Integrating Leadership Development into Sales Management Education: A Teaching Case Using Goleman’s Leadership Framework to Teach Coaching and Adaptive Leadership

Authors

George Talbert, Elon UniversityFollow
Malcolm Talbert, Georgia State UniversityFollow
Earl Honeycutt, Elon UniversityFollow

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

Spring 2026

Abstract

Sales management courses often emphasize operational responsibilities such as forecasting, territory design, hiring, compensation, and performance evaluation. While essential, these topics alone do not prepare students for the behavioral and emotional demands of leading people in dynamic selling environments. Employers increasingly expect early-career managers to motivate, develop, and retain talent under ambiguity. This teaching case presents a senior-level undergraduate sales management capstone that embeds leadership development into the core of the course using Daniel Goleman’s emotional intelligence-based leadership styles as the primary framework. The course positions coaching as a central, teachable competency and treats leadership as a set of context-dependent behaviors students can practice and defend. The case aligns with AMTP’s focus on innovative, high-impact pedagogy that bridges theory and practice in marketing and sales education.

Recommended Citation

Talbert, George; Talbert, Malcolm; and Honeycutt, Earl, "Integrating Leadership Development into Sales Management Education: A Teaching Case Using Goleman’s Leadership Framework to Teach Coaching and Adaptive Leadership" (2026). AMTP Proceedings 2026. 68.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/amtp-proceedings_2026/68