Marketing has always been fast, high-pressure, and unforgiving. From the “lunch is for wimps” era to today’s always-on, globalised environment, stress has been worn as a badge of honour. But the reality? Fear is quietly sabotaging the industry’s ability to innovate.
High-pressure environments propagate cultural entropy – a measure of dysfunctional behaviours such as blame, mistrust, and excessive bureaucracy. Professionals feel compelled to overextend themselves, leading to burnout, disengagement, and a loss of the very creativity that fuels great marketing campaigns.
Over time, teams become reluctant to challenge ineffective processes, energy drains away, and the big ideas that win clients never make it past the brainstorm.
The hidden cost of fear-driven leadership
Our latest research shows that 19% of workplace behaviour in marketing is driven by fear. While lower than in some sectors, it’s still a serious competitive risk. And here’s the real issue: most fear-based leadership isn’t intentional.
Despite over half of UK businesses offering leadership development programmes, between 15% and 22% of leadership behaviours remain rooted in fear.
Marketing leaders, like everyone else, make most decisions subconsciously, shaped by past experiences, habits, and emotional conditioning.
Without realising it, even the most well-meaning leaders can create environments where performance scrutiny becomes excessive, ineffective processes go unchallenged, and presenteeism is valued over real results.
The impact? Creativity stalls. Innovation slows. Agencies lose their edge. And once that happens, clients go elsewhere.
What needs to change?
Fixing this isn’t about fluffy well-being initiatives – it’s about staying competitive. Agencies that want to future-proof their success must take a more strategic approach to leadership.
That starts with measuring cultural entropy – tracking where fear-driven behaviours show up and tackling them at the root. Leadership development also needs a rethink. Too often, it’s a tick-box exercise when it should be a continuous process of compassionate self-reflection and behavioural accountability.
Leaders who actively engage safely with their own habits and emotional triggers are far better equipped to create environments where people feel safe to challenge, test, and push boundaries – the lifeblood of great marketing.
Ultimately, thriving in this industry takes more than great campaigns. It demands emotionally intelligent leadership. The most successful agencies aren’t just creative; they’re selective with clients, build strong brands, embrace feedback, and foster relationships that drive results. These qualities flourish in environments built on trust and psychological safety – something fear-based cultures struggle to sustain.
Marketing thrives on fresh thinking, bold moves, and fearless execution. Agencies that address fear-based leadership now will be the ones still standing in five years’ time. The rest? They’ll be wondering where their top talent – and their biggest clients – went.
Katharine Williams is the founder of Neema
