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The Manufacturing Margin Trap: Why Revenue Growth Is No Longer the Metric That Matters Most
Recent earnings reports from leading industrial and manufacturing companies reveal a pattern that should concern executive leadership teams and investors alike.
The issue is not revenue growth. The issue is growth quality.
Brian Shea
Jun 114 min read


What If HR Isn't Missing a Seat at the Table and SHRM Is Missing the Point
Every year, thousands of HR leaders gather at SHRM's annual conference with a common aspiration: Earn greater influence. Become more strategic. Get a seat at the executive table.
But after reviewing this year's conference agenda, a key
What if the reason HR isn't consistently invited into enterprise strategy conversations isn't because CEOs undervalue HR?
Brian Shea
Jun 105 min read


Decoding Signal-Led GTM™: Insights from the Phil Collins Standard
What does Phil Collins have to do with Signal-Led GTM™?
According to legendary bassist Leland Sklar, Phil Collins believed the audience at the first show deserved the same experience as the audience at the hundredth. The result was relentless preparation before ever stepping on stage. The same principle applies to revenue growth. The best GTM teams don't learn during customer conversations. They prepare before them.
Brian Shea
Jun 83 min read


Understanding the Early Signals Behind the Latest Jobs Report
by Brian Shea, CEO Lucrum Partners Why May's 172,000 jobs report is a case study in Signal-Led GTM™ The headlines focused on the number. 172,000 jobs added in May. Predictably, the debate immediately became political. Was it proof that economic policies are working? Was it merely a continuation of existing trends? Which administration deserves credit? For business leaders, those questions miss the more important lesson. The May jobs report is not the story. It is the outcome
Brian Shea
Jun 54 min read


From Account Planning to Account Sensing: What the 2026 SAMA Conference Revealed About the Future of Strategic Account Management
By Brian Shea, Lucrum Partners For years, Strategic Account Management (SAM) has centered on a familiar set of disciplines: Account plans Relationship maps Executive sponsorship programs Quarterly business reviews Growth plans Opportunity management These practices remain important. But after reviewing the themes, sessions, and practitioner discussions emerging from the 2026 Strategic Account Management Association (SAMA) Conference, one conclusion became clear: The future of
Brian Shea
Jun 55 min read


AI Won't Make Sellers Obsolete. Bad Sellers Will.
What caught my attention wasn't the technology. It was what one executive said about salespeople.
"I'd rather work directly with the executive team than involve salespeople. Most salespeople only care about getting meetings, not getting outcomes for the customer."
The room went silent.
Not because the statement was controversial. Because everyone in the room knew exactly what he meant.
Brian Shea
Jun 23 min read


Signal-Led GTM™: Why CFOs and CMOs Are Converging Around the Same Growth Problem
CFOs need earlier visibility. CMOs need greater predictability. Signal-Led GTM™ provides the missing link between executive strategy and commercial execution by helping organizations detect growth signals before pipeline exists. Learn how emerging CFO and CMO priorities align around signal governance and why the future of growth depends on managing signals—not just leads and opportunities.
Brian Shea
May 294 min read


What GTM Leaders Can Learn from Legendary Session Musician Leland Sklar
From James Taylor to Phil Collins, from arena rock to film scores, Sklar became one of the most trusted session musicians in the world not because he was the loudest person in the room, but because he consistently made the entire performance better.
For modern GTM leaders, especially those navigating AI disruption, buying-group complexity, and declining effectiveness of traditional pipeline systems, Sklar’s interview offers a surprisingly powerful blueprint for revenue lea
Brian Shea
May 254 min read


The Win Rate Lie: Why Most B2B Go-to-Market Systems Enter Too Late to Win
Most executive teams believe they have a sales execution problem.
They don’t.
They have a timing problem disguised as a sales problem.
Why?
Because most go-to-market systems are still architected around a buying motion that no longer exists.
The modern B2B buyer does not wait for sellers to educate them.
They research independently. They form buying groups early. They define requirements before engagement. They shortlist vendors before sellers even know an opportunit
Brian Shea
May 205 min read
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