Your best reps are often "unconsciously competent" and can't explain their own success. Before an SKO, leaders must help these individuals deconstruct their process and build a prescriptive presentation, translating their individual "art" into a replicable science for the entire sales team.

"Mercenaries" are transactional reps who perform well but leave when conditions change. "Patriots" are mission-driven team members who build a winning culture. While startups may need mercenaries for early traction, long-term success requires actively cultivating and hiring for patriot-like qualities.

In a remote workforce, scrappy problem-solving is often invisible. Leaders must create a system to surface and publicly celebrate reps who use creativity to overcome blockers. This not only rewards the desired behavior but also transforms individual wins into scalable learning moments for the entire team.

Identifying a company's stated values is insufficient. WCM's research evolved to analyze the social mechanisms that reinforce desired behaviors, turning values into a "cult." They found that many companies espouse the same behaviors, but only the best have the rituals and systems to make them stick.

To make role-playing an effective training tool, sales leaders must demonstrate vulnerability by going first in front of everyone. This signals that the goal is collective improvement, not performance evaluation, and encourages reps to engage openly without fear of judgment.

The true ROI of a great company culture is operational velocity. Long-tenured employees create a high-context environment where communication is efficient, meetings are shorter, and decisions are faster. This 'shared language' is a competitive advantage that allows you to scale more effectively than companies with high turnover.

A sales leader's value isn't in managing from headquarters. It's in being on the front lines, personally engaging in the most challenging deals to figure out the winning sales motion. Only after living in the field and closing landmark deals can they effectively build a playbook and teach the team.

Sales compensation is the most powerful lever for changing a sales team's behavior quickly. More than training or directives, incentives tell reps what they are supposed to do and why, directly shaping their daily actions and strategic focus.

Unlike corporate roles where activity can be mistaken for success, sales provides direct, visceral feedback. This "winning" mentality, born from the pain of losing a customer, keeps product leaders grounded in the ultimate goal: winning the customer, not just executing processes.