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When leadership says one thing and does another, employees feel it first — and your customers feel it next. In this episode of Sales & Marketing Playbook: Unleashed, Craig Andrews (Beholder Agency) and Evan Polin (Polin Performance Group) sit down with leadership coach Devi McFadden to talk about how leadership clarity and trust drive everything downstream, including sales and marketing.

Devi explains why mixed messages create "churn" that pulls teams away from the work customers pay for, why your employer brand is now public whether you like it or not, and why engagement surveys fail when nothing happens afterward. She shares how outside advisors earn the trust to tell leaders hard truths, the leading and lagging signs that a team is struggling, and a case study of a leader who got clear on her priorities and built a stronger team because of it.

Then all three define what "clear" means in marketing, sales and leadership, and get into AI: Devi's "good vs. good enough" test for when to use it, and why the human element still wins the sale.

⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:14

Welcome — Craig Andrews & Evan Polin 02:52

Meet Devi McFadden, leadership coach

04:22 When leadership's message doesn't match reality

05:00 Churn: the hidden cost of mixed messages

07:07 Your employer brand is public now

07:58 Why engagement surveys fail without follow-through

09:35 How outside advisors get through to leadership

10:54 Build trust: match what you say with what you do

12:42 Trust comes before the sale

14:19 Leading vs. lagging signs of a leadership problem

16:26 Case study: getting clear on priorities 18:24 What "clear" means in marketing, sales & leadership

21:26 Staying human in an AI world

22:37 AI: good vs. good enough

24:08 AI in sales: volume, not relationships

28:13 Devi's top tips for leaders

31:07 How to reach Devi McFadden

🔗 Resources & Connect

👤 Devi McFadden: https://www.kathydevimcfadden.com ·

Devi McFadden on LinkedIn

🌐 Show: https://www.smplaybookunleashed.com

💼 Beholder Agency (marketing): https://www.beholderagency.com

💼 Polin Performance Group (sales): https://www.polinpg.com

🎙️ Also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify & Amazon Music

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