In this Quick Take episode, we're drawing a hard line between two approaches that can look similar in the moment but produce very different results over time: coaching and micromanagement.

Matt breaks down how managers can develop new salespeople without creating dependence, including:

• Why micromanagement feels productive and why that feeling is exactly what makes it so dangerous to long-term performance
• The difference between what coaching sounds like and what micromanaging sounds like, and why that distinction changes everything
• How to use a guided reps model that gradually shifts from structure to independence as confidence and competence grow
• And, finally, why the manager's real job isn't to produce deals; it's to produce salespeople who can produce deals on their own

LINKS:

New Hire Fast Start

Matt Sunshine

The Center for Sales Strategy

In this Quick Take episode, we're redefining what it means to feel stuck and why the leaders most likely to experience it are often the strongest ones in the room.

Janelle Grove, VP Managing Director of the Growth Collective at The Center for Sales Strategy, takes the mic for this quick but powerful solo take.

Janelle breaks down three reasons high-performing leaders lose momentum, including:

• Why success itself creates isolation and how shrinking peer circles quietly slow execution
• Why decision fatigue at the senior level is often disguised as strategy (and how indecision drains momentum faster than a bad decision ever could)
• And, finally, why the fix isn't trying harder; it's changing the environment around decision-making entirely

LINKS:

The Growth Collective

Janelle Grove

The Center for Sales Strategy

In this Quick Take episode, we're breaking down what it really takes to set new salespeople up for success and why clarity, not just enthusiasm, is what drives early performance.

Matt shares six ways to set clear expectations for new salespeople without overwhelming them, including:

• Why leaders should start with outcomes, not activities. Because when new hires understand what success looks like, the checklist finally makes sense
• How breaking the first 90 days into three distinct phases reduces anxiety and eliminates information overload
• And, finally, why specific standards always beat vague motivation

LINKS

New Hire Fast Start

Matt Sunshine

The Center for Sales Strategy

In this episode, we're diving into the gap between insight and action and why even the smartest, most experienced sales leaders get stuck there.

Joining Matt is Janelle Grove, VP/Managing Director of the Growth Collective at The Center for Sales Strategy.

Janelle shares powerful insights, including:

• Why execution problems are rarely a strategy problem (and what's actually getting in the way)
• How leadership isolation silently kills momentum, and why even high performers stall without a safe place to pressure test decisions
• Why consuming content, attending conferences, and reading all the right books still won't move the needle without accountability and peer challenge
• And, finally, why joining a peer group might just be the missing ingredient to breaking indecision and reigniting execution momentum

LINKS:

Janelle Grove

The Growth Collective

Matt Sunshine

The Center for Sales Strategy

In this episode, we’re shining a spotlight on what it means to lead like a Talent Superhero and how prioritizing people fuels consistent performance.

Joining Matt is Allison Delagrange, a 2X Talent Superhero and Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy.

Allison shares incredible insights, including:

• How to be a collaborative leader, not a condescending one (Hint, hint: Instead of criticizing weaknesses, empower through strengths)
• How it pays to communicate with your existing team exactly WHY you are recruiting
• And, finally, how recruiting raw talent means hiring for impact: both in what they’ll bring to the team AND how you’ll help them grow

LINKS:

2025 Talent Magazine

Allison Delagrange

Matt Sunshine

The Center for Sales Strategy

In this episode, we’re uncovering what high-performing sales organizations do in the first 90 days to turn new hires into confident, capable contributors.

Matt is joined by Alina McComas, VP/Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy, who expands on the strategies she outlined in her article for the 2025 Talent Magazine. Alina shares what new hires really need to succeed and what leaders can do to support them from day one.

Alina offers practical, actionable advice, including:

• How too many sales leaders think their job is done once they’ve hired a talented seller
• Why you should make adjustments to your onboarding plan based on the individual’s innate talents
• And, finally, why you should set clear expectations for what success looks like in their role on day one.

LINKS:

2025 Talent Magazine

Alina McComas

Matt Sunshine

The Center for Sales Strategy

In this episode, we’re taking a closer look at how executive coaching helps leaders evolve so their teams can truly thrive.

And joining Matt is Donna Hall, SVP/General Manager at Robertson Lowstuter, whose piece in the 2025 Talent Magazine explores how executive coaching creates a ripple effect across teams and culture.

Whether you’re new to leadership or deep into your career, this conversation will help you rethink what great executive development looks like.

Donna shares such rich insights, like:

• How, if you want to be the best leader you can be, it takes the recognition that everyone has areas for growth
• Why the cornerstone of great leadership begins with authenticity
• And, finally, how Michael Jordan didn’t have a coach because he was weak. He had a coach because he was committed to staying at the top of his game

LINKS:

2025 Talent Magazine

Donna Hall

Matt Sunshine

The Center for Sales Strategy

In this episode, we’re talking about what really causes sales performance to decline and what leaders can do to help their reps bounce back with clarity and confidence.

Stephanie Downs, SVP/Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy, joins Matt to help break it all down. She expands on key ideas from her article in the 2025 Talent Magazine, where she shares a framework for diagnosing underperformance and reigniting momentum through strength-based leadership.

Stephanie delivers powerful takeaways, such as:

• Why, too often, feedback from sales managers is too vague
• How to distinguish between a skills gap and a motivation issue
• And, finally, why you should focus on a rep’s strengths (even when results seem to be lagging)

LINKS:

2025 Talent Magazine

Stephanie Downs

Matt Sunshine

The Center for Sales Strategy