and now for the first time…
Marketing is no longer perceived as a support department.
On paper, at least.
But a title doesn’t guarantee influence.
And visibility doesn’t guarantee power.
So what happens when you’re in the room… but not quite at the table?
- You’re looped in late
- Asked for input, but not decisions
- Told to “launch it” instead of being part of what’s being made
You’re a strategic leader. BUT the company still sees your Marketing’s role as “making things look good.”
This is the uncomfortable in-between.
And you’re not imagining it.
You’re:
- Still fielding random one-off requests from the Sales team
- Managing ideas from the CEO that aren’t connected to strategy
- Juggling agency deliverables while trying to lead a team that’s already stretched thin
You’ve outgrown the triage mode.
But the org hasn’t outgrown seeing you that way.
This isn’t a tactical problem.
It’s a leadership one.
You need to step into Marketing as an executive function. Not just a department with a new title.
It’s a move from “what the role demands” into the mindset shift and executive presence required to actually live it.
Until you lean in, no amount of output will shift how Marketing is seen, or how you are treated.
As Harvard Business Review puts it:
“Moving from frontline management to becoming a leader of leaders… the role often comes with broader scope, bigger expectations, and influence to shape strategy, culture, and the organization’s performance at the highest levels.”
This is the leap.
You’re no longer just leading individual contributors or managing deliverables.
You’re leading other leaders and contributing to the broader executive team’s direction.
For a VP of Marketing, this means:
- You’re not just representing Marketing. You’re contributing to company-wide strategy
- You influence peers in Sales, Ops, Finance etc., not just coordinate with them
- You show up as a peer to the other VPs, not as a service provider to them
As an executive you will:
Bring strategic POVs that influence decisions.
Shape the collective leadership culture.
Make calls that affect the entire org, not just your department.
So the question becomes:
Are you leading like an executive, or still operating like a functional head?
This is the hidden gap.
Not in your ability. Not in your title.
But in how you lead.
And how others experience your leadership.
Because the old tools that made you effective at the Director level – being collaborative, hands-on, quick to execute – can quietly undermine your influence at the executive level.
Now, your job isn’t just to get things done.
It’s to decide what matters.
To stop reacting and start directing.
To speak the language of outcomes, not activities.
To make space to think, rather than fill every gap yourself.
Your peers will only meet you at the level you meet yourself.
That means:
- Being slower to say yes and faster to say, “Here’s what we should prioritize instead”
- Stepping out of delivery mode
- Holding the line when others want Marketing to jump straight to tactics
This is how you start to close the gap between title and influence.
Not by doing more.
But by leading differently.
Because executives don’t just ship the work. They shift the culture.
Elevated is for marketing leaders under pressure to grow fast, do more with less, and lead smart. Each issue delivers on clear, unflinching insight to help you step out of the weeds and lead The Big Leap with clarity, structure and confidence.
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