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185: This Is Why 99% of Sales Leaders Never Create Their Own IP | Bernadette McClelland
Episode 185
Rethinking Sales Leadership: Disrupting the Status Quo and Multiplying Your Impact
In this energizing episode, Damon sits down with Bernadette McClelland—global sales leadership consultant, keynote speaker, and founder of the Sales Leadership Academy—to explore why the most dangerous thing a leader can do is stick with “the way we’ve always done it.” Bernadette shares her personal evolution from top corporate sales leader in Australia to transformative coach and framework creator, urging sales leaders to move beyond comfort zones, drive self-mastery, and codify their unique expertise for the market of tomorrow. From breaking free of outdated identities to embracing a balance of competitive and creative energies, this conversation is packed with actionable strategies and fresh perspectives for anyone looking to stay relevant, multiply their impact, and future-proof their sales leadership.
Whether you’re a new manager or a seasoned pro, you’ll find practical tools and inspiration to rewrite your own story, build frameworks that differentiate you, and lead teams with more conviction, clarity, and compassion.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why disruption is essential for sales leaders—and the steep cost of doing nothing
- The crucial link between identity, intention, and self-influence in transforming leadership
- How to shift from managing deals to inspiring and mobilizing teams at a human level
- Why codifying your unique expertise (IP) creates massive value and market differentiation
- The rising importance of balancing competitive (masculine) and creative (feminine) leadership energies
- How to coach teams for belief and behavioral change—not just business outcomes
Timestamps:
00:00 – Why “we’ve always done it this way” is so dangerous for leaders
01:41 – The importance of curiosity and self-disruption
03:06 – Identity, intentionality, and influence: the trilogy of self-leadership
07:16 – Bernadette’s journey: overcoming adversity, shifting out of “shallow” work
13:37 – Position, people, process, performance, proof: the framework for multiplying impact
16:42 – The perception trap: why pipeline problems go deeper than the numbers
17:02 – Balancing competitive and creative energies in sales leadership
19:41 – Why not every high-performing rep should be a leader
22:00 – From managing to mobilizing: inspiring belief in your team
24:49 – Coaching limiting beliefs around money and authority
30:18 – Codifying your IP: why your expertise is your commercial asset
32:58 – What the Sales Leadership Academy delivers for its graduates
33:09 – Who Bernadette’s academy is for (and who it isn’t)
34:18 – Human skills and the future of sales leadership in the AI era
37:11 – Using AI wisely: avoiding “copycat” content while leveraging tech
39:27 – Bernadette’s last takeaway: stay open, curious, and true to yourself
40:43 – Where to connect with Bernadette and access her Academy
About Bernadette McClelland
Bernadette McClelland is an international sales leadership consultant, keynote speaker, and founder of the Sales Leadership Academy. From humble beginnings and overcoming setbacks, Bernadette rose to become a senior sales leader at Xerox Australia, master coach for Tony Robbins in Asia Pacific, and a trusted advisor to Harvard MBA students and business schools across the globe. Today, she’s renowned for helping leaders coadify their unique value, systemize sales strategy, and double down on impact—whether working with corporate clients, mentoring undergraduates, or volunteering with the incarcerated in their inhouse entrepreneurial and personal transformation programs.
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Published on 5 months, 2 weeks ago