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Building Cohesive Global Sales Teams with Jim Gannon – Coach2Scale Episode #74

In sales leadership, few things are as challenging—or as rewarding—as building a cohesive, high-performing global sales team. Whether you’re managing across time zones, languages, or cultures, the ability to unify diverse teams under a shared vision is often what separates good leaders from great ones.

Recently, I sat down with Jim Gannon, SVP of Sales at Sysdig, on the Coach to Scale podcast to explore exactly how he’s done this throughout his career. Jim’s led teams at companies like Pure Storage and Sumo Logic, and today, he’s guiding Sysdig’s global salesforce through hyper-competitive markets. His insights offer a masterclass in leadership, accountability, and the small but powerful habits that drive success.

Why the “Coin-Operated” Myth Hurts Team Culture

Jim started by debunking one of the biggest myths in sales—that salespeople are purely coin-operated. It’s a trope we’ve all heard: “Salespeople are only motivated by money.” But as Jim pointed out, reducing sales motivation to compensation alone overlooks a critical element of what actually drives performance.

Referencing a study that found only 17% of salespeople rank money as their primary motivator, Jim emphasized that while commission structures matter, they aren’t the whole story. Salespeople thrive on autonomy, competition, and the satisfaction of impacting the business. For many, the real motivator is the pride that comes from mastering their craft and helping their peers succeed.

This insight is critical for leaders trying to build a cohesive global team. If you operate under the assumption that money is the only carrot, you’ll miss opportunities to create lasting engagement. Jim’s advice? Recognize the full range of motivators at play—curiosity, growth, recognition, and the drive to win.

Curiosity and Collaboration: The Glue for Global Teams

One of the standout qualities Jim sees in top-performing sales reps is relentless curiosity. “The best reps are constantly benchmarking against their peers,” he said. “They’re the ones asking, ‘How did you win that deal?’ or ‘What did you say to get the executive meeting?’

This level of curiosity naturally fosters collaboration across regions and functions—a critical component for building a unified global team. But here’s the catch: curiosity isn’t something you can force. What you can do is create an environment where it thrives. Jim highlighted the importance of formalizing peer learning, encouraging teams to reach beyond their immediate circle to learn from reps in different territories.

“Too often, reps stick to their local team,” Jim noted. “But the real magic happens when someone in Europe picks up the phone and asks their counterpart in North America, ‘How are you beating that competitor?’

For leaders, fostering this cross-regional knowledge exchange creates a sense of shared purpose and keeps the team moving forward as one.

Building Culture Through Recognition

If curiosity is the glue, then recognition is the fuel. Jim’s approach to recognition is one of the most powerful strategies I’ve come across. Inspired by a lacrosse tournament where his daughter’s team was decked out in “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time) apparel, Jim brought that same energy to Sysdig.

Each week, Jim sends a global email recognizing deals that closed and the people behind them—not just the sales rep, but everyone involved in making the win possible. Sales engineers, deal desk teams, and onboarding specialists all get their moment in the spotlight.

“It takes a village,” Jim told me. “The rep may get the credit on paper, but it’s the collective effort that wins deals. I make sure the entire team is recognized.”

The lesson here is simple: When you highlight the right behaviors, not just the outcomes, you reinforce the habits that drive long-term success. For global teams, this approach fosters camaraderie across regions and reminds everyone that they’re part of something bigger than their local office.

Accountability and Inspirational Leadership: Striking the Balance

Creating cohesion isn’t just about feel-good recognition—it’s also about accountability. And as Jim pointed out, accountability can often feel like the hardest part of leadership.

“Holding people accountable and inspiring them at the same time can feel like opposing forces,” Jim said. “But you need both. If you don’t set a high bar, you’re doing your team a disservice. At the same time, you can’t lead through fear.”

Jim’s solution? Leveraging data and tools like Gong to ensure consistent coaching. By reviewing call transcripts and analyzing metrics, he holds reps accountable for qualifying deals and asking the right questions.

“We track how often reps ask the critical five qualifying questions during discovery,” Jim explained. “If someone’s consistently missing two or three, we coach them right away. You can’t wait for the quarter to end to realize someone’s off track.”

For global sales teams, consistent coaching and immediate feedback prevent small issues from snowballing across regions. It also creates a performance culture that’s driven by learning, not fear.

Winning Without the Brand Advantage

At Sysdig, Jim’s team often faces competitors with deeper pockets, bigger brand names, and stronger incumbency. For many sales reps, that can feel like an uphill battle. But Jim sees this as an opportunity.

“When you’re the underdog, you have to execute flawlessly,” he said. “That means mastering the basics—prospecting, qualifying, and closing with precision.”

His message to the team is clear:

“Other reps in this company are winning deals against the same competitors you’re facing. Learn from them. Ask questions. Replicate what works.”

It’s a mindset shift that helps global teams see obstacles as surmountable and unifies them under a shared mission—to win through execution, not brand recognition.

Casting a Leadership Shadow

One of the most impactful lessons Jim shared came from a mentor early in his leadership journey. The question posed to him was simple but profound:

“What’s the leadership shadow you’ll leave behind?”

That question shaped Jim’s approach, especially during his time leading teams in Japan. His focus wasn’t just on improving performance during his tenure, but on building systems and culture that would continue long after he left.

For leaders managing global teams, this idea of casting a long leadership shadow is invaluable. Your job isn’t just to hit quarterly numbers—it’s to build a culture of collaboration, accountability, and trust that sustains itself.

Building a cohesive global sales team isn’t about micromanaging across borders. It’s about creating a shared vision, fostering curiosity, and reinforcing the right behaviors—all while holding people to a high standard. As Jim reminded me during our conversation, “Success isn’t about winning every point. It’s about winning the right ones.” For leaders, the challenge is to create an environment where those winning moments happen—again and again.