IntermediateLEADERSHIP
Tell me about a time you had to balance pushing your team to hit aggressive targets with maintaining morale and preventing burnout. What specific management and coaching tactics did you use, and what was the outcome?
Sales Manager
General

Sample Answer

In Q4 last year, our new revenue target jumped 35% while our headcount stayed flat at 8 reps. I knew simply “pushing harder” would burn people out, so I broke the quarter into three 30-day sprints with very clear, controllable inputs: daily outreach, meetings booked, and pipeline coverage. We co-created individual plans in one-on-ones, then I took non-selling admin work off the reps by centralizing reporting and tightening territories. I added short, focused stand-ups three times a week and a Friday “win and learn” session to keep energy up. I also set a hard rule: no emails after 7 p.m. and one protected focus block per day with no meetings. We ended the quarter at 118% of target, with 6 of 8 reps at or above quota. Voluntary attrition was zero, and in our pulse survey, the team’s “sustainable pace” score jumped from 6.8 to 8.1 out of 10.

Keywords

Translating aggressive targets into controllable daily/weekly inputsCo-creating individualized plans and removing low-value workRhythms that maintain energy: stand-ups, win/learn sessions, boundariesDelivered 118% of target with zero burnout-related attrition
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