By
Simon Hazeldine
Walk into most sales organisations and you will hear the words “leader” and “manager” used interchangeably. Titles like Sales Leader are slapped onto business cards and LinkedIn profiles, but in reality many of these so-called leaders are doing little more than operational management.
The result? Sales teams that hit activity targets but miss revenue goals. Customers who experience rigid, transactional interactions rather than strategic value creation. And a business that unknowingly bleeds millions in lost opportunities because the people responsible for driving growth are managing rather than leading.
It is time to get brutally honest. Sales leadership and sales management are not the same thing. Confusing the two is a silent killer of sales performance.
The Core Difference
Sales Management is about administration and execution. It ensures the sales process is followed, the CRM is updated, and the forecast is submitted on time. Sales managers keep the engine running.
Sales Leadership, however, is about vision, direction, and transformation. Leaders set the destination, inspire belief, and empower their teams to adapt and innovate. They are focused on outcomes, not just outputs.
In simple terms:
- Management is about doing things right.
- Leadership is about doing the right things.
You need both, but without leadership, your team will only ever be as good as the system they are told to follow, never better.
The Hidden Cost of Getting it Wrong
When organisations mistake management for leadership, three damaging patterns emerge:
Short-termism dominates
Managers obsess over the next quarter’s number without building the skills, relationships, and market positioning needed for sustained success.Risk-avoidance culture
Without a leader’s appetite for calculated risk, sales teams cling to “safe” deals and miss out on larger, strategic opportunities.Talent erosion
Top performers do not stick around to be micromanaged. They want to be challenged, developed, and inspired—not just monitored.
These costs rarely appear on a P&L, but they can easily strip millions from your pipeline over time.
Why This Problem Exists
Two main reasons keep the leadership gap alive:
- Promotion bias: High-performing salespeople are promoted into management roles without leadership development. They replicate what they know—activity tracking, reporting, and firefighting.
- Misaligned KPIs: Companies reward operational efficiency more than visionary impact. This drives behaviours that optimise today’s numbers at tomorrow’s expense.
The Mindset Shift to True Sales Leadership
If you are in a sales leadership role, here is the mental reset you need:
- From Controller to Coach
Instead of directing every move, empower your team to think and act strategically. Leaders create decision-makers, not order-takers. - From Metrics-Only to Meaning-First
Numbers matter, but the why behind them matters more. Leaders help their teams understand the purpose behind the targets. - From Internal Focus to External Relevance
Management keeps the team compliant with internal processes. Leadership ensures the team is aligned with evolving customer priorities and market dynamics.
Four Actions to Develop Future-Ready Sales Leaders
Redefine Role Expectations
Write a clear definition of what sales leadership means in your business. Include competencies like strategic thinking, talent development, and change leadership.
Change the Promotion Criteria
Stop promoting purely on quota attainment. Assess candidates for leadership potential—vision, influence, adaptability—not just past sales results.
Invest in Leadership Development
Provide training and coaching focused on leadership skills: storytelling, executive presence, leading through change, and coaching high performers.
Measure Leadership Outcomes
Track leading indicators of leadership effectiveness, such as team retention, win rate improvement, and customer advocacy, not just revenue figures.
The Competitive Advantage of True Sales Leadership
In markets where products and services are increasingly commoditised, your sales culture becomes the differentiator. Leaders create a culture that attracts top talent, earns customer loyalty, and adapts faster than competitors.
A true sales leader will:
- Challenge the status quo
- Inspire a shared mission
- Drive transformation when others settle for “good enough”
When your organisation understands and embraces the difference between management and leadership, you unlock higher engagement, stronger performance, and sustainable growth.
Final thought: A sales manager can deliver results for this quarter. A sales leader will deliver results for years. Which one is sitting in your sales leadership chair right now?
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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
