Here’s my controversial opinion:

Most sales leaders aren’t bad at accountability, they were simply never taught how to drive it properly.

How come?

• We promote our best sellers into leadership positions

• We hand them a CRM, a forecast call, and a sales quota

• Then we act surprised when performance becomes inconsistent and unpredictable

The truth is, many sales leaders have never been trained in a repeatable accountability operating system.

That’s where RPA comes in - Results, Pipeline, Activity. A framework popularised by Mike Weinberg that quietly exposes one of the biggest gaps in modern sales leadership. I came across this very late in my sales career having been handed Mike's book "Sales Management Simplified" as a precursor to a discussion at HubSpot on driving greater sales accountability. I only wish I had come across this sooner - it could have made a massive impact.

Why Sales Leadership Feels Harder Than It Should

Look at most sales organisations and you’ll see the same patterns emerge:

• Endless CRM reports and dashboards providing little clarity

• Forecast calls that feel like negotiations with Reps and Managers to deliver more revenue than they are forecasting

• 1:1s that drift between therapy and tactics

• Sales activity celebrated while sales outcomes disappoint

This isn’t incompetence. Most leaders were taught what to inspect — not the order in which to inspect it. The truth is that sequence matters.

Results: The Starting Point Leaders Rarely Start With

RPA insists that every conversation begins with results. Not effort; not intent; not context. Just sales results - pure and simple.

This alone is confronting for many leaders. Not because it’s harsh, but because they were never taught to anchor conversations this way.

However when results are clear:

• Emotions decrease

• Arguments disappear

• Conversations speed up

If results are strong, great - reinforce this with the rep and move on. If they’re not, the framework tells you exactly where to go next. Pipeline.

Pipeline: The Missing Skill in Most Leadership Toolkits

Here’s the uncomfortable reality:

Most sales leaders were never trained to properly inspect pipeline quality.

Sur they can review a dashboard. Sure they can run a forecast call. But they struggle to answer:

• Is this pipeline genuine?

• Is it enough to make/exceed sales quota?

• Is it progressing in the right manner?

• Will it convert in the timelines required?

RPA makes pipeline inspection unavoidable - and it turns “future risk” into something visible weeks or months earlier.

That’s not micromanagement. That’s leadership.

Activity: Why It’s Misused Everywhere

Because leaders lack a structured model, activity becomes the default lever.

Number of calls; number of emails sent; number of customer meetings held.

RPA flips this on its head. Activity is discussed only when results and pipeline demand it.

This single shift eliminates:

• Micromanagement

• Defensive reps

• Busywork disguised as productivity

It also teaches leaders how to coach behaviour with precision - not guesswork.

The Real Gap in Sales Leadership

The biggest issue in sales leadership today isn’t mindset. It’s method.

Most sales leaders:

• Were never taught how to run effective accountability conversations

• Inherited poor models from their own managers

• Confuse coaching with clarity

• Confuse empathy with structure

RPA fills that gap with a simple, teachable operating rhythm. And once sales leaders see it, they rarely go back.

A Provocation for Sales Leaders

Ask yourself:

• Could I clearly explain my accountability model to my team?

• Do my 1:1s follow a consistent structure each time?

• Do I know early when a month/quarter is at risk?

• Was I ever formally trained to run these conversations? Or did I just figure it out?

If you were never taught this, you’re not alone. But now you know it exists.

Sales leadership doesn’t break down because leaders don’t care. It breaks down because no one ever taught them a better system.

At Growth Getters, I work with VPs , Sales Directors and Managers who want to professionalise and operationalise sales leadership, not just motivate sales teams. I help leaders:

• Install a clear accountability operating system (including RPA)

• Upgrade 1:1s, pipeline reviews and forecast discipline

• Reduce surprises, noise and emotion in sales conversations

• Build leadership capability that scales beyond individual talent

If you’re running a sales team and were never formally taught how to run accountability conversations - you’re exactly who I work with. Message me directly at dan@growthgetters.com.au for an initial confidential discussion.