512: Walter Rakowich | How to Lead in a Crisis

The mark of a great leader is the one who can build trust among the people they serve. Today’s guest is one of these leaders - Walter Rakowich the author of Transfluence: How to Lead with Transformative Influence in Today’s Climates of Change. He is a leadership speaker and former executive who seeks to transform organizational cultures by encouraging a transparent leadership approach that is honest, humble, and heartfelt. Walter believes this practice ultimately leads to higher trust, commitment, and performance, as well as improved workplaces and communities. Walter also serves on a number of corporate and philanthropic boards and is a graduate of Harvard Business School.

I’m really looking forward to you hearing this episode as Walter reveals how to lead in a crisis. 

Things you will learn in this episode:

[00:01 - 06:23] Opening Segment 

• I introduce today’s guest, Walter Rakowich
• Transfluence 
• Former executive of Prologis
• Announcement: travischappell.com/makemypodcast
• Walt gives some background on his early life 
• Grew up in Pittsburgh 
• Middle-class family life 
• Love and support from family 
• Trying to put other people first 
• School life and career 
• Graduated in accounting 
• Left accounting to go to Harvard B.S. 
• Finding what makes leaders successful 
• Thoughts on expectations 

[06:24 - 13:24] The Art of People Brilliance 

• Walt talks about his time in real estate 
• Example of a great boss 
• Big influence 
• People brilliant
• The secret of success 
• Put others first 
• Focus on those around you 
• Activities with the boss 
• Various trips to connect with the staff
• Walt’s insights on characteristics of a good leader 
• Walt’s story in Prologis 
• Humility - Honesty - Humor 
• It’s important to have humanness 
• It takes courage and confidence 
• Making it about other people 

[13:25 - 26:53] Leading in a Crisis

• Who you know or what you know? 
• Who you know especially in the short term 
• You know more people than you think 
• You also can’t bluff yourself through 
• The ‘what’ creates longevity 
• The one connection that led to more 
• Walt shares examples through his jobs 
• Walt shares his work and impact at Prologis 
• The CEO was brilliant, but difficult to work for 
• Watching on the sidelines 
• Asked to take over when the company was almost bankrupt
• Adversity leads to perseverance 
• 4 years to turn the company around
• Lessons learned in the process 
• How to decide where to go next within a crisis 
• Difficult decisions upfront 
• Transparency first 
• Providing fairness 
• Brutal honesty 

[26:54 - 31:28] Closing Segment

• Walt talks about his book 
• Transformational Influence 
• Links below 
• The RaNdoM RoUnd
• Where to find Walt - links below 
• Remember to upload and tag us on Instagram!
• Final words 

Tweetable Quotes: 

“If you really, truly want to succeed in life - put others first and begin to focus on the people around you.” - Walter Rakowich

“Humility, honesty, and humanness - I call it my 3-H core… Humility is how you see yourself, I think humanness or heart, is how you see other people, and honesty is really the transaction that connects the two.” - Walter Rakowich

Resources Mentioned: 

• Transfluence

You can connect with Walt on LinkedIn and Twitter. Visit https://waltrakowich.com to learn even more.

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