IMHO “Team Lead” is the worst role in sales
A blueprint for designing a better Team Lead experience
DEAR STAGE 2: We have a team of 8 AEs and are planning to double the size of the team in the next year. As the VP of sales, I need to start thinking about our org structure and expect to hire our first manager later this year. There is a lot of early interest internally in this new role and that’s bringing up broader questions around career pathing for the team. I’m considering creating a Team Lead role instead of jumping right to manager. What do you think about this approach? Is it time to start developing career ladders? ~SOLO SALES LEAD
DEAR SOLO SALES LEAD: Hate to say it, but the Team Lead role (as traditionally defined) might just be the worst role in sales.
A standard Team Lead role is a player coach — we ask that person to carry a quota, exceed target and set an example for their peers while also taking on a team quota, coaching, doing 1:1s and managing a small team.
Who wins in this scenario?
The company is distracting a top performer and piling more work on his/her plate and the AE is working crazy hours and on the path to burnout to prove he/she can do it all. Nope, not a fan of that Team Lead role at all.
BUT there’s hope!
Dini Mehta, former CRO at Lattice, and I got together to talk about the alternatives to this traditional Team Lead structure.
A few things we quickly agreed on:
Most ICs don’t actually know what a management role entails — it’s important to give exposure to the role/career path in a low risk way
The traditional TL role is suboptimal for both the company and the employee
Transparency in career development opportunities is critical, BUT we need to remove the assumption that the only path for growth is a management track. Career ladders work best when there is a clear path for growth as an IC and as a manager
Taking inspiration from a TL program Dini previously designed, we explored an alternative approach to the traditional team lead role and outlined ideas to get you started below.
Sample Team Lead Program
Selection process:
When introducing the TL program, we recommend announcing it company-wide. This approach ensures transparency, gives everyone a shot at the opportunity, and aligns expectations. For those who express interest, we recommend conducting interviews to assess their competencies for a managerial role. Take this process seriously and put candidates through the same paces you would when hiring a manager externally — it’s rare that the best AEs make the best managers, as the skill sets are very different. When you’ve completed the interviews, provide constructive feedback on each candidate’s performance to help them understand where they excel and areas that require improvement — these are areas for coaching/development during the program.
It’s also critical that you establish clear criteria for eligibility. Dini called out 2 things that worked well for her:
Quota Attainment: 3+ consecutive quarters exceeding quota
Company tenure: 12+ months with the company
Phase 1 (3 months; 1-3 hours/month):
The goal is to give each candidate progressive exposure to management related tasks - let them see the actual role of a manager in action. A few examples to get you started:
Participate in hiring process / interview screen
Lead a team training
Mentor/Coach a new hire
This initial phase allows potential future managers to experience common responsibilities associated with leadership in a structured way, without a huge time commitment.
Decision point: At the end of phase 1 it’s time to reflect. This is a two way street — share and gather real feedback and decide if the TL is going to progress into the next phase. Some may opt out during this stage, realizing that management is not their preferred path. There should be no pressure to continue, but if they do it’s a great time to reflect on the development areas identified during the interview process at the start of the program and set goals for Phase 2.
Phase 2 (3-6 months; 2-5 hours/month):
For those who remain enthusiastic after Phase 1, provide further opportunities for exposure to the role of leaders in your organization. Phase 2 might include:
Join a quarterly planning meetings
Propose an OKR aligned with the team's goals and report on progress over time
Participate or lead a monthly forecast call
Involve them in cross-functional projects (example: partner with marketing on designing/launching an ABM campaign, share prospect feedback with the product team)
Lead a process-building initiative (examples: review/revamp outbound sequences, document the prospecting process, write a demo script, etc…)
Decision point: At the end of Phase 2 ask each candidate directly "Are you still interested in being a manager?". In Dini’s experience ~30% of participants will opt out at this point, understanding that the managerial role may not suit their aspirations. Make it clear that opting out of the TL program is not a failure or a reflection of their abilities and reinforce the idea that each individual has the autonomy to choose their path based on personal and professional preferences. Offer continued growth opportunities on the IC path if that’s the preferred course.
Setting Expectations for Promotion:
This is critical — especially for early-stage companies who are constantly evolving team structure as they grow. You have to make it explicit that completion of the TL program does not guarantee a managerial role. Instead, highlight that the program serves as an opportunity for growth and development, granting participants exposure to managerial responsibilities and will put them in the running for future management opportunities as they become available.
This approach to a TL program is a huge step up from today’s norm and encourages team members to thoughtfully consider where their skills and interests lie before diving head first into a new role.
Until next week!