Stop Guessing
- agweber009
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
“Leadership isn't about effort. It's about precision.”
Every CEO hears some version of this advice:
“Coach your team more.”
But here's the uncomfortable truth:
Most coaching fails not because leaders aren't trying.
It fails because they're coaching blind.
We assume motivation works the same way for everyone.
We assume feedback lands the same way for everyone.
We assume what worked for us will work for them.
It doesn't.
Some people need pressure.
Some shut down under it.
Some want direct, tactical feedback.
Others need context and autonomy before they’ll act.
Without understanding how someone thinks, decides, and responds, coaching turns into:
* Frustration on both sides
* Inconsistent performance
* And eventually, disengagement
I've seen this play out both as a sports coach and as a sales leader.
When I coached club volleyball, I worked with athletes with very different talent levels and maturity levels. I had high expectations, and some of the younger athletes didn’t respond well to direct feedback. They faltered under pressure.
Later, on one of my sales teams, I had two outstanding reps. Both were high performers, but the way they responded to feedback, how they needed to be engaged, and their preferred communication style couldn’t have been more different.
It didn't make one better than the other. It meant I had to alter my approach. And if I'm honest, it took me longer than I'd like to admit to fully understand that.
Those experiences became catalysts for the pivot I've made in my career with Vetta Insights and the scientific approach we take to aligning people and processes.
The shift for me was this:
Coaching (aka leading) isn’t about saying the right things.
It's about saying the right things to the right person, in the right way.
Until leaders understand what actually drives each rep,
“coach your team” isn’t advice.
It’s guesswork.
Insight beats intensity. Every time.
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