In this episode of Hunters & Unicorns, East Coast Elite, we sit down with Brian McCarthy, President of Global Revenue and Field Operations at Rubrik. With a remarkable track record scaling high-performing teams and navigating through IPOs, Brian shares the foundational principles that shaped his leadership, putting people first, leading with love, and building structures that drive consistent performance. We explore how Brian transitioned from star seller to visionary leader, how he earned unshakeable team loyalty, and why systems like WANs can revolutionize your sales coaching. If you're serious about leading at scale with integrity, this is a must-watch.

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🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 – Intro & First Sales Job

04:20 – Choosing Leadership Over Sales

08:00 – WANs: Coaching with Metrics

12:10 – Building Loyalty Through Care

16:15 – Sales vs. Leadership Thinking

21:00 – IPO Learnings & Pressure

26:10 – Territory, Quota & Fairness

31:25 – Love-Driven Leadership

36:20 – Hiring for Intellect & Agility

42:05 – Structuring First-Line Teams

48:40 – Closing Advice & Reflections

💥 3 Biggest Lessons

1. Real leadership is people-first – Helping someone grow, even if it means leaving your team, is true leadership.

2. Structure drives consistency – Weekly Activity Numbers (WANs) give both clarity and accountability to teams.

3. Love creates loyalty – When leaders genuinely will the best for their people, performance naturally follows.

🙌 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!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

💬 Notable Quotes “If this is better for you and your family, leave. I will help you get promoted.” “You either really care about people and their development, or you don’t.” “Love is willing the best for others—and that’s how I lead.”

#softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

In this episode of Sales SOS, Hunters & Unicorns co-founders Ollie and Simon go head-to-head on one of the most misunderstood, yet business-critical skills in sales leadership: how to consistently hire A-players. Drawing from two decades of experience working with the world's most elite sales teams, we break down the true mindset, mechanics, and strategy behind world-class recruitment — and why most leaders are getting it completely wrong. What we cover:

• Why the super-rep mindset is killing your team-building potential

• The 3 stages of a winning recruitment process: Pipeline. Discovery. Close.

• The 3 WHYs vs the 3 WHY NOTs — the ultimate framework to avoid dropouts

• Feedback loops, debrief sessions, and how to control the narrative between interviews

• Why you should never make an offer unless you know they’ll say yes

• Backchanneling: how the best CROs use it to recruit like assassins — and how to avoid blowing it up

Whether you're a first-time hiring manager or a seasoned VP, this is your playbook for hiring without luck or guesswork.

🔗 Subscribe & Connect If this episode resonated, drop a comment, like the video, and hit subscribe. We’re here to help you build teams that win.

After 200+ episodes and thousands of hours with the world’s top SaaS sales leaders, Hunters & Unicorns presents Sales SOS raw, practical conversations that dive deep into the mindset, strategies, and frameworks behind elite career growth in tech sales.

In this episode, Hunters and Unicorns very own Simon and Ollie answer four critical questions every ambitious sales professional should be asking:

1. What’s the common thread among top-tier CROs? Discover the power of “Career Champions” and why no one gets to the top alone.

2. Why are you being overlooked for promotions? It’s not always about performance. We unpack how alignment, visibility, and internal champions dictate career momentum.

3. How do you position yourself as the irresistible first pick? We share hard-earned insights into how the best salespeople get fast-tracked for leadership roles.

4. How do you break the glass ceiling — and stay there? From skill mastery to the right strategic choices, we talk about what it really takes to go all the way.

This episode is for ambitious AEs, aspiring leaders, and current managers ready to level up with clarity, intent, and strategy. If this episode hit home, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe. We drop practical gold every week.

#SaaSSales #CROCareer #TechSalesLeadership #SalesSOS #HuntersAndUnicorns