What Makes a Great Sales Leader?
I’ve often wondered whether I’m actually good at my job.
That’s not false humility. It’s a real question. And if you’ve ever led a sales team or an entire go-to-market org, you’ve probably asked it too.
The easy answer is to look at the numbers. If the company is growing, we must be doing something right. But the truth is, company performance can be a mirage when it comes to evaluating leadership. I’ve seen companies thrive despite poor leadership. I’ve also seen great leaders stuck in situations where success was nearly impossible.
That realization created a turning point in my thinking.
If outcomes don’t always correlate to leadership quality, then what does? What are the behaviors that actually make someone a great sales leader? One who multiplies impact, improves teams, and maximizes the potential in terms of execution and performance.
That’s the question I’ve spent a lot of time trying to answer. Through hard lessons, hard calls, great mentors, and lots of trial and error, I started to see patterns. Eventually, I began organizing those patterns into a framework. That framework became the Pillars of Sales Leadership. It’s the foundation of how I evaluate leaders, define leadership, and a lens through which I try and determine what good looks like.
It’s also the foundation of this newsletter and of my podcast, Pillar Talk.
Each post here will dig into a specific aspect of sales leadership. Some will come from my own experience. Others will feature insights from podcast guests; leaders in the trenches who’ve wrestled with the same challenges. But all of it will be in service of one thing: helping you become a better, more effective sales leader.
The Pillars of Sales Leadership
Here’s a brief look at the six pillars this work is built on:
Talent Identification & Attraction: A strong leader can identify and attract talent into an organization. Both are difficult!
Operating Rhythm: Establishing an environment that fosters motivation, engagement, and accountability
Business Planning: Succeeding in a growth environment involves consuming data to drive insights and making business decisions with purpose
Mastering The Craft: The best leaders know how to help the team win. Tactically as much as strategically.
Communication: Being intentional about communication in all directions: with your team, across functions with peers, and upward to senior leadership
Ownership: Continuum between seeking specific direction vs. taking ownership of identifying and solving key issues that could impact business performance
In upcoming articles, I’ll attempt to unpack these at a deeper level and based on real world experiences. You’ll get stories, mistakes, practical tactics, and maybe a few things to steal for your own leadership playbook.
If any of this resonates, please subscribe, share, or just reply. I’d love to hear you are thriving or what you struggle with the most.