Too many founders and executives treat marketers like task rabbits.

“Make me a deck.”

“Run a campaign on TikTok.”

“Spin up a landing page by Friday.”

The marketer becomes an order taker. They’re expected to execute requests with no clear strategy, no defined priorities, and no space to bring their expertise to the table.

And then leadership wonders why marketing feels scattered or why growth is flat.

Marketing is not a to-do list

Good marketing isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about diagnosing the problem and deciding the right moves. If you skip that part, you’re just pushing out work with no clear direction.

When marketers are forced into an “order taker” role, three things happen:

1. They get spread too thin. Dozens of random projects, no prioritization.
2. They lose trust. Every project feels reactive instead of strategic.
3. The results are weak. Because marketing isn’t aligned to business goals.

Treat marketers like experts

Marketers are problem solvers, not button pushers. The best work happens when you give them context and outcomes, not just tasks.

Instead of saying:

• “We need 10 ads by next week.”

Try:

• “Our CAC is rising. How should we approach creative testing to bring it down?”

One is a task. The other is a problem to solve.

How to reset expectations

If you’re leading a team, here are a few ways to stop falling into the order-taking trap:

• Start with goals, not tasks. Give your marketer the problem to solve.
• Ask for their perspective. They see data and patterns you might not.
• Prioritize ruthlessly. Not everything can happen at once.
• Respect the craft. Marketing takes thought, not just output.

Conclusion

Marketing works when it’s strategic, not reactive. If you treat marketers like order takers, you’ll get shallow results and frustrated people.

Treat them like the experts they are. Give them the room to do their job. That’s how you build marketing that actually drives growth.