Marketing Executive, you don’t need to master AI. But you must lead it.

New AI tools and features emerge constantly, and the media is full of tips on using these tools to achieve eye-catching results. But most advice focuses on operational tasks—not the strategic priorities of marketing leaders. As a marketing executive, how can you manage change effectively in this evolving landscape? Here are my top recommendations to help you lead AI for your team’s success.

Lead the AI adoption through four key areas

AI is reshaping the way work gets done. In marketing, it’s transforming not only how campaigns are planned and executed but also how you lead your marketing team. As with any new development, the first step is understanding how to approach it. As a marketing executive, you don’t need to master every AI tool, but you do need to understand how AI can benefit your team and when and how to use it.

Leading a team through AI adoption is challenging. Especially when individuals are at different stages of proficiency or if everyone is using AI tools differently. Some may be advanced users, while others are just getting started. Where and how is AI being used? Can some usage even cause risks, such as violating company privacy policies? To build a cohesive understanding and create alignment, start with these four key steps:

• Conduct a GAP analysis of AI within your organization:
  Assess the current state and identify opportunities AI can bring. Delegate this task to a team member if needed.
• Evaluate your progress with AI adoption:
  If you’re on track, good. Focus on maintaining capabilities and sharing knowledge across the marketing team. If you’re still in the early stages, develop a clear roadmap for AI implementation and plan how to expand your team’s AI capabilities.
• Establish a consolidated AI strategy and way of working:
  Define the processes and operating model. How will you manage risks? Which opportunities for improvement will you prioritize?
• Keep pace with evolving AI technologies:
  New tools and advancements emerge constantly. Ensure your team has a mechanism to stay updated—falling behind could mean losing competitive advantage.

Elevate your resource efficiency

B2B marketing organizations often struggle with constant rush and ad-hoc. Resources are limited and workload is high. Sometimes too high. But more often than not, the issue is inefficient processes. Clear, structured workflows transform your team into a well-oiled machine. For example, when everyone knows the campaign planning process and how long each step takes, predicting resource needs becomes much easier—for both your team and, crucially, for you as a leader.

So, what does this have to do with AI? We’ve already seen AI drive significant productivity gains in specific tasks. Many teams we work with have already integrated AI into their marketing processes—especially content production. Unsurprisingly, tech companies, based on our experience, tend to have advanced AI capabilities. Do you know how much time your team could save in content production or visual design by using AI tools?

At its best, AI streamlines repeatable tasks and boosts productivity—for example, helping writers generate content faster. Tasks that once took weeks can now be completed in days. As a leader, this presents a chance to rethink roles and responsibilities, opening up opportunities to assign your team more strategic, high-value tasks—which can also improve morale and motivation and hold the team accountable. But is your team working at full capacity, with AI as part of the norm? Or if your team is producing more with less, does that mean you suddenly have more resources left? How can you ensure each team member’s skills are being fully leveraged?

Drive successful AI leadership with clear processes

Resource efficiency with AI is one thing, but how your team utilizes it is just as crucial. This might sound boring, but it’s actually the key to success. Which tasks can AI tools be used for? What’s allowed in terms of risk management and information security? These are essential questions, and a clear playbook with team consensus is critical.

For example, how does the content production process work with AI? How much can AI generate on its own? What’s content specialists’ role? No one wants to produce generic, low-quality content created entirely by AI. Clear, documented processes make it easier to lead your team, implement new tools, and onboard new members. You don’t need to know how every AI tool works—but you do need to understand how and when they should be used.

As AI is still emerging in many marketing organizations, now is the time to build internal workflows and establish clear guidelines. Some marketing executives may think, “We use AI, and everything’s fine,” but how do you make AI truly leadable? AI can seem overwhelming, and while it’s hard to predict the future, the change is already happening. If you can lead AI, you can improve and manage it.

Consider your organization’s resources, processes, and the specific goals for AI. Where does the biggest potential lie, and how will AI affect your team’s productivity, motivation, and ability to meet targets? After all, the point of adopting new technology is to unlock your marketing’s full potential to drive business results. And you must feel confident behind the steering wheel.