The best sales managers used to run every deal review like a discovery call. They inspected early, bored in on vague answers, and never let a rep get away with a guess. Colum Lundt explains why that skill went missing, why forecast accuracy depends on it, and the four steps to bring it back: inspect early, diagnose the gap, prescribe the fix, and follow up.

A BDR’s manager took six weeks of paternity leave. Nobody ran the one-on-ones, nobody ran a pipeline review, and the team hit their number anyway. Most leaders read that as evidence the manager is optional. It measures something narrower and far more useful. Colum Lundt breaks down what six weeks of clean numbers actually proves about a manager’s coaching, why the manager lost credibility the week he returned, and the three questions to ask before you post about coaching again.