It's remarkable how many posts and articles are written about true leadership. We read every week about the qualities of great leaders — empathy, vision, execution, integrity, resilience, the ability to grow people and create impact across teams and organizations.
The same themes show up in job descriptions — especially in sales leadership roles. The ideal candidate: a proven track record in GTM strategy, cross-functional execution, pipeline and forecasting discipline, revenue operations know-how, a team-first mindset, the ability to grow and inspire people, and excellent stakeholder management across the org.
These are strong, future-focused requirements. And rightly so. Because great sales leaders today must navigate complexity, lead across verticals, launch and scale into new markets, and elevate not just revenue — but the people who deliver it.
So far, so good.
The disconnect
But here's the disconnect: when it comes to the actual selection process, these inspiring ideals often take a back seat to one simple factor — industry familiarity.
Instead of prioritizing leadership impact, we default to checking for prior experience in our specific product category, customer type, or market niche. "Have they sold to our ICP before?" "Do they have a network in our industry?"
These are valid considerations — but when they dominate the criteria, something is lost. The very leadership qualities companies say they're looking for are deprioritized.
So what happened to fresh perspectives? To transferable leadership capabilities? To hiring for growth, not comfort?
Familiarity feels safer — but it isn't always better
Let's be honest — familiarity feels safer. But growth rarely comes from staying in your lane. Some of the best leaders I've seen brought a perspective from another domain and challenged the way things had always been done.
And if you're trying to break into new markets, launch new GTM motions, or evolve how you engage customers… maybe it's exactly that "outsider" experience you need.
Leadership travels. Context can be learned. And when you hire great leaders — truly great ones — they lift the business, regardless of the industry.
So next time you're hiring for sales leadership, ask yourself: are we truly looking for leadership — or just familiarity?