🔥Exactly How I Took 19 Sales Teams to #1🔥 And Why I’d Do It All Again the Same Way

Exactly How I Took 19 Sales Teams to #1

An inside look at what it really takes to create a culture of belief, consistency, and unstoppable momentum.

If you ask someone how they took one sales team to #1, you’ll get a list of tactics. If you ask how they took nineteen sales teams to #1, the answer changes.

It becomes less about a formula and more about a philosophy. Less about management and more about movement. Because winning consistently across different teams, regions, cultures, and climates requires something deeper than just KPIs and leaderboards.

When I reflect on how I led 19 sales teams to the top at companies like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Microsoft, I don’t think about quotas or dashboards first. I think about people. I think about how I made them feel. I think about how I showed up for them every day. And I think about how we built something together that went far beyond sales performance.

Here’s how I did it—and how I’d do it again.

Start With Nothing But Listening

When I walked into a new leadership role, I didn’t bring a blueprint. I brought a notepad.

I didn’t make sweeping changes. I didn’t assert dominance. I didn’t try to prove my value. In fact, I made it a point not to touch a thing in the beginning. Because the worst mistake a new leader can make is assuming they’re the smartest person in the room. Truth is, if you’re leading well, you’re not supposed to be.

I spent my first few weeks listening more than I talked. I asked questions in one-on-ones. I surveyed the team anonymously. I read every past performance report I could get my hands on, not for judgment—but for context. I didn’t want to fix something that wasn’t broken, and I didn’t want to break something that was just beginning to bloom.

Most importantly, I wanted to understand why the team was performing the way it was. The numbers were a symptom, not the root cause.

Understand Their “Why”—Individually

Before I could lead anyone, I had to know what drove them. Everyone has a different “why,” and your leadership approach has to adapt to that.

Some were motivated by career advancement. Some needed stability. Some were coming back from career setbacks and had something to prove. Some were just trying to provide for their families.

So I asked: “What matters most to you in this role?” And then I shut up and listened. No judgment. No fixing. Just understanding.

That knowledge became my leadership compass. Because when I knew why they were here, I could better help them get where they wanted to go.

Make the Team a Launchpad, Not a Landing Spot

One of the most counterintuitive lessons I learned was that if I wanted a team to stay great, I had to help them leave.

I worked hard to get my people promoted. I actively sought out stretch assignments for them. I advocated for them in rooms they weren’t invited to yet. I made sure their names were spoken in the right circles.

And I told every new hire or transfer:

“My job is to make you so good that everyone wants you—but you’ll be so supported here, you’ll think twice about going.”

That’s how you make a team a destination. You help people grow so much that their success becomes inevitable—whether it’s with you or beyond you.

Co-Create the Vision, Don’t Dictate It

Every fiscal year, every new cycle, we did the same thing—we built the plan together.

We laid out our vision, our priorities, our desired outcomes. But it wasn’t just my vision. It was ours. We mapped their goals. Their growth. Their territories. Their opportunities.

This was a shared journey, not a solo flight. I wanted them to feel that this wasn’t a job they had to survive—it was a journey they got to shape.

When your people feel ownership, they bring a different level of energy to the mission. They stop doing the bare minimum and start innovating. They stop watching the scoreboard and start rewriting the playbook.

Foster Culture with Intentional Quirkiness

One of the most underrated leadership tools is levity. I brought humor, humanity, and—yes—a healthy dose of ridiculousness to work every day.

We gave ourselves superhero nicknames. We created off-the-wall contests, like who could drop the most Rolling Stones song titles into a prospect call or name the most Sylvester Stallone movies. One time, I gave a prize to the first rep who called a karate dojo and asked if fear existed in their dojo.

Why?

Because in the grind of sales, you need something to shake the snow globe. The job is hard enough. Culture should give you oxygen, not add to the pressure.

When you keep things fresh, weird, and playful—you keep morale high. And when morale is high, performance usually follows.

Get in the Trenches With Them

There was never a task beneath me. Never a moment where I wasn’t willing to jump into the fire first.

If a rep was struggling to land meetings, I’d prospect alongside them. If they were getting stonewalled, I’d reach out to executives on their behalf. I took punches from upper management so they wouldn’t have to. I ran interference on corporate chaos so they could focus on the field.

And most importantly, I never asked them to do something I hadn’t done—or wouldn’t do—myself.

That credibility matters. They knew I wasn’t above them. I was with them. And they fought harder because of it.

Help Them See the Bigger Picture

Salespeople are often stuck in the weeds—staring at dashboards, chasing deals, reacting to chaos. My job was to help them rise above it.

I talked a lot about “the balcony view.” From up there, you can see the whole game. You understand how your role fits into the bigger mission. You see what matters most. You realize which deals are distractions and which are defining.

I helped my team prioritize relentlessly. We focused on:

High-value opportunitiesStrategic relationshipsRepeatable plays

Because doing more doesn’t lead to #1. Doing the right things does.

Create a Safe Space, But Not a Soft One

My team knew they could talk to me about anything. Frustrations. Failures. Life.

I made time for those conversations—because silence is where resentment festers. I gave them space to vent without fear of judgment.

But they also knew the expectations were crystal clear.

There was no guessing. No confusion. I communicated our goals often—maybe too often. But I’d rather over-clarify than under-lead.

I stood up for them when needed, but I also held them accountable. Because safety and standards aren’t opposites. They’re partners.

You can make people feel safe and challenge them to be better. That’s the sweet spot of leadership.

Celebrate Everything That Matters

Recognition wasn’t reserved for closed deals. I celebrated:

GritCreativityCollaborationKindnessEffort

When someone found a new way to break into an account, they got a shoutout. When someone helped a teammate without being asked, they got praise. When someone turned a failure into a lesson, we talked about it as a win.

People work harder when they feel seen. So I made it my mission to make sure no contribution went unnoticed.

Let Them Own Their Process—Unless It Fails Them

I didn’t micromanage. If someone had a system that was working, I let them run with it.

But if their approach wasn’t getting results, I stepped in—not with judgment, but with curiosity. I asked: “What are you trying to accomplish here?” and “What do you think is getting in your way?”

Then we worked on it together. I gave them room to try, to fail, to learn. I didn’t fix everything for them. I just made sure they knew I was there.

That’s the kind of autonomy that creates ownership. And ownership drives performance.

It Was Never About Me

I didn’t care if my name was on a plaque. I cared if theirs was.

I didn’t need the spotlight. I needed them to shine.

I led by walking the walk. I led by sharing my scars, my stories, my own setbacks. I showed them I had been where they were—and believed they could go even farther.

In every meeting. In every call. In every hard conversation. I did one thing: Everything I could to ensure their success.

And that’s how we became #1. Not once. Not twice. But nineteen times.

If you want to build a legendary sales team, don’t just aim for performance. Aim for purpose. Aim for belief. Aim for legacy.

Because when your people feel empowered, equipped, and seen—there’s no limit to what they’ll accomplish.

#Leadership #SalesSuccess #ServantLeadership #SalesCulture #TeamBuilding #Empowerment #RecognitionMatters #LeadByExample #CarsonHeady