There’s a quiet crisis unfolding in GTM leadership.

On a recent episode of The Revenue Formula podcast, it was reported that 25% of Pavilion members are currently “on the bench” — meaning they’re actively out of work. That stat should stop you in your tracks.

Pavilion isn’t just any group. It’s one of the world’s most active professional communities for revenue leaders — CROs, VPs of Sales, RevOps leaders, and founders. If 1 in 4 of them are unemployed right now, this isn’t a blip. It’s a systemic signal.

This is more than market conditions. It’s a reckoning for how revenue leaders are selected, evaluated, and supported — and what it truly takes to thrive in the seat.

The Hard Truth: Many Revenue Leaders Are Hired or Promoted Based on One Skillset — and Evaluated on Another

Most revenue leaders didn’t get their start as operators.

They were elite sellers.

The common path looks like this:

SDR → AE → Sales Manager → Director → VP → CRO

Each promotion rewards people who crushed quota, hit targets, and led from the front. It rewards mastery of the art of sales — driving deals, reading buyers, building relationships, and closing.

But as you climb, the expectations shift — and dramatically.

From Art to Science: The Real Shift That Breaks Most Leaders

The jump from AE to Sales Manager is often manageable. It requires coaching, not just closing. Many great reps turn out to be great teachers.

But the jump from Sales Manager to VP or CRO? That’s where the cliff shows up.

Suddenly, your ability to do and coach is no longer enough.

You need to become a revenue operator — someone who excels not just at driving revenue, but designing and scaling the machine that delivers it.

To hit quota at the VP or CRO level, you need to:

• Design territories and capacity plans

• Build comp structures that align to strategic outcomes

• Operationalize the revenue plan across roles and functions

• Ensure the team is staffed and sequenced correctly for ramp and coverage

• Track execution against plan in real time

• Create visibility into what’s working, what’s not, and why

• Report to the board with clarity and foresight

It’s not just that these skills are nice to have. At this level, they are required to hit your number.

The system is the strategy. The structure is the lever.

If you’re not building and managing the system, no amount of selling excellence will save you when the machine starts to break down.

The Science vs. The Art: A New Way to Look at Revenue Leadership

Think of it this way:

• SDRs, AEs, and Sales Managers master the art of sales

• VPs and CROs must master the science of revenue, too

The art is how you close.

The science is how you scale.

To succeed as a modern revenue leader, you need both.

But here’s the catch: most people are promoted primarily because of their art.

This is the hidden mismatch that’s fueling the turnover crisis — and the stress many feel in-seat.

The Tenure Problem Isn’t New — But It’s Getting Worse

According to multiple studies, the average CRO tenure is under 18 months — and trending down.

Too often, new revenue leaders walk into roles with:

• No RevOps partner

• Incomplete or conflicting historical data

• A sales team that’s built for a different stage of growth

• And unclear expectations from the CEO or board

When performance slips and answers aren’t clear, trust erodes — and replacements get explored.

The most dangerous place to be is delivering numbers… but not delivering clarity.

How to Future-Proof Your Career as a Revenue Leader

Here’s how the smartest and most resilient VPs and CROs are adapting.

1. Surround Yourself with Sharp, Evolving Peers

You can’t afford to run old playbooks in today’s environment.

Top leaders are staying sharp by joining communities like Pavilion, SaaStr, and RevOps Co-Op — and surrounding themselves with peers who:

• Share playbooks in real time

• Challenge assumptions

• Push the envelope with AI, productivity, and ops automation

The job is changing fast.

Community keeps you current.

2. Go AI-Native — Or Risk Irrelevance

AI is no longer a curiosity. It’s leverage. And the leaders using it best are already pulling ahead.

On a SaaStr episode, Jason Lemkin and Kyle Norton put it bluntly:

“If you’re not AI-curious, you’re cooked.”

Some ways modern revenue leaders are using AI:

• Roleplay mock discovery calls with AI for rep training

• Get instant feedback on call transcripts for coaching

• Generate win/loss summaries from raw Gong/Chorus notes

• Auto-build prospecting emails based on personality insights

• Use AI to simulate how changes to quotas or coverage affect outcomes

• Build entire enablement decks from call recordings + CRM notes

These aren’t pipe dreams. They’re happening right now.

You don’t have to code. But you do need to explore. AI isn’t replacing leaders — it’s multiplying the output of the best ones.

3. Audit and Augment Your Skillset

Take an honest look in the mirror. You might be elite at:

• Strategy

• Coaching

• Recruiting

• Inspiring teams

• Building customer trust

But are you also elite at:

• Headcount planning and quota modeling?

• Forecasting and pacing?

• Attribution and performance analysis?

• Building board-ready revenue narratives?

You don’t have to master every piece yourself.

But you do need the ability to operate as a system, not just as a seller.

The best leaders use platforms that give them the signal, structure, and confidence to deliver insight — not just instinct.

To align the machine — not just the message.

That’s how you build staying power in the seat.

Final Word: The Seat Has Changed — So Must You

This isn’t just about being more strategic.

It’s about becoming the kind of leader the role now demands.

Your art got you promoted.

Your science is what will keep you employed — and take you to the next level.

Learn the machine. Build the system. Lead with clarity.

You’ve got the talent. Now it’s time to level up the toolkit.