"That feels like micromanaging."
Three clients. Same word. Same fear. Same retreat from the very things that make leaders effective.
My newsletter unpacks why the label is doing too much work.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/feels-...
#StopManagingStartLeading #TheSalesLeadersCoach #SalesLeadership
The @thinkers50.com Best New Management Booklist is open for nominations (peer-led, so I can’t nominate it myself).
If the book has been useful to you or your team, I’d really appreciate you considering a nomination.
thinkers50.com/booklists/
Thank you for the support, it genuinely means a lot.
Six months ago today, Stop Managing, Start Leading was published.
Grateful for the feedback, reviews, and, most importantly, how people are using it in practice.
It’s also been put forward for the Business Book Awards 2026.
A small ask:
Happy 6-month book-aversary to Simon Jackson and Stop Managing, Start Leading! 🥂🍾
The ultimate guide for sales managers and leaders ready to elevate their game.
#businessbook
A small milestone I’m pleased to share.
Stop Managing, Start Leading has been entered into the Business Book Awards 2026.
Great to be alongside so many strong titles and authors.
If it helps sales leaders build better environments for their teams, it’s doing its job.
#BBA2026 #SalesLeadership
The average CRO tenure is 18 months.
It isn’t a performance problem. It’s a structural one, accountability for revenue without control of the drivers behind it.
This week’s newsletter explores why, and what shifts the odds.
#SalesLeadership
www.linkedin.com/pulse/eighte...
Every role ends.
This isn't being pessimistic, it’s just how careers work.
The more interesting question is how it ends… and what you leave behind as a leader.
I’ve shared a few reflections on that in this week’s newsletter.
Over to you once you’ve read it.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-r...
If you’ve read Stop Managing, Start Leading, I’d genuinely love to hear what resonated, or even what challenged you.
Reviews and comments help bring the book to leaders who might benefit from it, so if you’re open to sharing your thoughts, I’d really appreciate it.
🙏
A couple of things I saw and heard last week made me stop and think.
If AI starts replacing entry-level roles, where do future senior salespeople and leaders actually come from?
This isn’t a scare piece. More a reflection, and an open question.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/ladder...
An overview of my work with CROs, Sales VPs, and sales leaders – from 1:1 leadership coaching to sales transformation and leadership facilitation.
Sales attrition. Engagement. Leadership pressure.
I’ve shared some thinking in this week’s LinkedIn newsletter – what the numbers might really be telling us, and why engagement deserves far more attention than it gets.
Link below 👇
www.linkedin.com/pulse/employ...
January doesn’t always unfold the way the deck said it would.
That doesn’t mean the plan has failed – it means it needs adjusting.
This week’s newsletter is about staying focused, adaptable, and human as a sales leader.
Read it here 👉 www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-y...
Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t always raining in Manchester. Although it was a bit gloomy and wet when I arrived in town this morning (all windswept).
Had the privilege of talking at the Supporting Women in Sales event — the first of many inperson events this busy January.
Happy New Year!
Who’s accountable when things don’t go to plan?
I’ve published a new LinkedIn newsletter exploring responsibility, ownership, and accountability, and why accountability shouldn’t feel like a threat, but a natural outcome of good leadership.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/troubl...
#TheSalesLeadersCoach
It’s a theme I build on in Stop Managing, Start Leading: leaders shouldn’t carry the load alone.
Which type of support do you already have, and which one do you need more of right now?
#StopManagingStartLeading #SalesLeadership #Resilience
Rob Cross & @kardillon.bsky.social’s work on microstress nails it: we need different people for different moments – listeners, inspirers, reframers, surge-helpers, the ones who make us laugh, the navigators, the people who help us unplug. No single mentor can do all that.
Who’s really in your corner?
I wrote this week about the quiet isolation many sales leaders feel – and why the smartest move isn’t pushing harder, but building the right support around you.
I'm thinking of running a monthly sales leadership webinar – live, short, and practical. First one in January.
Which topic would you find most useful?
Details, and vote for the first topic on LinkedIn 👇
www.linkedin.com/posts/simonj...
#StopManagingStartLeading #SalesLeadership
I’ve been thinking a lot about the reality of leading sales, especially the parts we rarely discuss.
This week’s newsletter explores the personal side: support, isolation, and who we turn to when it counts.
Read it here 👉 www.linkedin.com/pulse/who-do...
#StopManagingStartLeading #SalesLeadership
Early’ish start and a coffee at Piccadilly. Edinburgh next.
Catching up with a client I normally see on Zoom - and a few others flying in. Finalising January’s Atlanta RKO.
Funny how a quick in-person chat can unlock more in 10 minutes than an hour online.
#StopManagingStartLeading #SalesLeaders
When a team loses its direction, everything starts to wobble.
This week’s newsletter is about building a North Star your people can steer by – especially when you’re not in the room.
Read it here 👉 www.linkedin.com/pulse/quotas...
#StopManagingStartLeading #TheSalesLeadersCoach #SalesLeadership
An offer from my Publisher...
practicalinspiration.com/book/stop-ma...
My book Stop Managing, Start Leading was published two months ago today.
Thank you to everyone who’s picked up a copy.
If you enjoyed it, a short review would really help others discover it too.
Grateful for all the support so far. 🙏
Most business problems are people problems.
That’s why the People System – how you hire and who you hire – shapes everything.
This week’s edition: Hire for Attitude. Train for Aptitude.
Read it here 👉 www.linkedin.com/pulse/hire-l...
#TheSalesLeadersCoach #StopManagingStartLeading
Ange Postecoglou lasted 39 days at Forest. Different philosophy, same players, no alignment. In leadership or sales, it’s the same truth: you can’t build a new system on old habits. Culture doesn’t change in 39 days.
I unpack this idea in my latest newsletter: www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-do...
If culture really eats strategy for breakfast, why do so few leaders feed it?
My latest newsletter explores how intentional culture design separates high-performing teams from the rest.
👉 Read the full piece here: www.linkedin.com/posts/simonj...
#StopManagingStartLeading #SalesLeadership
"I really enjoyed reading this book"
"Amazing book 📖"
"Helpful book"
5-Star reviews all-round on Amazon. But don't just take my Mum, my eldest daughter, and one of my nephew's word for it, check out my book for yourself.
Have a great weekend everyone 😄
Unashamed plug for my book.
Too many leaders still dread their forecast calls - endless prep meetings, more scrutiny, less impact.
We don’t need more pressure. We need better leadership.
That’s what Stop Managing, Start Leading is all about.
#StopManagingStartLeading #SalesLeadership
Lately I’ve seen too many managers turning forecasting into FORCEcasting - telling people what number they must call, rather than asking for their best read of reality.
I get the intent: stretch people, push for more, create urgency.
But here’s the problem...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/forcec...
