Leadership isn’t just about hitting targets or managing pipelines. It’s about creating trust, building energy, and helping your people become better every day.

Let’s walk through nine attributes every great sales leader demonstrates — and see how you measure up. Download the infographic of these 9 attributes here. 

Great leaders are trusted leaders. Your salespeople need to know that what they tell you stays with you. When you talk negatively about one team member to another or make a careless comment in front of a customer, you destroy that trust.

Leadership starts with integrity. Build it. Protect it. Live it.

You can’t force motivation, but you can create an environment where people feel motivated. That’s what great leaders do — they build a culture where salespeople feel empowered, valued, and in control of their success.

It’s amazing how the same person who struggled under one leader can thrive under another. The difference? The environment.

People can’t chase a moving target. When goals constantly change or lack clarity, your team loses focus. Be clear, consistent, and transparent about what success looks like, and how you’ll help them achieve it.

A clear direction gives people confidence and momentum.

Leadership isn’t about barking orders; it’s about lifting people higher. Your team is watching how you help others. When they see you mentoring, coaching, and celebrating wins, they’ll model that same behavior with customers.

Empowerment builds belief. And belief drives performance.

Few things frustrate a team more than a leader who doesn’t follow through. When you make a request, hold people accountable,  and hold yourself accountable, too.

If you ask for something and never check back, you’re sending a message: “This doesn’t really matter.” Great leaders make sure things get done and done right.

There’s a big difference between hearing and listening. Great leaders listen with full attention — no multitasking, no distractions.

When someone’s talking to you, be all in. Put down your phone, close the laptop, and engage. Listening attentively shows respect, builds trust, and gives you deeper insight into your team’s reality.

Your team wants to know where they’re headed, and why it matters. Paint a vision that’s both aspirational and achievable. Help them see how their role connects to something bigger.

It’s like paint-by-numbers leadership: you set the outline, then help them fill in the colors. That’s how you turn ideas into results.

Sales is a team sport. A great leader makes sure the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. Pair your “starters” with your “finishers.” Combine different skill sets and personalities so strengths complement each other.

When collaboration wins out over competition, everyone succeeds.

It’s easy to get buried in numbers, spreadsheets, and reports. But leadership isn’t about managing data, but rather developing people.

The deals will close and the reports will change, but your people are what last. Make it your mission that every team member ends each day stronger than when they started.

The best sales leaders don’t just manage performance — they build people. Focus on these nine attributes and you’ll create a team that trusts you, believes in the mission, and performs at a higher level every day.

Want more?
Download the free PDF, Nine Attributes of a Great Sales Leader, or check out my podcasts — The Sales Hunter Podcast and Sales Logic — for more ideas, insights, and strategies to help you lead with confidence and integrity.

Join Mark as he explores the impact of AI on job security and how you can navigate these changes with confidence.

Find episode #359 wherever you download podcasts!

Peer mentoring and collaboration are more crucial than ever, and can be achieved through brief, powerful conversations.

Episode #360 is out now!

Copyright 2025, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog.  Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.