People-Centric Sales with Dublin-based Global Sales Leader Gordon Tobin

People-Centric Sales with Dublin-based Global Sales Leader Gordon Tobin

Author: Caitlin Begg March 27, 2024 Duration: 42:26

Gordon Tobin and I speak about insights regarding the social and technical sides of sales, how to avoid 'spam culture', Gordon’s life philosophies, Irish culture and the ‘nation of storytellers’, the Dublin tech ecosystem and European tech ecosystem more broadly, tips to approach sales in this over-saturated digital age, ways to stay present in everyday life, and more. 

Gordon is a Dublin-based global sales leader, having successfully run and managed sales teams across NAMER, EMEA, and APAC. He was employee number ten at LinkedIn, and was there for over eight years. He was a founding member of the first sales development team at LinkedIn, and after time as an account executive in Dublin, he relocated his life and bult out LinkedIn’s Perth office as their first employee there. He also helped to build out LInkedIn’s early in career talent programs, including the (now sunset) Business Leadership Program, where I started my career. 


Gordon was at G2 for four and a half years... from starting at  G2 in San Francisco as VP of Commercial Sales, to moving to North Carolina, leading americas Mid-Market Sales and Customer Success, and finally wrapping up his time there in his hometown of Dublin as VP & General Manager of EMEA.


Gordon just announced his "next play" (LinkedIn terminology for next career move at TestGorilla, an Amsterdam-based company that prides itself on identifying the best talent faster, easier, and bias-free. TestGorilla says that their "affordable tests replace subjective, incomplete, and often inflated resumes with objective, reliable, and fair results that measure aptitude, practical job skills, culture add, and motivation".






There's a quiet but persistent feeling that something essential is getting lost in our digital shuffle. Progression to Analog is a space to examine that feeling, hosted by sociologist and Authentic Social founder Caitlin Begg. This isn't a nostalgic retreat, but a thoughtful exploration of how reintroducing analog elements-whether in communication, work, or leisure-can reshape our daily experience toward something more intentional and, ultimately, more human. Each conversation in this podcast moves beyond simple tool-swapping to ask deeper questions about presence, connection, and the architecture of our attention. You'll hear discussions that weave sociological insight with practical reflection, considering how the textures of a less-mediated life can influence our relationships, creativity, and sense of self. New episodes arrive every Monday, offering a regular pause to consider the pace and quality of the everyday. Tune in for a series that treats the analog not as an antiquated concept, but as a meaningful progression.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 39

Progression to Analog
Podcast Episodes
Why can't we have difficult conversations? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:32
"I think we have a listening problem" -Stephanie from NYC (name changed) I interview six people, explore expert opinions (and share my own) re: why it can be tough to have difficult conversations today.
D̶o̶o̶m̶scrolling is good for you? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:11
Can scrolling be good for you? Yes, if you take out the doom. I explore different perspectives on scrolling, based on Harvard Medical School research, and a perspective from a UVA Professor on 'hope scrolling'. NYC volun…
We live in a simulation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:02
From a ⁠Baudrillardian (versus ⁠Bostrum-esque)⁠ angle of simulation theory, I discuss why we live in a simulation, what that means in terms of everyday life, and how we can deal with it. "THE SIMULACRUM IS NEVER WHAT HID…
One Year of Progression to Analog [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:09
A year ago today, I launched the trailer for Progression to Analog. Twelve months later, I'm reflecting on what a year it was—speaking about Progression to Analog at conferences and universities across the United States…
Could you attend a concert without documenting it? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:52
I explore how phones have shifted the modern concert experience, as well as attending a concert in 2024 without documenting it. I also explore artists' and music lovers' opinions on the matter. Some of the references fro…
Coincé dans l’écran—STUCK IN THE SCREEN [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:28
Just as hostages affected by Stockholm Syndrome may rationalize their captor’s actions, we often rationalize inappropriate or manipulative behaviors related to screens. This is a phenomenon that I call “coincé dans l’écr…
Blocked [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:00
I explore blocking from a sociological perspective. References: ⁠⁠Block Party: How Blocking Someone Became a Dating Power Move⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Psychopolitics⁠⁠ by Byung-Chul Han ⁠⁠Simulacra and Simulation⁠⁠ by Jean Baudrillard Episo…
AI Readiness with Amsterdam-based Rob van der Veer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:37
In this episode, Amsterdam-based Senior Principal at Software Improvement Group (SIG) Rob van der Veer and I discuss AI readiness. Rob is an experienced technologist, advisor, successful entrepreneur, and keynote speaker…
Hi from Budapest! MOME & Brain Bar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:24
In this mini episode, I speak about the contents of my ⁠masterclass at MOME⁠ (an art an design university in Budapest) and ⁠session at Brain Bar⁠ (Europe's largest festival on the future). Full-length season two episodes…