Leading and lagging indicators

I could set my watch to a lot of things in B2B marketing, like the amount of time it takes for marketing to respond “but you don’t invest in brand” whenever sales says “no one knows we do that here.” Or when the CEO says “you’re empowered to grow this business but stop asking for tools or budget.”

No phenomena, however, strikes like clockwork as much as when revenue stalls, pipeline softens, conversion slows… and the tactical reaction hits:

“More activities, please!”

Throw more in the top of the funnel, unleash the paid faucet, launch and webinar your faces off! Then set back and relax, because you just unleashed a world of activity and anxiety temporarily decreased and that dashboard? It looks BUSY.

Three months later? The numbers haven’t moved, because pipeline is not a reflection of activity.

Pipeline is the reflection of decisions made (or avoided!) 90 days ago. Pipeline is a lagging indicator… of courage.

Courage is a funny thing; it doesn’t show up in the CRM but in the rooms where uncomfortable choices are made. The courage to:

• Kill a channel that looks busy but doesn’t convert.

• Narrow the ICP when sales wants it broader.

• Separate Add from New motion and expose expansion weakness.

• Admit the positioning isn’t differentiated.

• Confront a stage 2 bottleneck no one “owns.”

• Reallocate budget away from pet projects.

Most revenue engines don’t stall because the team lacks effort, but when  leadership lacks decisive alignment.

I’ve seen marketing teams run harder while revenue moves slower. Calendars certainly look fuller, but velocity drops between each stage of your entire world (that’s dramatic, you know I mean your funnel or your waterfall, sheesh). Because no one wants to challenge the sacred MQL target. No one dares address any regional politics. Never a word shall be spoken about a misaligned org structure or an underperforming segment that leadership is more emotionally attached to than a schoolyard crush right before the Valentine’s Day boxes come out.

It’s so much easier to add effort than it is to bravely remove illusion. Revenue courage often looks boring from the outside, because it isn’t flashy or even conference-worthy. It sure is transformative, though.

Here’s the part that always gets me in trouble… Marketing leadership isn’t primarily creative, it’s resource allocation under uncertainty. Choosing where not to spend and which narratives to retire. Reducing noise. Simplifying the systems.

Saying “no.” And then holding the line when short-term metrics wobble.

Courage gaps tend to widen in post-merger environments, like many of us have experienced or are experiencing in real-time. Duplicate systems line up next to differing incentives and KPIs. Every charged leader might want momentum, but the real test is in banging the drum for structural clarity.

Clarity precedes acceleration. Always.

If you want a fast revenue lift, look at your pipeline. If you want a durable revenue engine, look at your avoided decisions. The bravest marketing leaders I’ve worked with don’t chase activity, they opt for clearly defined objectives and intentional architecture. They optimize ruthlessly. RUTHLESSLY! And they report reality transparently.

They don’t build systems that rely on adrenaline. Because adrenaline is not a strategy. Discipline is.

Remember… pipeline is a lagging indicator. Courage? Courage is the leading one.