Dr. Garland Vance

I help Executives retain employees and increase engagement by developing their company's leaders in 6 months or less. | Author of Gettin' (un)Busy | Collector of Cool Hats

Who We Help

We work with growing companies in service, manufacturing, and banking sectors that have 500+ employees. Our ideal clients prioritize leadership development as a strategic investment and understand that strong leadership is the key to their company’s success. We typically partner with Heads of Talent Development, HR leaders, and CEOs who are committed to developing leaders at every level of their organization.

Problem We Solve

In today’s fast-paced business environment, companies often face leadership gaps that lead to team misalignment, high turnover, and stalled business growth. Developing in-house leadership programs can be time-consuming and overwhelming, especially when leaders are unprepared to tackle 95% of the challenges their companies face. We alleviate that burden by delivering a proven, comprehensive leadership development solution that addresses these challenges head-on.

Client Results

Increased Employee Morale and Engagement: Companies report higher morale, improved retention, and stronger team dynamics as leaders develop confidence and competence.

Accelerated Leadership Promotions: Talent pipelines are filled with capable leaders, leading to quicker promotions and better succession planning.

Boosted Productivity: Leaders who go through our program are better equipped to drive results, manage teams effectively, and improve overall organizational performance.

Strengthened Company Culture: By focusing on leadership traits such as Character, Competence, and Community, leaders create a more cohesive, productive culture across all levels of the organization.

Our Proprietary Framework

Our Unleashed Leadership framework focuses on seven critical leadership traits: Character, Competence, Capacity, Clarity, Community, Culture, and Consistency. We provide award-winning in-person leadership training, followed by virtual sessions to reinforce learning and help leaders apply their new skills. Our programs are highly customizable, allowing you to develop a strategy that builds leaders at every level.

If you’re ready to solve your company’s leadership challenges and build a more confident, capable team, we invite you to schedule a free strategy call. During this call, we’ll assess your current leadership development needs and explore how our framework can accelerate your company’s growth.

Book your free strategy call today:
https://calendly.com/garlandvance/strategy

Founder & CEO

AdVance Leadership helps high capacity influencers live and lead with greater purpose, productivity, and peace. 

We work with leaders, teams, and organizations to understand the effects of busyness on their lives and systematically drive it out so that they can accomplish their highest priorities.

We guide people to discover their life purpose and arrange their lives so that they carry out their purpose every day.

We help teams discover the unique characteristics and strengths of each individual and work out of their greatest contributions. 

We guide organizations to discover their highest priorities and to create the habits necessary to intentionally and systematically make progress on those priorities every single day.

The cost of NOT developing leaders is 
far greater than the cost of doing it.

When leaders fail to develop others, here’s what happens:
1. Bottlenecks. Every decision flows back to you.
2. Burnout. You work harder while your team stays stagnant.
3. Breakdown. Morale drops as people feel unseen and unchallenged.

But when you invest in others, you unlock 
capacity you didn’t know was there: in you and them. 

Nothing shapes a culture more than your commitment to develop other leaders.

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I help middle-to-senior managers get unleashed from the seven issues that cause every leadership challenge. | CEO, Top 20 Leadership Development Company | Collector of Cool Hats

Missy Lester

Happy birthday to the love of my life, Dorothy Vance. 

I met Dorothy when we were 18 year old college freshman. She quickly became one of my best friends. 

We hung out nearly every day of our four years at Carson-Newman University. But only as friends.
In my senior year, I asked her to set me up with another girl. She agreed to. 
Then one night, Dorothy told me that another guy had taken her out on a date. 
I became crazy jealous…and realized that I wanted Dorothy to be more than friends. We started dating a week later. 

That was 27 years ago. 

We’ve been married for 26 years
… worked together for 25 years
… been parents together for 21 years
… owned a business together for 9 years

And I’m still just as crazy about her. 
Happy birthday, my love. 
I’m so glad you were born.

Technical skills can open doors.

But only character keeps you in the room.

Every leader needs two types of character:

- Moral Character — Integrity, honesty, ethics. It’s about doing what’s right, even when it’s hard.
- Leadership Character — Humility, Courage, Ownership. It’s about using your influence to lead toward something greater.

One without the other isn't enough.

Leadership isn’t just about being effective.
It’s about being a good person, too.

My friend took a job that she believed
would change her life for the better.

She would be able to pay for her kids to go to college. 
She would have meaningful work.
She could retire nicely. 

She loved her job for a few months. 
Now, she’s ready to quit.

Do you know what caused her change of heart?

She got a new boss.

Her new boss is a narcissist who expects her to be on call 24/7. 
She’s exhausted all the time and never sees her kids.

She’s taking a new job soon. 
The benefits aren’t as good and it doesn’t pay as well. 
But she trusts her new leader.

A peaceful environment that nurtures a fulfilling life, or a toxic one filled with constant stress—choose wisely.

Arrogant leaders suck the life out of you.
Confident leaders add energy to you. 

The difference between the two?

Humility.

Humble leaders:
-Ask more questions.
-Own their mistakes without hesitation
-Encourage disagreement.
-Know they don't have all the answers

Arrogant leaders want to outshine you.

Humble leaders create space for you to shine.

Leaders should care less.

At least some leaders should. 

If you're a leader with a big heart, 
you’ve likely wrestled with this tension: 
I care deeply about my team... 
but something still feels off.

You might be dealing with leadership kudzu—

an overgrown commitment to people who are 
draining your time, energy, and attention.

Here’s how to stop it:
1. Identify team members who consistently underperform, overdramatize, or ignore feedback.
2. Ask yourself: “Am I holding onto this person because I care… or because I’m afraid to act?”
3. Make a plan. One that aligns with both your Character and your Clarity.

Want more? I unpack the full strategy here: https://lnkd.in/eYP8ttGn

My friend, Jason, got promoted to manager 6 months ago.
He’s ready to quit. 

He’s been a top performer for years. 
Now he leads a team of 12. 

At first, he was excited.

Then, leadership hit hard.
- His inbox overflowed.
- Meetings drained his time.
- His team became disengaged.

He reached out to HR to get some help.

They told him that his company didn’t have any training opportunities for managers.  

Jason felt
…stuck
……frustrated
……….overwhelmed.

His team became discouraged. 

During our recent conversation, he discovered
95% of leadership challenges come down to just 7 core traits:

1. Character commands trust.
Leadership starts with who you are. If your team doesn’t trust you, they won’t follow you. Own your decisions. Speak the truth. Do what’s right—even when it’s hard.

2. Competence drives excellence.
What got you promoted won’t keep you effective. Leadership is a skillset, not a title. Invest in learning. Sharpen your abilities. Stay ahead of challenges.

3. Capacity fuels endurance.
Overloaded leaders create overwhelmed teams. If you’re running on empty, so is your team. Manage your time, protect your energy, and focus on what truly matters.

4. Clarity eliminates chaos.
Confusion is the enemy of execution. Your team doesn’t need more motivation—they need direction. Set clear priorities. Define success. Communicate with precision.

5. Community strengthens commitment.
People don’t work hard for companies. They work hard for leaders they trust. Build real relationships. Foster teamwork. Lead with empathy.

6. Culture shapes success.
Your team’s behaviors reflect your leadership. What you allow becomes the norm. Set high standards. Reinforce the right actions. Build a culture that wins.

7. Consistency builds confidence.
Unpredictable leadership creates uncertainty. If your team can’t count on you, they won’t commit fully. Show up the same way, every day. Stability fuels trust.

Decide which one you need to work on.
Your confidence will grow.
Your team will thank you.

“I have no idea what’s expected of me.”

That’s what a mid-level leader told me after three years in her role. 
Three. Years.

She wasn’t failing.
She wasn’t lazy.
She wasn’t disengaged.
She just didn’t know what success looked like in her role— and no one had ever told her.

And here’s the cost:
-She was hesitant to make decisions.
-She didn’t develop her team.
-She didn’t grow—because she didn’t know where to grow.

When leaders lack clarity, they shrink.
When leaders get clear, they expand.

The fix?
-Clear expectations.
-Clear feedback.
-Clear definitions of what good leadership looks like.

Three signs of a toxic culture: Shame. Blame. Fear.

These are common phrases you’ll hear in a toxic environment:

- What's wrong with YOU? (shame)
- You screwed up again (blame)
- Get this right. Or else... (fear)
- You're an idiot. (shame)
- It's not my fault. ________ did it. (blame)
- Don't make me fire you (fear)

My grandmother was a bully.

Her name was Mimi. She lived with my family for 12 years, and I hated her -- especially in the summers.

That's when she would plant a garden. Unfortunately, she was too old to DO the gardening.

Instead, she perched herself in a lawn chair like a queen on a throne and barked orders at my dad and me.

I didn't just hate Mimi. I despised gardening.

(She and I reconciled before she died.) 

But I still hate gardening.

She taught me an important lesson, though:
Gardeners don’t care for a “crop.” They tend individual plants. When individual plants flourish, then the whole crop is healthy.

The same is true in leadership.

You need a healthy team to accomplish big goals.

But the team is actually a collection of individuals in community with each other. The more each member flourishes, the healthier the team will be.

Trust dies when leaders stay silent.

My client was frustrated by lower performing team members.

He wanted to put them all on improvement plans. 

I challenged him to look in the mirror 
before you put them on an improvement plan, 

Have you consistently communicated with those "low performers."

According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, 
56% of employees don’t trust their leaders.

When leaders don’t proactively build trust, it quietly erodes.

Here’s how to prevent that:

1. Give trust first
  Don’t wait for people to “earn it.” 
  Extend trust and unlock higher performance.
   
2. Develop all three dimensions of trust
   – Relational: Show interest in people, not just output
   – Integrity: Model values even when it’s hard
   – Skill: Recognize and rely on your team’s strengths
   
3. Build trust proactively
  Hold regular one-on-ones. 
  Create space for conversations that go beyond results. 
  Make personal connection part of the plan—not an afterthought.
   

Don’t let silence breed distrust. 
Say something. Do something.
Trust needs tending.

If you have to choose between 
getting results 
or 
building relationships…

You’ve already lost.

This leadership tension is one 
of the most common—and costly:

Results vs. Relationships.

And too many leaders live in reaction:

- One boss obsessed over numbers, so you swing to “just take care of people.”
- One team was toxic, so you build a nice culture with zero accountability.

Neither works.

Great leaders don’t choose between results and relationships.

They integrate them.
- Use results to develop people.
- Use relationships to drive results.
- When in doubt, communicate with clarity and care.

Your people want to perform—
especially when they know you’re for them.

Don’t pit people and performance against each other.
Let them reinforce each other.

Early in my leadership journey, 
I failed the people I led. 

I had a big vision, 
but no one bought into it. 

I sent out an anonymous evaluation to understand why. 
I received some hard feedback. 

People said I was: 
Unapproachable - Easily frustrated - Too intense - Impatient 

They didn’t buy into the vision because 
they didn’t buy into me. 

They didn't value the vision because 
they didn't feel valued by me. 

I had to change the way I influenced them. 
I took 2 actions: 
1. Reflect. 
-I evaluated my beliefs and behaviors that would cause people to feel devalued. 
-I asked people to give me even more feedback. I thought about how I wanted to lead. 

2. Change actions. 
-Once I knew the negative effect I was having, 
I had to decided which behaviors needed to change.

Fear. Guilt. Frustration.

That’s what I felt over the last two months. 

Emergencies are inevitable.
At some point, you'll face a surprise that knocks the wind out of you and forces everything to slow down.

I’ve shared this before. But in December, our family faced an unexpected medical emergency—a week in the hospital, surgery, and a long recovery. It also meant canceling our much-anticipated Christmas trip to London.

I'm not writing this for sympathy. But because this will happen to you too. Maybe not the same challenge, but something that disrupts your plans and tests your leadership.
When it does, three emotions often show up:
- Fear (the quiet kind that exhausts you)
- Guilt (feeling like you're letting people down)
- Frustration (because life doesn't pause when you need it to)

In this week's newsletter, I share two lessons that helped us navigate this season—and can help you when your moment comes. 

I don’t know if you’re experiencing an emergency. 
But I know that you will. 

This post will help you. 
Read the full post: https://lnkd.in/eTvRaZF5

The right mentor can change 
the way you lead—

faster than any book 
or course ever will.

Most leaders try to grow by pushing harder.

But the fastest way to grow?

Find someone who’s already walked 
the path and ask them to show you how they did it.

Here’s a simple 3-step plan to find a mentor—
and start learning right away:

1. Clarify your growth goal. Is it Character? Competence? Capacity? Clarity? Community? Culture? Consistency?
2. Identify someone a few steps ahead of you in that one area.
3. Invite them to meet 3 times over the next 3 months. Keep the ask clear, short, and specific.

You don’t need a guru. 
You need a guide who’s a few miles ahead.

Which leadership trait are you working on right now—and who’s living it out in front of you? Reach out this week.

Looking for a mentor but not sure where to start?

This article will walk you through it: https://lnkd.in/eU8ptipu

Many believe leaders must always have
-the right answers,
-the right plan, and
-the right direction. 

But the best leaders empower their teams to find solutions.

Insecure leaders try to control everything—and 
end up burned out with disengaged teams.

Real leadership means knowing when to step back and trust your people.

Here’s how to reframe your leadership:

Double the amount of questions you ask.

When you’ve done that, 
double it again.

Your job isn’t to know everything—
it’s to create the environment where the best solutions can emerge.

I’ve been sleeping with one of my coworkers.

My wife knows about it.

Because my wife is that coworker.

Dorothy and I have been married for 25 years
and worked together for 21 of those.

We started AdVance Leadership in 2018. It’s become a Top 20 Leadership Development Company.

Hundreds of people have told us that they could never work with their spouse.

Here are 3 ways we’ve made it work:
1. We’re both have the same mission.
We’re passionate about developing leaders who love the people they lead and get great results.

2. We are curious about each other’s interests.
We aren’t fascinated in the same things. (She cares nothing about hats!) 
But we ask each other about those topics because we are interested in each other.

3. We build boundaries around work.
We take a date every Friday. 
We get away together quarterly. 
We agree that there will be ZERO talk of work or kids.

Larry Sharp

Motivation doesn’t begin with words.
It starts with belief.

As a leader you hold a unique power—

the power to believe in people more 
than they believe in themselves.

This belief can be the catalyst for their transformation.

Three ways to build confidence.

For over a year, I carried a secret. And I think a lot of leaders feel weighed down by the same secret. 
   
I didn’t talk about this for over a year because I wasn’t sure how. 
And I was scared of how people would respond. But once I started talking about it, I realized that a lot of other people felt the same way. 
   
The secret I struggled with was how lonely I felt. 
   
Honestly, it didn’t make a lot of sense. I’m surrounded by people.
I spend my days with leaders I respect and care about.
   
Dorothy and I get to help people grow and lead better.
That part of the work is a gift.
   
But last year, something started to change in me.
   
I began to feel unseen. Not tired. Not burned out.
 
 Alone.
   
 I realized there wasn’t anyone—outside of Dorothy—who understood the weight I was carrying.
   
 The pressure. The responsibility. The quiet doubts.
   
 Over time, that loneliness did real damage.
 I didn’t lose my ability to think.
 I lost confidence in my thinking.
 I second-guessed decisions.
 Reread emails.
 Wondered if my work even mattered.
   
 That’s when I saw the real issue.
 This wasn’t a productivity problem.
 It wasn’t a skill problem.
 It was a isolation problem. 
   
 And it was a problem that was in my ability to change. 
 
 When leaders carry doubt alone for too long, it always spills over—into decisions, relationships, and results.

 I wrote about this honestly in today’s newsletter. (link in the comments)
   
 It’s personal. And it’s something I think many leaders quietly experience.
   
 If leadership has ever felt heavier than it should…
 You might want to read it.

 You’re not broken.
 And you’re not alone.
   
And if you’re struggling with this, too, send me a DM. I’d love to encourage you.

Unleashed Leadership, my newest book, is only 120 pages. That’s half the size of most nonfiction books.

It’s not that I didn’t have more to say. And it’s not because writing a longer book is harder. It’s the opposite.

Blaise Pascal once wrote, “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.”

We chose to write a shorter book because of something our publisher told us: Most people stop reading nonfiction books at page 120.

Think about that. Authors spend months (sometimes years) writing 250+ pages, only for readers to tap out halfway through.

So, Dorothy and I chose to cut out huge sections of the book. Parts that we had worked on and loved but knew that they needed to get cut so we could get clearer. 

The same is true in leadership. You often have to say “no” to a million good ideas so you can say “yes” to the few that really matter.

I help salespeople become sales leaders w/ the Salesblazer Method™️ | Executive Sales Leader

Over the last decade, I helped build multiple multi-million dollar medical device territories by developing new markets and strategic sales teams. I also helped customer-partners build their personal brands and land consulting contracts, which led to developing new products/techniques and enhanced patient outcomes.

Then, in 2023, I hit a fork in the road. Do I continue building someone else's company at the expense of my convictions, or do I risk my comfortable life to gain personal agency, take complete ownership over my future, and craft something worth telling a story about?

Building something on my terms and diversifying my income would be the best pathway towards control over my calendar, autonomy over the work I get to do, and the direct impact I can have.

While this pathway has not been easy, the results have been remarkable.

Since leaving a sales executive role with a great brand, I have been able to replace my income by working for myself with less effort (working smart).

I have launched Sparkbound, a medical sales & marketing organization that goes beyond the transaction and seeks to enrich the lives of others.

Sparkbound not only helps our people build influential careers, increase our partners' influence, or improve our practitioners' patient outcomes, but we also want to help aspiring difference makers become the change they wish they could make... and then help them make positive change happen.

My mission is to help you see that you're not stuck. You don't have to labor and live as others expect you to. My mission is to help you challenge the status quo, lead by design, and choose the impact you wish to have.

I love writing about leadership, specifically leadership without titles, about how high-impact professionals can earn personal agency, purposeful productivity (doing more good, better), and meaningful work.

Francisco Martinez

Don't be the sales boss who kills careers.

Be the one who:

1) Prepares people for future promotion
2) Takes on the blame for their team
3) Gives credit where credit is due
4) Champions people behind closed doors
5) Knows their purpose and passions
6) Teaches sales principles on repeat
7) Allows for personalized sales processes 
8) Invests in their development
9) Helps align their revenue goals with team goals
10) Follows up on 1-on-1 meetings

Because when your team knows you have their back,

Everything changes.

They trust you more.
They take bold risks.
They own their growth.
They grow faster.

And they stick around longer.

Because you make it hard for them ever to want to leave. 

Your job isn't to hoard all the success. 

It's about building a room full of people you want to support and setting them up to win in sales and life. 

Be the boss who doesn't just want their team to be successful,

But who puts in the work to make it happen. 

Have you had a boss like this?

---

♻️ Repost to encourage people-first leadership.

And follow me, Francisco Martinez, for more leadership content

Francisco Martinez (Out of Office)

Making Leaders Remarkable | Follow for systems & strategies for effortless leadership & remarkable work | Founder & Principal building an 8-figure sales agency from scratch

Find a leader to work for. Not a job to do. 

The wrong manager can hold your career back for years. 

The right managers see your potential, help you unlock your potential, and champion your promotion. 

The best leaders are agnostic to the logo they represent. 
They are believers in the people they are responsible for. 

The best managers prioritize people first, then profit. 

I've worked for great leaders. 

- They believed I had potential.
- They asked about my wife & children. 
- They invested in me even when I deserved to be fired. 
- They designed comp plans around revenue goals, not quota.
- They created roles to solve problems that fit my passion and strengths. 
- They listened - and did not turn on me - when I considered outside offers.

I once struggled because I wasn't sure I wanted to be in this industry. 
My leaders noticed my decreasing excitement, put their arms around me, and said, "Where do you want to be? We'll help you get there." 

They are why I stayed, even though I was offered better pay elsewhere. 
They are the reason I haven't quit the medical device industry.

Ultimately, their leadership has led to several promotions, bigger paychecks, and once-in-a-lifetime career opportunities. 

Choose leaders who want to see you grow today. 

Agree? Let me know your thoughts👇

If you're only trying to get smarter, AI will replace you. 

Because the best leaders aren't the smartest in the room. But...

AI will never be able to replace people trying to get wiser. 

Here's why:

🤖 AI gives you infinite knowledge at your fingertips. 
🦉 Wisdom helps you know what to ignore.

🤖 AI generates faster answers. 
🦉 Wisdom helps you patiently listen to others.

🤖 AI follows the prompt you give it. 
🦉 Wisdom teaches you how to ask the best questions.

🤖 AI can give you the most probable outcome. 
🦉 Wisdom gives you the courage to do what seems improbable. 

🤖 AI can summarize a meeting. 
🦉 Wisdom reads the room AI can't see.

🤖 AI collects data at scale. 
🦉 Wisdom connects dots others can't see.

🤖 AI can study human emotions. 
🦉 Wisdom helps you see and feel where people are at. 

The leaders who are being promoted right now aren't the ones with the best AI tools.

They're the ones who know when to follow the data and when to go with their instincts. 

AI is a multiplier. But it multiplies whatever you bring to it.

Bring knowledge, you'll get more information. 
Bring Wisdom, you'll get better decisions.

Stop learning more with AI. 
Start cultivating the Wisdom to use it well.

Your career will thank you.

How are you balancing the wealth of information AI brings? 👇

--

♻️ Repost to help your tribe lead wisely in the AI era 
➕ Follow Francisco Martinez for more leadership insights

It's not your fault that you aren't getting promoted.

Companies love to promote the wrong people: 

People with seniority, big numbers, and loud mouths. 

But don't let that stop you from getting promoted the right way.

Promotion the right way is simple.
It's not about being extraordinary. 
Nor is it about being high performing. 

It's about being a high-impact person. 

High-impact people don't chase what others chase:

🏷 Executive titles
🏢 The corner office
👏 Praise and recognition
🎓 Fancy MBA degrees

High-impact people are simply leaders without titles. 

Lead where you are. 

No hierarchy.
No entitlement.
No permission needed.

✅ Seek impact, not impressions.
✅ Take initiative when others are complacent.
✅ Pursue excellence when no one's watching.
✅ Lift morale when others stick to themselves.

The gap between insignificance and influence shouldn't be authority.

It's the choice to become the leader you wish you had.

What do you think?

Most people wait for the perfect opportunity to start leading.

The perfect promotion.
The right work/life balance. 
The sales kickoff meeting.
A bigger team.

But here’s what I’ve learned after building sales teams:

There is no perfect opportunity.

The promotion won't make you a leader.
There is no such thing as work/life balance in sales leadership.
Leadership happens before the title. 

The people who get promoted don't wait. 

They start.
They lead anybody.
Create opportunities to serve. 
They find solutions that everyone has been aching for. 

Because they understand something most people ignore:

You don’t build influence by a title. 
You earn it by leading. 

Serving builds trust.
Solving problems makes you indispensable.

That’s exactly how I've gone from a sales demotion to now running my own sales organization.

Not with a perfect plan.

But by showing up every day seeking to enrich the lives of others.

What about you?

Character is king. 

Character > Competency.
Character > Credentials. 
Character > Commissions. 

Character lasts forever.

After 14 years in medical sales (18 total in sales), I've had to reinvent my career several times. 

I have been demoted, stuck, and promoted. 

I have represented large brands and startups. 

Every time, it has come down to these basic but powerful habits. 

Here are the 17 powerful habits of high-impact salespeople:

1. Focus on what you can control: your attitude & actions
2. Learn to say, "I don't know, but let me find out." 
3" Give, don't take. Give away your time, expertise, & self. 
4. The day starts the night before. Wake up to execute. 
5. Practice patience, not passivity. Growth takes time. 
6. Like Navy Seals, train with a pod of peers. 
7. Sundays are for strategy. Plan an ideal week.
8. Get aligned every quarter with your values and mission
9. Always be checking in on your character. 
10. Do what you say you will do, even if it costs you. 
11. First impressions are for impact, not to impress. 
12. Time block high-revenue activities. Ruthlessly stick to it
13. Send a weekly highlight report to your boss. 
14. Send a weekly lessons learned report to your team. 
15. End each day with a self-assessment review of yourself.
16. Solve big problems instead of reacting to fire drills. 
17. Go beyond the transaction and seek to enrich lives. 

Medical sales, and all sales, is more than hitting quota. 

It's about becoming the person you would rave about doing business with. 

What did I miss? 

--
♻️ Repost to help your network become a high-impact salesperson
➕ Follow for more tips on how to grow your sales career

Your company will never fully develop your leadership potential. They can't.

Their model only works if you stay productive in your current role — not preparing for your next one.

A great way to close that gap is to develop yourself.

1. Start with WHY you want to lead.

Leadership is about taking people on a mission towards a better future.

2. Align your work, sales pitch, and company mission to your purpose.

Your why inspires passion, but alignment maintains it.

3. Turn on the lights.

Spotlight everyone's shared problem, inspire hope with those who want to fix it, and fix it together.

4. Build a tribe of mentors.

Find one mentor in your organization, 3 mentors outside your org but within your industry, and 5 models you can read that inspire you.

5. Do generous work that makes your colleagues more successful.

Build a reputation as someone who creates value for others, not just climbs ladders.

Stop waiting for your company to prepare you for what's next.

Develop yourself.

What else would you add?

The best way to avoid hitting quota is to plan everything before you start. 

After 18 years of sales, I have learned this the hard way (and a simple fix). 

I'm OCD about having a meticulous sales strategy. 
It has overcome my deficiency in selling skills. 
But it has also paralyzed me. 

So many times, I could've achieved my sales goals so much sooner if it weren't for my overplanning. 

Here's why:

1) Hyper planning is a dopamine hit

It feels like progress, but you haven't moved. 

2) Analysis paralysis is a real thing

Overplanning creates lots of options and freezes your brain when it attempts to take action. 

3) You don't train a bias for action 

You train your brain not to get into the habit of taking action. 

Learn from me, who often gets stuck in the planning phase.

Instead, try this simple fix:

✅ Calculate your ideal revenue goal
- How much money do you want to make this year? 
- Making it personal helps you take more ownership. 
- Just ensure it is aligned with company and team goals

✅ Identify the top opportunities that are right in front of you
- Create an opportunity Eisenhower matrix
- List the top 3 most important opportunities in your high-volume customers (existing business) with High opportunity (more room for growth)
 - Second, find your top 3 low-volume opps with high opportunity (with HOT leads). 

✅ Take the next best step

- Identify the next best step for each opportunity
- And execute. 

You are your worst nightmare. 
Not your boss.
Not the culture you're in.
Not your lack of opportunity. 
You. 

So train yourself to master yourself. 

What's a quick fix you would add to help someone overcome overplanning?

99% of people overcomplicate career moves.

So, in 2023, I simplified the riskiest career decision of my life. 

What they won't teach you in school or corporate America is that all you need is:

1. Direction - where do you want to go in life? 
2. Anti-goals - what are you not willing to give up?
3. Convictions - Why and what must you do no matter what?
4. People - whom do you have as your personal board of advisors?

Things you don't need:

1. To listen to your heart.
2. 5 & 10-year plans.
3. Large network.

The key is to decide on your career before you need to choose. 

And no matter what, be excellent and intentional. 

Because none of this matters if you suck at your work.

What would you add to this career decision framework?

You don't need permission to lead.
You don't need to work 60-hour weeks.
You don't need approval to implement AI.

Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. 

The biggest lies we tell ourselves:

"I need to wait until the culture improves."
"I need to be promoted before I can lead."
"I need to stay in my lane.

Here's the truth:

You have everything you need to make change happen in your company.
The work isn't waiting for permission.
The work is taking responsibility.

How many people do you know who spent years taking orders instead of taking initiative?

The most successful people didn't wait to lead and do great work.

They had a vision.
They took small bets.
They chose to lead and make a change.

Stop waiting to get picked.

Pick yourself and make positive change happen. 

♻️ Repost to help your tribe be the change they wish they had
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Being great at sales delays becoming a great leader.

I’ve seen this pattern repeatedly across high-performing teams:

Top sellers get promoted because they hit numbers, then struggle because leadership demands a different operating system.

Selling rewards individual optimization.
Leadership rewards collective progress.

This leadership gap shows up in four quiet skills most high performers miss:

1) Teaching what you know

Top reps protect their competitive edge. Leaders create leverage for all.
If others can’t replicate your success, the team stays dependent on you.

Leaders elevate the entire team to own their success. 

Start small:
Write your sales process end-to-end
Coach one underperformer
Help get them a quick win.

2) Fixing the system, not your pipeline

Sellers ask how to hit their quota.
Leaders ask what’s slowing everyone down.

They create a system that fixes what is holding everyone back. 

3) Holding uncomfortable conversations

Sellers are used to being customer-centric and "appeasing" their customers. 

When leading, it's all about the people until they put themselves in danger.

Can you tell someone their performance isn't good enough? Can you wisely push back on your boss when they're wrong? Can you mediate conflict between teammates?

4) Prioritizing people over personal numbers

Sellers optimize for wins. Leaders optimize for growth.

That means developing others even when it costs you short-term output.

I’ve been the rep who thought quota was enough.
It wasn’t.

Numbers prove you can sell.
They don’t prove you can lead.

Leadership isn’t a title you’re given.
It’s a lifestyle you practice before you’re promoted.

Which of these are you actively avoiding right now?

♻️ Repost to help high performers make the shift to leadership 
➕ Follow Francisco Martinez for daily insights on advancing your sales career

Want to quit your toxic company? Go for it. 

Want to make work easier for your bad boss? That's fine. 

Want to ask for a promotion? Do it. 

Want to jump ship for more pay? More power to you. 

If you are unhappy with the way your career is going or stuck with a mediocre compensation plan, one thing must happen:

Change.

Nothing changes if nothing changes. 

But change must start with yourself. 

- Change your plans. 
- Change your goals. 
- Change your habits.
- Change how you lead.
- Change how you work.
- Change your perception. 
- Change how you treat others.

Stop wishing for your company to change or your boss to leave, and start making change happen in your life and the areas under your control.

What else would you change?

The best way to sell more is to stop worrying about quota. 

Start focusing on these 17 sales habits:

1. Focus on what you can control: your attitude & actions
2. Learn to say, "I don't know, but let me find out." 
3. Give, don't take. Give away your time, expertise, & self. 
4. The day starts the night before. Wake up to execute. 
5. Practice patience, not passivity. Growth takes time. 
6. Like Navy Seals, train with a pod of peers. 
7. Sundays are for strategy. Plan an ideal week.
8. Get aligned every quarter with your values and mission
9. Always be checking in on your character. 
10. Do what you say you will do, even if it costs you. 
11. First impressions are for impact, not to impress. 
12. Time block high-revenue activities. Ruthlessly stick to it
13. Send a weekly highlight report to your boss. 
14. Send a weekly lessons learned report to your team. 
15. End each day with a self-assessment review of yourself.
16. Solve big problems instead of reacting to fire drills. 
17. Go beyond the transaction and seek to enrich lives.

Stop trying to hit quota once. 

Start putting it on self-driving mode by implementing systems. 

James Clear says, "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." 

Systematic selling reduces anxiety and stress. 

Habits and systems help you win over and over again. 

What habits would you add?

The best leaders don't just get more stuff done 
or try to accomplish more...

They aim to do more good.

So before asking, "Will this have a high ROI?", ask, "Will this accomplish the most good?" 

Start with purpose.
Then align with the profit. 

That's how to ensure your work stays meaningful. 

What do you think?

Before firing that employee, pause. 

The person you want to fire may be your next rockstar employee. 

Business gurus always want you to "fire fast."

But forget to tell you to take personal responsibility first. 

Before firing someone, ask yourself:

- Have I coached them?
- Have I measured them?
- Have I led them for their sake?
- Have I trained the necessary skills?
- Have I provided clear expectations?
- Have I customized their development plan?

Notice how each of these questions has one thing in common: 

You, the manager

Have you taken ownership of your people's failure?

-- 

♻️ Repost to help your network lead, not manage. 
➕ Follow for inspiration on being the leader you wish you had.

"People over profit" is not only for leaders. 

Everyone must learn to choose people over profit.

Trust me when I say:

- mastering influence
- excelling in your role
- crafting solutions as a niche
- teaching others to create success

And above all, being worthy of remark...

Will make it 100x easier to get promoted.

Waiting for an opportunity isn’t reliable. Go create demand for your skills.

In 2021, I rejected my dream job.

And all that came with it:

- Fancy title
- Diversified
- More money
- National influence
- Unlimited benefits
- My own career ladder
- Accelerated career growth

The role was everything I would create in a perfect world.

But I had to turn it down.

Why?

Because of everything I would lose:

- A great culture heading in the right direction
- Freedom to do my best work on my terms
- Freedom to manage my calendar
- Church influence and leadership
- Trust that comes with longevity
- Opportunity to craft a culture
- Work still left to do here
- Friendships
- Family

Nothing wrong with accepting or rejecting any of those things.

What's wrong is going against your convictions for what matters most in life.

For me, I would lose what was most important.

And that's priceless.

What would you prioritize in your career decisions?

➖ 
♻️ Repost to inspire success in what matters most
➕ Follow me (Francisco Martinez) for more like this.

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