A sales leader's success is determined less by personal sales ability and more by their capacity to attract a core team of proven performers who trust them. Failing to ask a leadership candidate 'who are you going to bring?' is a major oversight that leads to slow ramps, high recruiting costs, and organizational inefficiency.
When revenue leaders offload hiring to HR, they lose control over the core attributes of their team. This creates inconsistent talent quality across the organization, weakening the entire sales function. The leader is responsible for the 'DNA' of their team, and abdicating this duty leads to poor performance.
In environments flush with venture capital, sales leaders developed a habit of 'throwing people at the problem' rather than strategically recruiting. This laziness led to hiring mediocre talent ('Cs and Ds'), burning through capital, and creating inefficient sales organizations that struggled when the market tightened.
When a sales leader consistently fails to attract A-players, it's a vote of no confidence from the talent market. Top performers are signaling they don't believe that leader can advance their careers, which is a major red flag about the leader's own capabilities and future success.