Recently I spoke to a CEO who was frustrated by the performance of one division in his company.  He concluded he needed to hire a new sales team. He could articulate the compelling reasons for change and the negative impact this non-performance was having on the business.

When I asked him what the current sales leader's role would be in the future, as well as his own (CEO's) role in managing the new staff, he became defensive. He understood that the current sales leader was a big part of the problem and was very frustrated by this, but his willingness to make changes and his approach to solving the problem was another story.

Are you a leader who doesn't like the nitty gritty of sales management? Are you hoping your salespeople will be successful entirely on their own? Are you expecting a different outcome without changing how you lead and manage?

If so what are you really saying?  Perhaps it sounds like this. "All I want is to hire someone who knows exactly what to do with all the right contacts, that doesn't need or want help and will overachieve on their own".

When was the last time you hired anyone like that and how quickly after you hired them did they fail or start their own company?