Meet a Member: Dale Walls

Dale Walls is the Founder and CEO of Lions Guide. He is also a business leader coach, speaker, and podcast host just to name a few. He spoke at the Busines & Bourbon Live D.C. event and we had the pleasure of getting to know him a bit more in-depth.

Tell us about your education and background

Grew up in a small town, broken home, went on to join US Marines, Founded what grew to be a national 8-figure IT Services Company, Corsica Technologies, sold Corsica in 2018, exited in 2020

What was your first job?

Although prior to it I grew up mowing lawns in the summer and helping haul wood in the winter, my first real job was a steamer cook at a local crab house at 13.

Describe your most pivotal career experience.

As my company grew upwards of 200 people, I came to learn the importance of leadership to an organization and was able to reflect back to the lessons of my time in the Marines and bring forth a renewed emphasis on leadership of myself, my team, and the culture of the organization.

Who is/was your mentor and what was the most important lesson you learned from them?

I have been fortunate to have been influenced by many high-achievers that are in my life, though none I could say were my "mentor" unfortunately. My library of books in personal growth and leadership development that I read on average of 40 to 60 books each year has become my mentor.

The lesson I've learned is to always maintain a growth mindset, never settling with what you know, but always seeking to establish more clarity as to what you don't know.

If you were/are a mentor in your field, what advice would you give to younger colleagues?

Establish clarity in all things meaning have a vision, obtain the knowledge, and seek truth always. Always act courageously, despite your fears, doubts, and perceived limits. Take full responsibility of leading the journey your desired outcomes.

What are you most proud of in your career?

Having had the courage to start a company that grew to serve many businesses around the country, and impact many lives of those who joined the team.

If you could change anything in your industry, what would it be and why?

Being an entrepreneur who is at the start of your business journey, or a business owner of a few years or more, or even as an organizational leader, the demands on us are very high. To meet those demands, we need to be a high performer so that we can meet and exceed those demands in such a way that we still have joy in life as opposed to high stress and burnout. What I would change is that more leaders in these demanding roles would realize that you don't need to take that on alone. That just like a professional athlete has a professional coach, finding an experienced executive coach or mentor to help push and challenge you brings forth a whole new level of our execution and performance, resulting in improved confidence, better focus, and again finding joy in our lives again.

What lasting contribution do you hope to make to society/the professional world?

I want to help leaders who are looking to grow by helping them establish more clarity, confidence, act more courageously, have more discipline, and be the leader of all areas of their life, not just their role at the office.

To stay connected with Dale, be sure to follow him on LinkedIn.