Why my experience matters to you. 

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Hi, I'm Kirk Dando.

About 30 years ago, I was a young and naïve COO and CFO of a company we grew to over $1b in revenue - not just a $1b valuation. I thought I had all the help I needed to be successful: incredible board members, the best-referred consultants, advisors, Executive Groups, the list goes on and on.

I felt leading a business was way more difficult than it needed to be. I didn't know what I didn't know. Implementing other's advice was like wrestling with a ghost. I felt like I was doing something wrong. I knew that I had the raw materials to be successful, but I just had a nagging feeling there was a better way.

I
had countless sleepless nights. I had daily sanity checks, asking myself, "Should this be this hard? Does anyone else struggle with the same thing... Or is it just me?" I was determined to find a way to unlock what I felt was just beneath the surface.

We sold that company. Sure, it was an incredible story with a great outcome. Afterward, I was approached to sit on boards and offer advice to other businesses. But I wanted to help others in the same situation I was in. When I was growing the business, I had no problem finding coaches and consultants with a product or service to help me. However, I couldn't find anyone else who had grown a $1b company and was willing to spend time with me, so I didn't have to learn everything the hard way.

Since then, I've dedicated my life to helping other leaders in the trenches. I set out on a journey to help other CEOs predict and prepare for the problems caused by growth and success. The truth is: if you are successful, you will grow yourself into problems.

As a result, I spent countless hours with CEOs and their leadership teams. While I won't pretend to be an academic scholar, I've seen enough game film to quickly see trends and patterns of what works and what doesn't.

In my wildest dreams, I never thought the problems and patterns would be so similar across successful businesses, sectors and teams. Sure, the details are always different, but the issues growth and success cause are eerily similar. The Frameworks and Mindsets that solve these issues are the accidental discovery I now share with leaders around the world.

Every day, I don't take my experience for granted. When I was growing our company, I dreamed of having someone who experienced the same feelings I was having. Someone who would come alongside me. Someone I could trust their guidance when I didn't know who to turn to. Today, I try and be that someone for the CEOs and their teams I get the privilege of working alongside. I understand it's lonely at the top and I want to be the phone call when the leader needs it.

When I was a C-Level executive, I sure wish I had the Frameworks and Mindsets I do now.