Even the most talented SDRs will struggle under poor leadership. It’s a hard truth—and one that many new SDR leaders come to realize after some trial and error.

I’ve seen this play out firsthand. I’ve also led teams that not only met their goals but consistently exceeded them. That kind of sustained success doesn’t come from micromanaging or obsessing over activity metrics. It comes from creating an environment where people are encouraged to grow, learn, and thrive together.

If you’re stepping into SDR leadership for the first time, or if you’re a seasoned SDR leader and need a refresher, this post is for you. In it, I offer a set of lessons I’ve learned—sometimes the hard way—about what it really takes to lead a high-performing sales team. These aren’t shortcuts or tricks. They’re mindset shifts that help you build something meaningful, scalable, and strong.

6 Strategies SDR Leaders Can Use Right Now

Whether you’re building your first SDR team or leading a more experienced group, these six strategies will help you drive consistent, scalable performance. They’re designed to help SDR leaders foster growth, unlock potential, and build a team culture that delivers results—without relying on micromanagement.

1. SDR Leaders Should Focus on Growth, Not Just the Metrics

When you’re leading an SDR team, it’s easy to become consumed by numbers. Calls made, emails sent, meetings booked—these metrics offer a quick, tangible way to measure progress.

But most experienced SDR leaders will tell you focusing exclusively on metrics doesn’t lead to long-term growth. Developing people does.

When you invest in your team’s skill development, you lay the foundation for sustainable performance. Reps begin to think more critically, communicate more effectively, and manage their own pipelines with confidence. In other words, they stop waiting to be directed—and start owning their outcomes.

This kind of support is more important than ever. According to a 2024 Gartner sales survey, 72% of sellers feel overwhelmed by the number of skills required for their role, and 50% feel overwhelmed by the amount of technology they’re expected to use. These overwhelmed sellers are 45% less likely to attain quota, which has a direct impact on overall performance.

The takeaway? Your job as a leader is to help simplify, support, and develop—not pile more pressure onto already stretched teams.

Yes, metrics matter. But your role as a leader isn’t to calculate every move. It’s to coach, guide, and enable your team to grow into their potential. That’s where lasting results come from. 

✅ Action Step:
Start your next one-on-one with your reps by asking: What’s one skill you’d like to improve this month? Then work with them to build a simple plan around it. 

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2. Look for Innovation on the Front Lines

SDR leaders don’t need to have all the answers. In fact, trying to lead that way often limits innovation. 

Some of the most effective strategies I’ve seen came from team members who were in the trenches—experiencing the friction, listening to objections, and thinking critically about what could work better. When leaders stay close to the front lines, they gain access to a constant stream of insight that simply doesn’t show up in dashboards. 

Being present with your team isn’t just about visibility—it’s about learning. Leaders who ask good questions, listen actively, and remain curious about their team’s experiences are more likely to discover process improvements, messaging tweaks, and creative outreach strategies that move the needle. 

By contrast, when all direction comes from the top, teams lose the chance to contribute meaningfully—and morale often follows.

✅ Action Step:
Block 30 minutes on your calendar this week to sit in on a live SDR call or review a recent call recording with your rep. As you listen, take notes on what’s working and where there might be friction. Afterward, ask your rep: “If you could change one part of our current outreach approach, what would it be—and why?” Use their feedback to spark a conversation about possible improvements. 

3. Involve Your SDR Team in Strategy Creation

Rolling out a new playbook without your team’s input might feel efficient, but it’s rarely effective.

Your reps are the ones engaging with prospects, navigating objections, and testing outreach strategies every day. They know what’s working, what’s not, and where gaps exist in your current process. When SDR leaders overlook that perspective, they miss opportunities to build smarter, more realistic strategies.

The best leaders don’t just tell reps what to do—they invite them into the process. Co-creating messaging, cadences, or talk tracks leads to higher buy-in and more consistent execution. Plus, your reps are far more likely to stick to a process they helped shape. 

When people feel ownership, they show up differently. They advocate for the strategy because it reflects their experience—and their voice.

✅ Action Step:
Choose one upcoming initiative (e.g., a new outreach sequence or vertical playbook), and ask two reps to help build it from scratch. Let them present their version to the team.

4. Lead with the Why—Not Just the What

Clear instructions help teams stay on track. But when reps understand the purpose behind those instructions, they’re more likely to take initiative, adapt when needed, and stay motivated.

Early in my career, I made the mistake of introducing changes—new messaging, updated KPIs, revamped cadences—without explaining why. I assumed clarity of instruction was enough.

It wasn’t.

While my reps followed the changes, they weren’t engaged. And I realized the missing piece was purpose. Without the “why,” there’s no reason for your team to commit beyond surface-level compliance.

Strong SDR leaders explain the reasoning behind strategic shifts. They connect tactical changes to broader goals. When people understand how their work ties into company priorities, customer outcomes, or team growth, they operate with more intention—and better results follow.

✅ Action Step:
Before your next strategy update, answer these three questions: Why are we doing this? Why now? Why does it matter to the rep? Share those answers with the team, not just the action plan.

5. Equip Your Team and Trust Them to Deliver

It’s natural for new SDR leaders to want to stay close to every detail, especially when they feel the pressure to perform. But micromanagement, even if well-intentioned, sends the wrong message. It says: I don’t trust you to do this on your own. 

Over time, this stifles growth, confidence, and autonomy.

Strong SDR leaders create the right systems and support, then step back. They make sure their reps have access to sales enablement tools, clear expectations, and sales coaching—but they resist the urge to intervene at every turn. Autonomy leads to stronger accountability.

Let your team experiment. Let them make small mistakes and learn from them. That’s how they grow into high-performing, self-directed professionals who don’t just do what they’re told—they think like owners. 

✅ Action Step:
Identify one area where you’re still too hands-on (e.g., email reviews, daily activity check-ins). Set up a structure or resource to support the task, then hand it over. 

6. Address the Hard Truth SDR Leaders Must Face

This is a tough one to accept, but a critical one to address. Sometimes, the issue isn’t the rep. It’s how they’re being led.

You can hire talented people and give them strong onboarding, but if the leadership they receive is inconsistent, unclear, or overly rigid, their performance will suffer. Even top performers can underdeliver when they don’t feel supported or aligned with their manager’s expectations.

The good news? Leadership is a skill, not a fixed trait. The best SDR leaders don’t assume they’ve figured it all out. They stay open to feedback, look for patterns in their team’s behavior, and regularly ask themselves where they might need to grow.

Top sales leaders also seek out coaching and learning for themselves, not just their reps. Because teams don’t grow in isolation—they grow when leaders grow first.

✅ Action Step:
Ask your team this question during your next meeting: What’s one thing I could do differently to support your success? Listen without defending. Then follow through.

The SDR Leader’s Role in Unlocking Tomorrow’s Success

You don’t need to be a perfect leader to build a high-performing team. But you do need to be intentional.

So, remember growth doesn’t come from more pressure or stricter KPIs. It comes from building the right environment—one where people feel trusted, heard, and encouraged to improve every day.

That kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s shaped by the small decisions SDR leaders make every day: giving context, asking questions, creating space, and showing trust.

If you’re new to the role, start there. Don’t just lead for today’s results. Lead to build a team that’s better tomorrow than it was yesterday.

✅ Action Step:
Choose one concept from this post and apply it this week. Small shifts in how you lead can create a lasting impact—one rep, one conversation, one strategy at a time.

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About the author: David Ashe is author of the book Get Your Team into G.E.A.R: A Tactical Approach to SDR Leadership. He is also director of sales development at Allego. In that role, he oversees a sales team responsible for growing the company’s customer base, revenue, and profitability within the United States.

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Want to Be a Smarter, More Scalable SDR Leader? Start with AI-Powered Coaching

Great SDR leaders develop their teams, not just their dashboards. The Sales Coaching with AI Handbook shows you how to use AI to scale personalized coaching, reinforce key skills, and improve rep performance—without adding hours to your day. It’s a must-read for leaders who want to grow high-performing teams in today’s fast-paced sales environment. Get the Sales Coaching with AI Handbook