By Lee Odden

If you’ve worked in B2B marketing for any length of time you know that status quo thinking too often holds marketers back from the kinds of adaptation B2B brands need to succeed.

There is great promise for AI to transform marketing, but whether the promises being made by AI platforms and advocates will be kept, time will tell. In the meantime, B2B marketing leaders are at the center of navigating what works and what doesn’t in a time where the pace of change is accelerating.

Of course, change has always been part of a B2B marketer’s career. What feels different today is the speed, scope, and uncertainty of it.

According to LinkedIn’s 2026 marketing skills analysis, the fastest-rising capabilities include both technical and human-centered disciplines, from performance analysis and AI literacy to visual storytelling, team collaboration, community engagement, and operational efficiency. Those insights provide useful direction: B2B marketers who grow through the kind of transformation and disruption like we are experiencing now are those that keep learning, stay grounded in outcomes, and build skills that create value.

Growth is not just about the tools. Nor is it just about the talent. It’s about both!

That pattern shows up beyond marketing skills lists. LinkedIn’s 2026 Talent Report found that only 14% of organizations qualify as talent velocity leaders, yet those leaders are significantly more confident in their ability to attract, retain, and align talent as priorities change. Those leaders are more likely to build AI literacy, but they are also more likely to strengthen communication, trust-building, adaptability, and collaboration. While AI is now thoroughly ingrained in our work as marketers, it is human skills that are becoming more relevant and an important differentiator.

Beyond research from LinkedIn, I wanted to understand the impact of AI driven change on careers and what advice successful B2B marketers could share. I asked several top B2B marketing pros like Beverly Jackson, Robert Rose, Tyrona Heath and Pam Didner for their best career advice. I also asked the B2B marketing leaders we recently recognized in the Winter 2026 Edition of B2B Marketers on the Move a simple question:

What is the best career advice or lesson that has helped you navigate change in your marketing career?

1. Make continuous learning a career strategy

If there’s one pattern that stands out, it’s that adaptability is a habit. Now faced with a constant stream of new technologies, channels, and buyer behaviors, AI has amplified the pace and breadth of those changes even more. The B2B marketers who continue to grow in this environment are the ones who treat learning as a core part of their career strategy.

Ty Heath, Global Director, Thought Leadership, GTM Strategy at LinkedIn describes it this way:

“Treat your career like training, not a single race. AI isn’t a single disruption to survive. It’s a new training environment. The leaders who thrive won’t be the ones scrambling to ‘figure it out’ this …read more

Source:: Top Rank Blog

      

Author: Aaron