Building Accountability Without Fear

Culture is a never-ending journey. And accountability starts with figuring out what you're being accountable to."

Ron Gupta, CRO at Vendavo, has spent 15 years taking mid-to-late stage startups through their messiest inflection points. In this episode, he pulls back the curtain on what actually works when scaling sales teams.

The brutal truth? Your A-players don't leave after 3 years. They leave in the first 6 months if you get the onboarding wrong.

In this conversation, we break down:

→ Why culture falls flat in the second and third layer of leadership (not at exec level where you think it does)

→ The difference between accountability and fear - and why managing by spreadsheets kills both

→ How to interview A-players who are "master chameleons" - Ron's 3-stage process that actually works

→ Why the first 6 months are make-or-break for top talent (and what you must do in that window)

→ The nuances of vertical SaaS when your entire TAM is 60 companies and 300 people - you can't afford a single bad conversation

Plus, Ron shares the story of hiring an "A-player" who had zero success for 10 months... then became number one by a mile at his next company. Context is everything.

If you're hiring senior sales talent, scaling a team, or trying to build accountability without toxicity - this episode will save you from expensive mistakes.