🎧 The Right Way to Promote Salespeople to Management

Your best salesperson just became your worst manager. Sound familiar?

This promotion mistake costs companies millions annually. High-performing salespeople develop intuitive skills that work brilliantly—for them. But translating that success to others? That requires coaching, feedback delivery, and conflict resolution skills they’ve never needed before.

Leadership expert Ashley Herd warns against this “unconscious competence” trap. Without training, new managers flounder, teams suffer, and everyone loses.

Smart organizations are changing course by creating separate advancement tracks for individual contributors and managers. Not everyone wants to lead people—and that’s okay.

For those moving into management, invest in their development. Teach them Herd’s framework for difficult conversations: pause before reacting, consider others’ perspectives, then act decisively. Provide mentorship, not just a new title.
Management is a learnable skill, not an automatic promotion.

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