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When the quarter is unwinnable on paper, the real threat isn’t the number—it’s what the pressure turns you into. In this episode of Calm Under Quota, Steven Werley walks through the moment the math turns against you, the identity pressure that follows, and the leadership trap that comes next: manufacturing urgency so you can feel in control.

Using Seneca (Letter 47, Robin Campbell translation) as the lens, Steven breaks down how leaders start acting like “tyrants” when stress becomes permission—permission to be sharp, reactive, and punishing—then shows the alternative: tell the truth about the gap, freeze the thrash, lock standards, and choose the next controllable bets.

You’ll also get word-for-word scripts for the team and the board, a rep 1:1 coaching frame (top three deals: next step, date, owner), a 7-minute pre-meeting practice to stop emotional leakage, and the standard to anchor your culture when outcomes disappoint:

We don’t beg fortune for miracles. We choose the next controllable move and execute it well.

Show notes with accurate timestamps (from SRT)

00:00 The quarter is unwinnable (airport dashboard)
00:29 The 3rd option: truth + standards + controllables
01:18 The setup: two trips, Colorado, choppy availability
02:30 The CEO line that turns it into identity pressure
03:02 The urge: manufacture urgency & dump pressure downhill
03:49 The tension line: prove control vs. tell truth
04:34 Seneca Letter 47 (Campbell): pressure becomes permission
07:19 The checkpoint: lead… or vent?
08:04 No-Miracle Reset (exec script + stop the thrash)
09:17 Lock standards + pick 1–3 controllable bets
10:22 Team reset script (word for word)
11:13 Board script: truth without panic
13:06 Rep coaching: top 3 deals + next step/date/owner
14:07 The 7-minute practice
14:56 Standard: don’t beg fortune for miracles
15:40 Closable.ai close + where to listen

Rather read the blog post? https://closable.ai/resources/when-you-cant-win-the-quarter-leading-without-despair/

Rather watch on YouTube? https://youtu.be/tXzNW1vSpvg

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When numbers slip, most leaders turn up the pressure. In this episode of Calm Under Quota, Steven Werley breaks down the Stoic move that prevents panic leadership: diagnose reality before you demand more effort.

Steven shares a real coaching scene where a rep hadn’t closed a deal in 60 days. The easy move was blame. The better move was diagnosis. Using Epictetus as the lens, you’ll learn how to test your first impression, reduce uncertainty fast, and separate a “rep problem” from a “system problem.”

You’ll walk away with three diagnostic questions, a simple 60-second checklist to run before any high-pressure conversation, and a team standard you can implement immediately: diagnose with evidence before demanding more effort

Chapters / Time Markers
00:47 — Show intro
01:40 — The leader question
02:34 — The scene: the real constraint
06:48 — Why leaders default to pressure
07:30 — Stoic lens #1 (Epictetus): expose the belief
10:11 — Stoic lens #2 (Epictetus): judgment vs reality
12:48 — Leader move: diagnose before demanding
13:53 — The cost of demanding first
14:23 — Practice: 60-second diagnosis checklist
15:18 — Team standard
16:06 — How to move forward

Brought to you by https://closable.ai

Rather read it as a blog post? https://closable.ai/resources/diagnose-before-you-demand/

Rather watch the video? https://youtu.be/3-yev9z47ss

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When sales performance drops, it’s easy to confuse urgency with pressure. Your body feels it, your mind starts telling stories, and if you’re not careful that stress turns into leadership thrash.

In this episode of Calm Under Quota, I share a real moment from my sales agency. Our show rate fell under 40%, my heart rate spiked, and my first instinct was control. I wanted to push pressure downhill and tell the team to “do better.” Instead, I slowed down and looked at what was actually true.

The inputs were broken. SDR answer rate was just over 4%, and it worked out to roughly one set per 200 dials. That’s not a motivation problem. That’s a math problem. It’s the kind of problem that makes good people look bad if you don’t diagnose it first.

We use a Stoic lens from Marcus Aurelius to separate facts from stories, narrow back to what’s in your control as a leader, and avoid wasting energy on anger at what already happened. You’ll leave with one leader move, a tiny 3-step check you can run before you react, and a standard to hold when everyone wants answers fast.

Timestamps
00:00 Show rate drops and the urge to push pressure downhill
00:19 Calm Under Quota intro (who this is for)
01:10 The leader question: pressure without panic
01:33 The scene: inputs are broken, fear spikes, then the data
05:04 Stoic lens #1: anger at what happened doesn’t help
07:51 Stoic lens #2: people don’t see reality cleanly
10:28 The leader move: facts before stories
11:59 The practice: 3-step check before you react
13:07 The standard: facts before stories
13:26 Closable.ai: AI-enabling sales teams (close)

Brought to you by Closable.ai. We AI-enable sales teams so leadership gets clearer, not louder.

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