In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Dan Wallace, one of the first EOS implementers and a former turnaround operator with a background spanning Harvard Business School, investment banking, and strategy consulting. Dan's confession is a good one: six weeks into a new role, he green-lit a $2 million software build that the company never launched.
The conversation explores what happens when a high quick start moves before they've truly understood the problem, why buying is almost always better than building, and what it costs a team when the person at the top has no one to slow them down. Dan also reflects on the two leadership lessons he stumbled into by accident, both of which still shape how he coaches teams today.

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to Dan Wallace
02:50 Career Shift to Turnarounds
07:39 Joining EOS and Growth
11:25 The Niche Lending Company Challenge
15:05 The $2 Million Software Mistake
24:50 Visionary-Integrator and Empathy
33:32 Lessons: Do Ask, Don’t Tell
40:09 Preparing for Departure
43:02 The Need for Operating Systems
50:47 Walmart Missionary Mix-Up
53:11 Humility and Kindness

Sponsor Links
Thanks to our Sponsors
A big thank you to our amazing sponsors for making this episode possible:

Titus Talent – Helping organizations make the best hiring decisions with performance-based talent strategies.

Strety – Empowering teams through strategic planning and performance management tools built for modern workforces.

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The Bad Boss Confessional is where leaders come to tell the truth about the moments they rarely talk about out loud. The mistakes, the hard lessons, and what it actually takes to become a great boss.

Hosted by Beth Fahey, Expert EOS Implementer, co-author of ROLLOUT, and creator of the Great Boss Workshop.

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