1. Long-term Creativity

If someone has a tendency to obsess over the current quarter, to the exclusion of the bigger picture, their view is too narrow-minded for a management role. Sure, delivering against short-term forecasts is critical but far more important is a manager's ability to spot long-term trends and plan for the future, according to hiring executives.

"I need people who can look at where sales are coming from six months from now, a year from now, three years from now," said Tim Hebert, CEO of Atrion.

Among other things, managers should understand how to maximize potential within existing accounts; be able to consider each person's individual contributions holistically in conjunction with the entire lead pipeline; and understand when to pull back resources from prospects that distract from overall objectives.