Have you heard the phrase " the numbers don’t lie"?

Organizations tend to live and die by the metric when it comes to sales. They focus on the close, the conversion, and the quota.

While numbers don't lie, they also don't tell the whole story.

Ben-Jamin Toyand I recently had a conversation on the UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders podcast with Walter Dusseldorp, a former flight paramedic turned C-suite executive. He shared an UH-OH moment about his early transition into management. He was hitting every KPI put in front of him, but he realized he was "stepping over dead bodies" to get there. He was so focused on the transaction of success that he was failing at the transformation of his people.

You can listen to our full conversation on the UH-OH Conversations with Cohesive Leaders podcast at the links below.

Apple | Spotify | YouTube

The Sales Quota Trap

This hit home because it mirrors the exact challenges we address when organizations are ready to evolve to the Cohesive Sales Approach.

When organizations lead to the transaction, they treat their team members like line items and their customers like targets. They push for the "yes" at all costs.

But when we instead lead for transformation, we shift our focus from what we can get to how we can grow.

I’ve learned that a leader who only manages the quota is just a glorified accountant. A leader who manages for transformation is an architect of culture.

The Mirror of Feedback

Walter spoke about the "Funny Hair Rule." It’s a lesson in radical self-awareness that I’ve taken to heart:

• If one person says your hair looks funny, ignore it.
• If two people say it, take note.
• If three people say it, go to the restroom and look in the mirror.

As leaders, if our team is burnt out, if our turnover is high, or if our wins feel hollow, that is the world telling us our "hair looks funny." We can’t keep blaming the market or the economy. We have to look in the mirror and ask: Am I leading to the transaction or the transformation?

What I’ve Learned

My perspective has shifted toward a deeper reality regarding how we can lead for the short-term transaction or lead for the lifelong transformation. If you lead a salesperson to hit a quota, you’ve won a month. If you lead a salesperson to find their hunger and build a cohesive relationship with their client, you’ve won a career.

My introspection for you: Look at your current leadership style through the lens of your last win.

• Was it merely a cold transaction that required you to check a box while stepping over those around you?
• You might find it was a transformation where your team grew stronger and more cohesive through the experience of the journey itself.

Let’s stop counting transactions and start making transformations count.