Stop Obsessing Over Results: Why “Surrendering” is the Secret to Sales Leadership

We are conditioned to believe that outstanding leadership requires an iron grip. In the high-pressure arenas of sales and executive management, we’re taught that if you aren’t obsessing over the bottom line, you’re failing. But Joe Terry—former NFL linebacker turned CEO—argues the exact opposite.

In a recent conversation with John Golden, Terry introduced a concept that feels almost rebellious in corporate America:
Surrender to Lead.

It sounds counterintuitive. How can you win if you surrender? But as Terry explains, surrendering isn’t about waving a white flag; it is about detaching your self-worth from the outcome so you can master the process.

Here is how you can apply this transformational mindset to build resilience and drive revenue without burning out.

The Paradox: Let Go to Get Ahead

The biggest mistake leaders make is fixating on the scoreboard rather than the play. When you are obsessed with the end result—closing the deal, hitting the quota, pleasing the board—you operate out of fear. Fear constricts creativity and destroys connection.
The “Surrender” Shift:

• Old Way: “I need this sale to be successful.”
• New Way: “I will execute my process perfectly. The result will take care of itself.”

Expert Insight: When you surrender the outcome, you aren’t giving up on the goal. You are freeing up mental bandwidth to focus on the only thing that actually moves the needle: the quality of your execution.

The Chain Reaction: Experiences Shape Results

Terry emphasizes that you cannot simply command a result. Results are the end product of a specific chain reaction:

1. Experiences: What your team or clients feel when interacting with you.
2. Beliefs: The conclusions they draw from those experiences.
3. Actions: The behaviors driven by those beliefs.
4. Results: The outcome of those actions.

Most managers try to fix the Actions (e.g., “Make more calls!”). However, effective leaders focus on the Experience.
If a salesperson hears “no” and experiences it as a failure, they form a belief that “I’m not good at this.” They take fewer actions. But if you help them experience a “no” as data or a learning opportunity, their belief shifts to “I’m getting closer to a yes,” and their activity levels remain high.

Control the Controllables

Anxiety in sales comes from trying to control things beyond your control (the client’s budget, the economy, the competition). To surrender effectively, you must radically narrow your focus to three things:

• Your Mindset: Are you waking up with intention or reacting to emails?
• Your Actions: Did you do the work you promised yourself you’d do?
• The Experience You Create: Did you leave the other person better than you found them?

Practical Application:

Instead of rewarding yourself only when a contract is signed, reward the effort. If your goal is to make 30 calls, celebrate hitting the number 30, regardless of who picked up. This rewires your brain to value consistency over luck.

Abundance vs. Scarcity

Finally, Terry argues that you cannot lead effectively from a place of scarcity. A scarcity mindset views a colleague’s win as your loss. It breeds paranoia and ego.

An abundance mindset realizes that business is infinite. When you celebrate others’ wins and operate with gratitude, you lower your defensive walls. This allows you to connect more authentically with clients, building the trust that is essential for long-term sales success.

The Bottom Line

Transformational leadership isn’t about squeezing more productivity out of your team; it’s about removing the fear of failure so they can perform at their peak. By aligning your purpose, strategy, and culture, and by focusing strictly on the process, the results inevitably follow.