Walt Rakowich is a seasoned business executive who led the turnaround of an S&P 500 company at the height of the 2008 recession. Stepping in as CEO of Prologis after the stock had fallen over 96 percent within 10 months, Walt and his team redirected the global real estate company from what looked like inevitable collapse. He ultimately helped Prologis regain its position in the industry through transparent leadership methods that aligned with a set of core values: humility, honesty and heart.
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19Aug
My wife and I watched the five-part HBO miniseries Chernobyl earlier this year, and there’s a reason the docudrama earned 19 Emmy nominations. It’s a powerful, well-told story about one of the darkest times in modern history – the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, Soviet Union. Dark not just because […]
12Aug
Truly great rock stars make everyone around them better. Hire those types of rock stars for rock star positions and let them shine. But don’t forget the importance of your roadies.
29Jul
In an interview with co-author Kathie Sorensen about Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch, she likes to compare good cultural leadership with sonar. I thought this was a powerful metaphor. Sonar means the sender makes use of an echo. For instance, when a whale or submarine creates a ping or noise, it sends sound waves into […]
22Jul
Many say that feedback can be a gift. But what if that feedback feels like a white elephant gift? You know the party gift exchange I’m talking about where there’s always a chance you’re left with a present that’s not quite what you hoped for and often misses the mark. If your feedback is of […]
Glass house leadership
Walt discusses the importance of transparency in a world that sees leaders’ every move. “Smart leaders are intentionally transparent because they understand the world that they are in, and they use it as an opportunity to demonstrate their purpose and their vision.”
