From boardrooms to barking dogs: Tech sales veteran Ian Spandow shares leadership lessons in new memoir

Grass Valley, California May 9, 2025 (EMWNews.com) – A veteran sales enablement leader is offering the business world an unconventional memoir full of career lessons, leadership insights, and even a few four-legged co-stars.

Ian Spandow, a former Oracle sales coach and global training director, has published Rescuing Dogs and Salespeople: A Memoir from the Mutt, a 159-page account of his journey through the highs and lows of the tech sales industry and how rescuing dogs transformed his perspective on professional growth.

Written in a candid, witty style, the book merges two decades of Silicon Valley experience with heartfelt stories from Spandow’s current role as founder of a nonprofit dog rescue, drawing surprising parallels between sales teams and rescue dogs.

Spandow’s business credentials are well-established.

Over a 30+ year career in sales training, he has trained more than 9,000 professionals across 30 countries in effective selling and leadership techniques.

He served as a Sales Coaching leader at Oracle’s European division before moving to the company’s California headquarters, and later held senior enablement roles at Riverbed, Marin Software, MongoDB, and WalkMe.

But Rescuing Dogs and Salespeople is not a typical business memoir reciting corporate successes.

Instead, Spandow shares candid stories of adversity and resilience that shaped him as a leader.

Notably, he recounts how his “plucky” audacity led to a clash of principles: Spandow was fired from a senior position at a tech firm after defending an immigrant colleague from unfair treatment.

At one point, he was even slated for a cover story in Newsweek before a sudden visa issue nearly derailed his American dream.

These dramatic setbacks forced Spandow to reinvent himself, and in the book he reflects on what each experience taught him about ethical leadership and personal growth.

A unique aspect of the memoir is how Spandow interweaves lessons learned from dog training into his management philosophy.

After a mid-career pivot, Spandow found himself running a dog sanctuary in Northern California, an unlikely turn that, as the book reveals, made him a better sales leader.

“You’ll read about how training dogs and training humans have many things in common,” Spandow said in the memoir.

He draws direct comparisons between rehabilitating a fearful rescue dog and coaching an underperforming salesperson.

In one passage, Spandow observes that salespeople are too often treated like “unwanted dogs… neglected, undernourished, and frequently abandoned” in corporate settings, and argues that with the right nurturing and support, both can thrive.

This striking analogy, delivered with Spandow’s trademark frankness, challenges managers to reconsider how they treat their teams.

“A little patience and empathy can turn a skittish recruit into a top performer, I’ve seen it with my dogs, and I’ve seen it with my sales reps,” he said, encapsulating one of the book’s core messages.

For the business reader, Rescuing Dogs and Salespeople offers more than personal anecdotes.

It provides insight into resilient leadership and building a positive sales culture.

Spandow discusses practical takeaways from his experiences, such as the importance of defending one’s team (even at personal risk) and how to foster loyalty and motivation.

His journey from the boardroom to the barnyard highlights the value of adaptability, being willing to “roll with the punches” of a volatile career and find purpose in unexpected places.

Industry colleagues are already taking note.

Upon its release, the book quickly climbed into the Top 20 of Amazon’s new Computer & Technology Biographies rankings, reflecting strong interest in Spandow’s cross-disciplinary approach.

Early readers in the sales community have described the memoir as “inspiring” and “refreshingly authentic,” noting its appeal to anyone who has faced setbacks in their career and come back stronger.

Another notable element is Spandow’s philanthropic twist.

In lieu of a typical profit-driven book launch, Spandow has pledged that 100% of proceeds from the memoir will go to Spandow House Dog Rescue, the certified non-profit organization he runs with his wife.

The sanctuary, based in Smartsville, Calif., provides care for dogs that have been abandoned or abused, and many of the book’s heartwarming scenes draw directly from Spandow’s rescue experiences.

By channeling all book sales to the charity, Spandow is literally turning his professional story into a vehicle for giving back.

“It’s not just a memoir – it’s a mission,” he said. “If sharing my life story can help feed a few more dogs or train a few more salespeople with compassion, then I’ve succeeded.”

Rescuing Dogs and Salespeople: A Memoir from the Mutt was published on April 23, 2025, and is available in paperback (ISBN 979-8281166386) and eBook formats.

Business readers, sales teams, and entrepreneurs will find the book on Amazon and other major retailers.

With its blend of real-world business wisdom and heartwarming tales of rescued dogs, Spandow’s memoir stands out as an innovative addition to the leadership genre.

For more information, visit IanSpandow.com.