Great Leaders UK with Deirdre Spillane

From MongoDB to Founder: How Deirdre Spillane bet on Herself

Description In this episode of The Playbook Universe, we sit down with Deirdre Spillane, co-founder of Selr.ai and former sales leader at MongoDB and Segment. She shares her incredible journey—from building high-performing teams in one of the most feared sales orgs in tech, to stepping into the unknown and launching her own company.

We dive into the power of coaching, the danger of drowning in data, and why understanding the “why” behind people’s actions is everything. If you're in sales, leadership, or considering your next bold career move—this is your playbook.

🙌 Thanks to our Sponsors! PG AI: https://www.getpg.ai Selr: https://selr.ai

🏹 Key Topics Covered 00:00 - Intro 01:54 - From Oracle to MongoDB 04:01 - Learning from Carlos Delatorre 06:58 - ICP and Hard Lessons in Fit 08:44 - Coaching Is About Trust 11:14 - How to Truly Meet People Where They Are 13:19 - Building Intentional Sales Teams 15:01 - Diversity of Thought in Sales 17:38 - Data Overload in Sales Leadership 21:19 - Tracking the Right Metrics 24:10 - Aligning Personal Why with Business Goals 27:03 - Grit, Motivation & Early Indicators of Success 30:49 - What Seller Actually Does 34:42 - Founder Life vs Sales Leader Life 36:59 - Why Coaching Is Her Life's Work

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💥 3 Biggest Lessons

1. Trust Before Tactics: Effective coaching doesn't begin with playbooks—it starts by understanding and trusting your people. 2. Data Isn’t Insight: Sales orgs today are flooded with metrics, but the true game-changers are conversion points and coaching conversations. 3. Your 'Why' Is the Multiplier: Aligning your personal drive with business objectives creates clarity, resilience, and momentum.

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🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

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🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

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💬 Borrow these quotes from Deirdre!

“Once you get this opportunity, you take it with both hands… and you leave nothing on the field.” “You’ve got to meet people where they are—that’s where the trust builds.” “We don't lack data—we lack the right coaching to make sense of it.” “Being gritty is more important than being gifted.”

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