By

Simon Hazeldine

It’s easy to point the finger when sales numbers miss the mark. The economy is tough. Competitors are slashing prices. The pipeline isn’t filling up fast enough. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the real issue isn’t out there—it’s in your leadership.

I’ve worked with countless sales leaders, and time and time again, I see the same pattern. When teams underperform, leadership is often the root cause. That’s a bitter pill to swallow, but it’s also the best news you’ll hear today. Why? Because it means you have the power to fix it.

So before you write off another quarter as a “challenging market,” take a hard look in the mirror. Are you leading your team to success, or are you the bottleneck? Let’s dive into the brutal realities of sales leadership failure—and more importantly, what you can do to turn things around.

The Five Brutal Truths About Sales Leadership

1. Your Team Reflects Your Leadership, Not the Market

Sales teams mirror their leaders. If your team lacks urgency, discipline, or hunger, the problem likely starts at the top. Are you setting the standard for high performance? Are you leading with energy, focus, and a relentless drive for results? If not, don’t expect your team to.

Fix It: Lead by example. Show up prepared. Be the hardest worker in the room. Model the behaviors you want to see in your team, and you’ll start seeing them mirrored back at you.

2. You’re Managing, Not Leading

Are you checking the CRM, running reports, and sending reminders? That’s managing. Leadership is about inspiring, coaching, and driving results. If your team isn’t performing, ask yourself: Are you actively developing their skills, or just tracking their numbers?

Fix It: Shift from micromanagement to meaningful coaching. Spend time in the trenches with your team. Provide real-time feedback. Run high-impact sales training sessions. Help them sharpen their skills so they can win more deals.

3. You Haven’t Built a Culture of Accountability

A culture without accountability is a breeding ground for mediocrity. If your team isn’t consistently hitting targets, you need to ask yourself: Have I made success non-negotiable?

Fix It: Establish clear expectations. Hold people accountable – not just to their quota, but to the daily behaviors that lead to success. If someone isn’t performing, address it fast. The longer you tolerate underperformance, the more it spreads.

4. You’re Blaming Instead of Owning

When results fall short, where does your mind go first? If you’re blaming external factors – market conditions, the economy, lead quality – you’re missing the point. The best sales leaders take radical ownership. They don’t wait for ideal conditions; they create them.

Fix It: Start with yourself. Where have you dropped the ball? What haven’t you been doing? Once you take ownership, you regain control—and with control comes the ability to drive real change.

5. You’re Not Developing Future Leaders

Sales leaders who focus only on short-term numbers fail in the long run. Your job isn’t just to hit this quarter’s target; it’s to build a high-performance culture that lasts. Are you identifying and developing the next generation of sales leaders within your team?

Fix It: Spot high-potential talent and mentor them. Give them leadership responsibilities. Train them in strategic thinking, coaching, and decision-making. Great sales leaders don’t just produce numbers – they produce other great leaders.

The Sales Leadership Self-Audit

Want to know if you’re truly leading at the highest level? Run yourself through this Sales Leadership Self-Audit. Be brutally honest with yourself.

Rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = Needs Major Improvement, 5 = Best-in-Class) on the following:

• I lead by example and set the standard for my team’s performance
• I invest time in coaching and developing my team’s skills
• I hold my team accountable for results and daily sales behaviors
• I take full ownership of my team’s performance instead of blaming external factors
• I actively develop future leaders within my team

Results:

• 22-25 points: You’re leading at an elite level. Keep pushing.
• 16-21 points: You’re strong, but there’s room to level up.
• 10-15 points: You’re managing, not leading. Time for a shift.
• Below 10 points: Your team’s results won’t change until your leadership does. It’s time for a full transformation.

Turning Insight Into Action

Leadership isn’t about knowing what to do – it’s about doing it. Now that you’ve identified areas for improvement, commit to action. Here’s how to start:

1. Implement a Leadership Development Plan

If you scored low in any area, set a personal development plan. Read books, take leadership training, and seek mentorship from top leaders. Growth doesn’t happen by accident.

2. Schedule Weekly Coaching Sessions

Block out time every week to coach your team. Real coaching – live deal reviews, role-playing, skill-building – not just check-ins and pipeline updates.

3. Create a Non-Negotiable Culture

Define the standards of excellence. Make them clear. Then hold everyone accountable – including yourself. Average standards create average teams. Set the bar high.

4. Own Your Team’s Performance

Stop blaming. Start leading. Take full responsibility for your team’s success, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly things start to change.

5. Develop the Next Generation of Leaders

Identify the top 10% of your team and start grooming them for leadership. The best legacy you can leave as a leader is a pipeline of future high performers.

Final Thought: Leadership Determines Everything

Sales teams don’t underperform because of bad markets. They don’t struggle because of competitors. They don’t fail because of weak pipelines. They underperform because of weak leadership.

The good news? You have the power to change it.

Step up. Lead boldly. Set the standard. When you do, your team will rise with you—and so will your results.

Now, take action. Your team’s success depends on it.

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About the author

Simon Hazeldine works internationally as a revenue growth and sales performance speaker, consultant, and coach. He empowers his clients to get more sales, more often with more margin.

He has spoken in over thirty countries and his client list includes some of the world’s largest and most successful companies.

Simon has a master’s degree in psychology, is the bestselling author of ten books that have been endorsed by a host of business leaders including multi-billionaire business legend Michael Dell and is co-founder of leading sales podcast “The Sales Chat Show”.

He is the creator of the neuroscience based “Brain Friendly Selling”® methodology.

Simon Hazeldine’s books:

• Neuro-Sell: How Neuroscience Can Power Your Sales Success
• Bare Knuckle Selling
• Bare Knuckle Negotiating
• Bare Knuckle Customer Service
• The Inner Winner
• How To Lead Your Sales Team – Virtually and in Person
• Virtual Selling Success
• How To Manage Your People’s Performance
• How To Create Effective Employee Development Plans
• Virtual Negotiation Success