Your best future sales manager is already managing — nobody told them to. Watch your top reps closely. Not just their numbers. Watch how they treat the rest of the team when there's nothing in it for them. Most founders wait until they need a sales manager, then look at whoever's #1 on the leaderboard. That's a mistake. Production tells you who can sell. It doesn't tell you who can lead. The real signal shows up before the title exists. Is a rep building relationships with teammates without being asked? Are they bringing other reps value — sharing a script tweak, helping someone through a rough call, celebrating a teammate's win — with zero financial upside for doing it? That's not a personality trait. That's leadership showing up early, for free. If you're only evaluating leadership readiness during a promotion conversation, you're already too late. You should be tracking it in real time. This week, watch how your top 3 reps interact with the rest of the team. Notice who's helpin...