Leadership training is a $365 billion global industry ($166B in United States). This huge market exists because there is a shared understanding across industries and across the globe that leaders must acquire new skills, becoming more well-rounded, as they progress higher in the org chart. Leadership development programs provide enhanced professional development in areas like these: financial performance, attracting and development talent, strategy, and navigating change. 

“Sales leadership training” is just sales training for sales managers at most companies. The professional development of sales leaders is heavy on sales training and light on leadership training. This imbalance of professional development only prepares sales leaders to be super sales reps who also forecast.

Instead, sales leaders should be the highest priority for enhanced professional development:

• They frequently engage in high-stakes conversations with diverse stakeholders inside and outside of the company

• They recruit, develop, and retain the most expensive employees in the company

• They make decisions that directly impact both the top line and bottom line of company performance

• They lead change efforts in our company and drive change in customer organizations

When you underinvest in leadership development for sales leaders, you are incurring high-interest organizational debt. It is not a sustainable growth strategy. You cannot afford it.