Sales and Business: Adler vs Freud, Which Psychology Builds a Better Team?
We are constantly talking about mindset. Grit. Vision. Process. But behind all that, there’s a deeper question most leaders never stop to consider.
What is the psychological lens through which we view our people? More to the point—are we leading like Freud or like Adler? (For a clear [Freud vs Alder comparison], this Simply Psychology overview is worth reading.)
If that question sounds a little too “psych major,” hang with me. Because whether you’re leading a sales team or trying to scale your business, the answer matters more than you think.
Freud: The Past is Prologue
Sigmund Freud built his psychological model around the idea that much of what drives human behavior comes from repressed experiences, unresolved conflict, and unconscious desire. In Freud’s world, people are often stuck—bound to their past, driven by fears or compulsions they don’t fully understand.
In a business or sales context, that shows up like this:
- A rep avoids prospecting because of an underlying fear of rejection
- A leader holds back from making strategic hires due to control issues stemming from past betrayals
- A business owner resists change because of early career trauma around failure
Freud’s model is about identifying those root causes, analyzing them, and surfacing the hidden motivators. There’s value in that, no doubt. But it can also become a trap.
You start spending more time dissecting the “why” than doing anything about it. You stall out in reflection. You wait until people “heal” before you expect performance. And in the world of sales, delay kills deals.
Adler: The Future is Fuel
Alfred Adler saw things differently. To Adler, people are goal-driven. They’re creative. They’re striving not because they’re damaged, but because they want to grow, contribute, and matter. (Adlerian Therapy)
His concept of the “inferiority complex” wasn’t an insult. It was recognition that all of us feel less-than in some way—and that this can actually become the source of our greatest drive.
Unlike Freud, who looked backward to explain the present, Adler looked forward. His lens was focused on purpose, social interest, and what he called “fictional finalism”—the imagined version of success that each person strives toward.
In business and sales, Adler’s framework leads to a different kind of leadership:
- Salespeople aren’t broken; they just need direction, coaching, and a meaningful goal
- Setbacks aren’t diagnoses; they’re opportunities to learn, adapt, and grow
- We focus on helping people strive toward contribution, not just fixing what’s wrong
As someone who spends my days in the trenches with sales teams, I’ll be blunt: Adler’s way is the one that gets traction.
Freud in the Sales Room: What It Looks Like
You might be leading from a Freudian framework without even knowing it. Here are a few warning signs:
- You excuse poor performance by pointing to personal history or internal issues
- You avoid giving direct feedback because you’re worried about triggering someone
- You spend too much time asking “Why are they like this?” and not enough asking “What can we do about it?”
Here’s the problem. The more we treat salespeople like victims of their past, the less responsibility they take for their future. You can have empathy without lowering expectations. In fact, you have to.
Adler in the Sales Room: What It Looks Like
By contrast, Adler invites us to treat people as capable, creative, and responsible.
When I coach a sales rep who’s struggling with cold calls, I don’t start with their fear. I start with their goal. What do they want to achieve? What kind of success do they imagine for themselves? From there, we can start reverse engineering the actions that will get them there.
If they miss a target, we don’t go on a hunt for hidden trauma. We look at their activity. Their habits. Their self-beliefs. Then we coach forward, not backward.
Adler’s approach gives people agency. It says, “You’re not defined by your past. You’re defined by the actions you choose to take now.”
Leadership and Culture: Freud vs. Adler
This isn’t just about how you manage one salesperson. It’s about the culture you create across the board.
A Freud-influenced culture tends to be heavy. Emotional. You might have a high EQ leader, but a team that’s stagnant and overly inward-focused. These are the companies where performance conversations feel like therapy sessions.
An Adler-influenced culture, on the other hand, is energized. Forward-leaning. Honest. People are allowed to have bad days, but they’re not allowed to get stuck there. There’s clarity of purpose. There’s ownership.
Organizational culture is shaped by vision and social context, which HBR explores in ‘The New Psychology of Strategic Leadership”
That kind of culture doesn’t just improve sales. It changes the entire dynamic of the organization.
The Striving Mind: Why This Matters to Business Owners
As a business owner or CEO, you are constantly faced with one question: how do I get the most out of my people?
If you follow Freud’s line of thinking, you’ll spend a lot of time interpreting. You’ll tiptoe. You’ll build systems around people’s limitations.
If you follow Adler’s approach, you’ll create systems that invite people to rise. You’ll help them connect their daily actions to a future vision. You’ll stop managing around weakness and start coaching toward strength.
That doesn’t mean you ignore what’s hard. It means you stop making it the centerpiece.
Practical Ways to Apply Adler’s Thinking
- Set Future-Focused Goals: Define what success looks like not just at a quota level, but at a personal level. Help your salespeople imagine who they want to become, not just what they want to close.
- Challenge Limiting Beliefs: When someone says “I’m just not good at prospecting,” don’t accept that as truth. Explore where the belief came from, then replace it with a goal-oriented plan of action.
- Use Role-Playing as Rehearsal for Success: Practicing key sales conversations, objection handling, and discovery calls helps people embody the future self they’re striving toward.
- Promote Contribution Over Competition: Create a culture where success means helping others win, not just outperforming them.
- Move From Excuse to Ownership: Instead of asking “Why aren’t they performing?” ask “What needs to happen next?”
Final Thoughts: Lead Like Adler, Not Freud
The salespeople who grow fastest are not the ones who obsess over their weaknesses. They’re the ones who believe they can improve. They have a clear picture of where they want to go. And they’re surrounded by leaders who help them take the next step.
As a fractional sales manager, I’ve sat in on enough sales calls and leadership meetings to see the difference. Teams that operate from a Freud-based mindset are constantly managing problems. Teams that embrace Adler’s approach are building solutions.
So the question is, what kind of business are you trying to build?
If you’re trying to move toward action, toward contribution, toward purpose—I’d love to talk. Whether you’re rebuilding a team or scaling one that’s already growing, there’s a path forward.
Visit Transformative Sales Systems to schedule a conversation. Let’s build something that lasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the biggest difference between Freud and Adler in business?
Freud focuses on understanding past behaviors and internal struggles, while Adler emphasizes goal setting, social connection, and personal responsibility to drive future outcomes.
How does an Adler-based approach improve sales performance?
It helps salespeople visualize success, take ownership of their actions, and strive toward meaningful goals, rather than getting stuck in over-analysis or fear-based behaviors.
Can Freud’s ideas still be useful in sales leadership?
Yes, understanding internal blockers can be helpful. But without action, awareness alone doesn’t change outcomes. Adler’s approach is more action-oriented and scalable in sales environments.
How do I know if my company culture is more Freud or Adler?
If you find yourself constantly managing emotions and excuses, you’re leaning Freud. If your team owns their results and works toward shared goals, you’re building through Adler.
What’s one simple Adler-inspired change I can make this week?
Start your next sales meeting by asking each team member what they want to achieve long-term, not just what they’re closing this month. Then tie their activities back to that vision.