Just experienced a CSO expect a new sales manager to:
1. Hit aggressive revenue targets
2. Support post-sale implementation
3. Build a high-performing team
All with the resources of… *checks notes*… exactly ONE human being.
This isn’t leadership. This is organizational fantasy fiction.
Look, I get the “do more with less” mantra. We all love efficiency. But there’s this pesky thing called physics that limits how many meetings one person can be in simultaneously.
When you load up your sales manager with three full-time jobs, you’re not being “lean” – you’re being delusional.
The math is brutal: Your manager now gets to be 33% effective at three things instead of 90% effective at one thing. Congratulations on your optimization!
What’s happening in reality:
- Sales cycles stretch because they’re busy putting out implementation fires
- Customers get frustrated waiting for support
- Your team feels neglected and starts updating their LinkedIn profiles
And the worst part? When it all inevitably falls apart, leadership will blame the manager for “not being able to handle it” rather than recognizing they designed a role that would make Superman reach for anxiety meds.
Here’s your wake-up call: This isn’t a training issue. It’s not a talent issue. It’s a system design failure.
Your options:
- Hire the implementation support
- Create a team lead structure
- Accept mediocrity in all three areas
Hard truth: Your unwillingness to properly resource this role isn’t “fiscal discipline” – it’s just passing the organizational debt down to someone who can’t fix the structural problem.
So what’s it gonna be? Will you keep pretending one person can be in three places at once, or will you finally admit that your org chart needs to reflect reality instead of wishful thinking?
Your sales team is watching. Your customers are feeling it. And your quarterly numbers will tell the tale.
