Let’s get straight to it—this idea of the “player-coach” in sales management? It’s a complete setup for failure. Here’s why. Imagine being told you’re the manager, responsible for coaching, guiding, and leading your team to success, but, oh, by the way, you also have to hit your own individual sales targets. Sound impossible? That’s because it usually is. And yet, so many companies insist on placing their sales managers in exactly this position. I’ve seen it myself, countless times, and I can tell you this model doesn’t work.
The Truth About Juggling Coaching and Selling
Let me paint a picture. A few years ago, I was brought in to consult for a mid-sized company that sold technology solutions. They were frustrated because their sales team wasn’t hitting targets consistently, and team morale was sinking. When I started digging, I quickly saw the problem—Mark, the newly promoted sales manager, was still responsible for handling his own book of business. He was supposed to coach his team while maintaining a quota, making the same calls, attending the same meetings, and doing the same follow-ups as everyone else. No surprise, he was failing at both.
Mark would schedule a coaching session with a struggling rep, but just before the meeting, a big client would call, needing his attention. Guess who got pushed to the back burner? Not the client. And when he did have time for his team, he was too worn out to coach effectively. He wasn’t just tired—he was resentful, stretched way too thin, and unable to be the supportive manager his team needed.
A Jack-of-All-Trades, Master of None
The company’s executive team was well-meaning but, frankly, misguided. They believed that Mark’s “dual role” made sense because it supposedly kept him “in touch” with the sales team’s day-to-day challenges. But there’s a flaw in that logic. In reality, the player-coach model turns sales managers into jacks-of-all-trades and masters of none. You can’t be a great player and a great coach simultaneously, at least not over the long haul.
When you’re in a player-coach role, the line between managing and selling blurs. Do you focus on your numbers or your team’s growth? Do you prioritize client calls or team training? It’s a constant struggle. And while it may seem like you’re managing it all at first, this juggling act isn’t sustainable. Eventually, something’s got to give, and it’s usually the coaching.
Case in Point: The Missed Coaching Moments
Here’s another story. I once worked with Sarah, a bright, up-and-coming sales manager who was a classic example of the player-coach conundrum. Her company had high hopes for her to boost team performance. But Sarah was also their top salesperson, responsible for bringing in a large chunk of revenue. Every time she got a new sales lead, she had to decide: “Do I pass this off to someone else, or do I handle it myself?”
Guess which she chose most often? You got it—she kept the lead for herself. After all, it was her responsibility to hit her numbers, and she knew she could close the deal. But this left her team in the dark, without the guidance they needed to improve. They grew resentful, frustrated, and started questioning whether she even cared about their success.
In Sarah’s case, her company’s approach was setting her—and her team—up to fail. She wanted to lead, but was repeatedly pulled back into the grind, focusing on her clients instead of coaching her team.
Why Companies Fall for the Player-Coach Myth
So why do companies keep assigning player-coach roles? I think it’s part habit, part cost-cutting, and part unrealistic expectation. They think, “Our manager knows the sales game inside and out, so let’s keep them in the field.” It sounds reasonable, but it’s shortsighted. What’s lost in this thinking is the long-term damage it does to team morale and growth.
The player-coach model is an attempt to get the best of both worlds on a budget, but it backfires. By overloading one person with both roles, companies ultimately sacrifice growth for short-term cost savings. Teams under a player-coach don’t get the training they need, and over time, they struggle with turnover, poor morale, and underperformance.
The Reality Check
If your company expects you to be both a player and a coach, it’s time to push back. Explain that the role requires two completely different mindsets. A successful salesperson is laser-focused on closing deals, on achieving for themselves. A successful manager, on the other hand, is focused on growing the team, on building others up. These goals are rarely compatible.
When I coach sales managers, I tell them to clarify their role with leadership. If they’re expected to coach, they need the bandwidth to do so. And if they’re expected to sell, then let them focus on that. It’s either/or—doing both well is not realistic.
Breaking the Cycle
I get it; some companies may still argue that their setup is effective. But if you’re serious about creating a healthy, high-performance sales culture, the player-coach model is a roadblock you need to dismantle. Shift your managers fully into one role or the other. Give them the space to focus on developing talent, or let them be top sales contributors without the burden of managing.
The “player-coach” model might sound appealing, but it’s a short-sighted solution. It leaves managers like Mark and Sarah in a constant tug-of-war between their own goals and the team’s needs, eventually undermining both. Great sales teams require great coaches—leaders who are fully invested in guiding, supporting, and developing their people. When companies finally move away from the player-coach model, they’ll unlock the potential of their teams, cultivate stronger leaders, and drive growth that actually lasts.
