Background

Within a national lawn care and outdoor services business built on recurring residential and commercial maintenance, a newly promoted sales manager entered leadership with strong individual performance but limited management experience. Despite being self-aware and motivated, they struggled to translate that into consistent influence. Early challenges included inconsistent communication, hesitancy in giving feedback, and difficulty building trust across a diverse sales team.

Leadership Approach: Influence, Traits, and Trust

Through a structured coaching engagement aligned with principles reflected by Currens & Associates, development focused on leadership as influence—demonstrated through intentional traits, behaviors, and communication. The manager strengthened core traits including authenticity, curiosity, and accountability. Coaching revealed gaps between intent and impact, especially in communication style. By adopting more inclusive behaviors—seeking input, valuing diverse perspectives, and demonstrating consistency—the manager built greater trust and credibility across the team.

Communication and Leader as Coach

A key shift occurred in communication. The manager moved from transactional interactions to intentional, two-way dialogue. By adopting a “leader as coach” mindset, they developed skills in active listening, powerful questioning, and structured one-on-one conversations. Rather than solving problems for the team, the manager empowered individuals to think critically and take ownership, increasing engagement and accountability.

Impact and Results

The coaching engagement produced measurable and lasting results. The manager successfully built and developed a full sales team of 10, who became self-sufficient in achieving sales goals months ahead of schedule. This enabled the manager to shift focus away from personal sales production and prioritize team performance, coaching, and development. 

Self-awareness deepened, especially around communication tone and inclusivity, while confidence grew through consistent application of new leadership behaviors. The manager became a more active communicator, establishing regular check-ins and open dialogue. They also implemented structured development systems—driving accountability and continuous improvement—and began developing a high-potential “number two,” demonstrating greater trust, delegation, and readiness for future leadership succession.

Conclusion

This coaching engagement transformed the manager into an inclusive leader who leads through influence, trust, and effective communication. The result is a more empowered, self-sufficient sales team and a leader equipped to scale performance through others.