You have the skills, experience, and ambition to make a leap in your career—and yet, your progress has stagnated. You’ve had some success, but not as much as you’d envisioned, and it’s been difficult to attract and retain the talent you need to build a high-performing team. You know you’re capable of inspiring resiliency and self-sufficiency in those you lead, but you’re not sure the best way to reach that next level. Jawad Ahsan has been in your shoes. When he decided to stop letting others chart his course, and instead began to pursue his own North Star, it transformed his career. In What They Didn’t Tell Me , Jawad has translated the feedback he got and the lessons he learned along the way into actionable advice for leaders at every level. Drawing on his remarkable story, Jawad shows how charting your own course not only changes how others view you—it changes how you view yourself. If you’re ready to become a resilient leader at the helm of a high-performing team, this book is for you. "Jawad is the voice of a new generation of leaders. This book gives you a front-row seat to some of the most dynamic challenges a leader faces today, and an honest appraisal of what it takes to rise to the challenge." -- Sofija Jovic , former CEO and founder of ProPhase "In today's rapidly changing business environment, nothing can substitute for great leadership. Jawad's journey to become one of today's most successful and thoughtful CFOs is entertaining, inspiring, and full of universal lessons that will help any reader become a stronger leader. This book is a must read for any aspiring business leader!" -- Mike Wystrach , CEO and co-founder of Freshly "Jawad's bootstraps must be made of titanium. He's an inspiration for anyone looking to make their own way to success in an ever-more-competitive world." -- Rick Smith , CEO and founder of Axon "Even if you think you have it all figured out when it comes to leadership, Jawad Ahsan shares insight and perspectives that you have not considered. His humility and humor about his personal journey throughout this book is so refreshing and endearing. While Jawad is cognizant and honest about his own personal development to realizing his ever-expanding potential, he is tireless in his pursuit to develop others--encouraging them to break through their self-imposed limits. From MIT Sloan to Axon, Jawad has inspired so many to develop their own authentic voice and use it to productively and uniquely contribute. He does not believe in conquering mountains alone. That is too easy. Rather, it's the journey with his teams and their diversity that Jawad cherishes and celebrates." -- Diana Ganz , CEO and co-founder of The Groomsman Suit "Jawad represents a new breed of entrepreneur: humble, strategic, and analytical. This is the book for those aspiring executives." -- Kishan Shah , former COO/CFO At age 29,  Jawad Ahsan  defined his North Star: he wanted to move up to the C-suite. A year later, he became a divisional CFO at GE Healthcare, and was soon promoted to be a GE executive. By age 34, he was the CFO of a private-equity backed SaaS company, and by age 37, became the CFO of a publicly traded company, Axon. As CFO, Jawad is responsible for leading the company's global finance, corporate strategy, legal and IT organizations, as well as Axon's consumer-facing business. During his tenure, Axon's market cap has increased from $1 billion to over $6 billion.