Your Marketing Team Isn’t Failing—They Just Don’t Know Where They’re Going

by Chad de Lisle February 6, 2026

We analyzed 600 strategy calls with founders and marketing leaders in Q4.

What we found wasn’t a marketing problem. It was a destination problem.

The pattern was brutal:

  • 41% couldn’t tell us what actually drives their revenue
  • 36% watched lead quality collapse while reports stayed green
  • 34% felt their agency was just waiting for orders
  • 28% were bleeding talent and momentum to turnover

These aren’t execution issues. They’re vision gaps.

The Uncomfortable Truth 

Harvard Business Review found that 95% of employees can’t name their company’s strategy.

If your team doesn’t know where the ship is going, you end up carrying the entire company on your back. Marketing feels like guesswork. Data looks like noise. Your agency becomes order-takers.

And you wonder why nothing works.

Vision isn’t a poster on the wall. It’s plumbing.

Six Foundations For Clear Vision

Before we talk about ads, budgets, or leads, we get clear on six foundations:

  1. Purpose beyond profit – Why you exist beyond making money
  2. Brand differentiators – What makes you impossible to replace
  3. Values that show up in decisions – Not what you say, but what you do
  4. Customer-centric service – Who you serve and how you transform them
  5. Revenue that feels good – Growth that aligns with your vision
  6. Long-term goals connected to short-term actions – Where you’re going and how today’s work gets you there

When these six are clear, friction disappears. Your team stops guessing. Your agency starts leading. Marketing becomes an investment instead of a gamble.

Why 2026 Will Punish The Confused

AI made execution a commodity. Everyone can “do the work” faster now.

  • Mediocre marketing moves at 100mph
  • More channels = more noise to cut through
  • More data = more false signals leading you astray

Speed without direction is just a faster way to fail.

The winners this year won’t chase the newest tactic. They’ll use crystal-clear vision to filter out noise and double down on what works.

We built a Vision Audit to diagnose where your wheels are falling off.

It pressure-tests clarity across six pillars: purpose, differentiation, values, customer impact, revenue alignment, and long-term direction.

If your team is busy but not aligned—or your marketing is active but profit is flat—you don’t need more tactics. You need a better filter.

Want the same Vision Audit we use with our clients? DM us “VISION” and I’ll send the link. No pitch, no strings—just clarity instead of guessing.

Because in 2026, guessing is the most expensive thing you can do.

  • Marketing

  • Vision

Chad de Lisle

Chad de Lisle

Chad is a passionate people-lover who is always down for a silly-goose time. He's been doing digital marketing since 2007 (don't let the baby-face fool you) where he's excelled specifically in driving results and growth for lead generation organizations of all sizes. He's been winning Dungeons & Dragons since 1997, he's hit a grand slam in a state championship baseball game, and he won't stop hoarding books. When he's not busy running a successful division at Disruptive Advertising, you will find him in the mountains with his dog Rusty or swinging in his hammock with his 3 kids. Beware: guilty of contagious optimism!

Leave a comment

Featured Posts

Background Parallax
Background Parallax

Let's Do This!

Let's get in touch to see if we're a good fit to help you reach your business goals.
Contact the Disruptive Team
  • Google Premier Partner Logo White
  • Hubspot Certified Partner Logo
  • Klaviyo Master Elite Marketing Partner Logo
  • 5-Star Reviews on Clutch Logo
  • Best PPC Rankings Award
    Best PPC Rankings Award
  • Utah Venture Entrepreneur Forum Top 25 Under 5 Company
    Utah Venture Entrepreneur Forum Top 25 Under 5 Company
  • UB Best Companies to Work For Award
    UB Best Companies to Work For Award
  • 2020 National Excellence Award Winner
    2020 National Excellence Award Winner
  • Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies Award
    Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies Award
  • Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Companies #145 Icon
    Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Companies #145 Icon
  • Top PPC Company 2022 Design Rush Award
    Top PPC Company 2022 Design Rush Award
  • Top 1000 Companies Global 2021 Clutch Award
    Top 1000 Companies Global 2021 Clutch Award
  • Top Digital Marketing Agencies 2022 Clutch Award
    Top Digital Marketing Agencies 2022 Clutch Award