So no kidding, there we were, sipping some seriously strong coffee at a Tampa bodega after 48 hours of whiteboards, big ideas, and practical thoughts.
We have to do this.
It was 10 years after we first met in Orlando at a national sales meeting - fish out of water in our suits and ties. We’d figured out how to sell and win and lead in this new environment, but we could sense in each other that we were built for something different. Still, we embraced the shock of dealing with angry clients, constant rejection, and the long, lonely miles to learn how to be businessmen.
We had marched hard miles before.
In 1997 we both entered the US Army, Blayne through West Point and Brandon through Ft. Benning’s Sand Hill. Over the next 12 years, we endured brutal training, honed our craft, led soldiers, and deployed to combat. A lot. Brandon as a Ranger in the 75th Ranger Regiment and Blayne as a Green Beret in the 3rd Special Forces Group. We experienced the full range and depth of the human experience - love, anger, brotherhood, fear, exhilaration, guilt, fulfillment, and profound loss. We achieved some great victories, saw some astonishing things, and survived harrowing moments that will forever be etched in our memories.
We exited service around the same time, both hoping to turn the page and live ‘normal’ lives. We took corporate jobs and were doing our best to adapt and make a living while quietly struggling through the adversity of post-service reintegration. On the home front, we were trying to hold families together that had been ravaged by war, separation, and loss. We made so many mistakes, but we kept marching.
In 2012, Blayne left corporate America to become the first Executive Director of Team RWB. In the Spring of 2014, Brandon took his obligatory 60% pay cut to join the fast-growing veteran serving nonprofit and a hungry, talented team. Those days were tight, but our mission was solid and our crew was committed. Looking back, we recall with a smile those moments of scarcity, huddled around our financials with Laken and JJ, uncertain if we would make payroll. We didn’t break down, though, we broke through - together. Almost 4 years and $20M later, the organization was on a rocket ship and veterans were getting the care and the community they deserved.
Back then, we had a couple of shared agreements that made all the difference:
1) We can’t ask for permission. We have to do what we know is right - what we know will work, even if the rest of the world doesn’t see it yet.
2) We bet on our team and we walk in faith. If we believe in each other and in our mission, we’ll figure it out.
In the fall of 2019, we found ourselves on a quick phone call that turned into a two-hour conversation about life and leadership and how we should go about making this world just a little bit better. That led to another phone call, then a video chat, then some shared books and articles, then a slew of Google docs, then a two-day whiteboard marathon that ended at that Tampa bodega...with a deep, unshakable belief.
We have to do this.
The truth is, we spent months literally trying to talk ourselves out of starting a leadership development firm. It’s a crowded industry, full of well-known personalities and systems. Does the world really need one more voice amongst all of the noise? As much as we tried to convince ourselves otherwise, the answer was a resounding “YES”.
So, why now? Because we live in an increasingly complex world with complex problems, and those problems are ultimately leadership problems. Whether you are trying to solve hunger, healthcare, climate change, or a financial crisis, you cannot do it without real leadership - applied leadership. More than ever, the world needs authentic, servant leaders who are willing and capable of being who they are, putting their mission at the center, and thriving in adversity.
So why us? Because after decades of leading teams and businesses in uncertain and austere environments, we feel that we have something truly valuable to offer. Our successes and failures have left us with some hard-earned leadership wisdom - and our aim is to help you apply it. To make sense of how it relates to your team and your mission. To be guides, on the path with you as you navigate your next leadership challenge.
Leadership is hard, especially if you care. But it doesn’t have to be lonely. We are here to support you and your team through the highs and lows of striving together. If you want your organization to function with more ownership, candor, creativity, and resilience we would be very happy to go on that journey with you.
Here’s to the road ahead!
Brandon and Blayne