It’s halftime. The second half of 2025 is already in motion, and if you’re a marketing leader, you’re likely facing a mix of fatigue, budget pressure, and the looming need to prove impact fast.

So here’s the real question:
Are you doing the right work, or just more work?

The themes we’re hearing from marketing leaders are familiar:
• Overwhelm from the speed and uncertainty AI is introducing
• Budget cuts that seem to hit marketing first
• Frustration with expectations—everyone has opinions, few truly “get it”

This pressure often leads to reactive marketing: more tactics, faster pace, less clarity. But here’s the hard truth—reactivity doesn’t lead strategy.

As we head into strategic planning season, let’s bust two common myths that might be holding your strategy (and your team) back.

Myth #1: “If we stop to invest in strategy, we’ll fall behind.”

As someone who has run three marathons and countless half-marathons, one of my favorite strategy analogies is the treadmill story.

Imagine you’re mid-run on a treadmill, exhausted and pushing hard. You look down—your feet are strapped into broken flip-flops held together by duct tape. But you keep going, because stopping feels scarier than pushing through.

A friend walks up and points out the obvious: you need better shoes. You hesitate—because pausing feels like falling behind. But they insist. Together, you step off the treadmill, head to a real running store, get fitted properly, and talk over lunch about how to actually train for a marathon—not just shoes, but sleep, nutrition, and mindset.

The next day, you’re back on the treadmill—only now, you’re faster, more efficient, and actually enjoying the run.

That’s what strategy does.
It’s not a break from performance. It’s what enables it.
With the right plan, you don’t just catch up. You lead.

Myth #2: “Outsourcing strategy is a bad idea—they don’t understand our business.”

I once heard someone say they’d never outsource strategy because “agencies don’t get us.” I get it—maybe they had a bad experience.

But if you’re inside the jar, it’s hard to read the label on the outside.

A great strategic partner doesn’t tell you what to do. They help you see what’s possible. They bring cross-industry insight, facilitate alignment, and create space to ask the tough questions you’re too busy, or too close, to surface on your own.

The right outside perspective challenges your assumptions, not your authority. They help you focus not just on what to do next, but why, and how to get your team on board.

Your Halftime Challenge

Don’t just power through the second half of the year. Pause with purpose. Ask the hard questions. Revisit your strategy. Call in a partner if you need one.

And commit to doing the right work, not just more of it. Because marketing that leads starts with a plan that drives impact.