Beware of The Player-Coach

A huge mistake growing businesses make is assigning an individual as a "player-coach."

That is, assigning a role that is both coaching and managing a team while also having their own territory or clients that they manage on their own.

Never do this. Period. It's a bad idea. And, did I mention it's a huge mistake?

Why is this such a big mistake?

In order to make someone an effective manager, you need to get them out of the role of individual contribution. A great seller does just that, they sell. Those skills don’t necessarily, nor should they, translate into a sales leadership role.

Beyond just this, think about the animosity that can potentially stem from such a role in your organization. It’s very easy for the sales team to believe that the sales manager is competing with them and doesn’t actually have their best interests at heart. They’ll assume the manager is taking the best deals, and they’ll assume the manager is spending the bulk of their time selling rather than managing.

Even if this isn’t the case, there’s a clear conflict of interest which will demoralize your sales team and stun sales growth.

Does your organization assign player-coach roles? If so, why?