Not exactly groundbreaking.

Later that night, at 3:17 a.m., I woke up and could not stop thinking about our conversation. And what hit me was this: that list isn’t just what I look for in salespeople. It’s what I look for in everyone on our team.

And then the simple truth hit me harder than Will Smith slapped Chris Rock… most people already have those traits.

The problem isn’t that talent doesn’t exist. The problem is that most leaders, including me, don’t do a good enough job extracting talent from the people we lead. We assume since they have it,  they use it. And that’s not always the case.

Look…. I’ve been fortunate to be part of some great teams over the years. I’ve also been part of some not-so-great ones. Different companies, different roles, different outcomes. But here’s the part that matters: the people on both the good teams and the bad teams had the same characteristics. The difference wasn’t the people ... It was the leader.

The person with the privilege to lead those teams either pulled the best out of people - or didn’t.

And if they didn’t, they were the problem. And most times … I was the problem.

That took me longer to learn than I’d like to admit.

Early in my career, I blamed our HR/Recruiting team. I blamed resumes. I blamed interviews. I blamed “bad fits.” Sometimes that was true. But more often, it was a convenient excuse. I hired people with potential, put them in a role and hoped they would figure the rest out.

That wasn’t leadership. It was failure.

Simon Sinek says it best: we don’t become leaders when we accept a title or the perks that come with it — we become leaders when we accept responsibility for the wellbeing and growth of others. Leadership isn’t granted on an org chart. It’s earned through consistent behavior.

That idea stopped me in my tracks because it perfectly explains why so many “great hires” fail.

They weren’t failed by the resume. They were failed by the leadership.

We’ve all seen it. The salesperson who crushed the interview and then butchered the job. The operator who talked a great game about metrics and productivity … only to find out they couldn’t spell the word “metric.” The finance/accounting hire who looked great on paper but couldn’t add. It happens everywhere.

And what do we usually do? We blame the person. We lower the bar. We tell ourselves, “That’s just how it is.” Slowly, quietly, we bring the whole organization down to the level of what we tolerate … not what we expect.

Here’s the truth most leaders don’t want to confront: people rise and fall to the level of organizational expectation. Very few rise to their own.

When a hire doesn’t work out, one of two things happened. Either you didn’t dig deep enough before you hired them… or their leader didn’t lead them well. Sometimes it’s both. But blaming the individual alone is the easy way out.

Key headline: Great leaders don’t just identify talent. They identify and enhance it.

Driven people still need direction. Focused people still need priorities. Enthusiastic people still need guardrails. Motivated people still need purpose. Confident people still need feedback.

Secure people still need trust.

Those traits don’t disappear when someone underperforms. They get buried. Usually under unclear expectations, inconsistent accountability, or leaders who checked out after the offer letter was signed.

Hiring well matters. No argument there. But hiring isn’t the finish line — it’s the starting point.

The leaders I’ve seen build great teams don’t obsess over perfect resumes. They obsess over perfect potential. They set the bar early. They define what “good” looks like. They coach instead of assume. They correct quickly. They praise specifically. And they don’t tolerate behavior that undermines performance — even when it’s uncomfortable.

They also look in the mirror first.

When someone struggles, they ask hard questions. Did I set clear expectations? Did I give them the tools they needed? Did I coach them — or just hope they’d figure it out? Did I avoid a tough conversation too long?

That mindset changes everything.

The fastest way to lower standards in an organization is to blame people for outcomes that leadership allowed. The fastest way to raise standards is to recognize that most people want to do a good job — and then lead them in that manner.

So yes, hire driven, focused, enthusiastic, motivated, secure, confident people. That part isn’t hard.

The harder part — and the part that actually separates great teams from average ones — is pulling those traits out of them every day.

And if you can’t do that… don’t blame the hire.

Fix yourself.

-Abhi Singh