CorePurpose - Joan Koerber-Walker's Blog

Honor Our Innovators and Nominate Them for Our Nation’s Highest Honor

Innovation is a key characteristic of our nation and critical to our current and future global leadership.  These days it is rare to attend a speech or symposium where innovation does not figure prominently in the conversation.   It’s so easy to talk about innovation.  It’s not so easy to actually develop a new product or service, commercialize it and gain the acceptance that defines the transition from invention to innovation.

Recognizing these leaders and honoring their efforts and achievements is the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

The Power of a Support Team

The day after your last In The Loop, I boarded a plane to Michigan to join my family in preparation for my Dad’s open heart surgery.  At age 74 he was going into the U of M Cardiovascular Center for on overhaul of the quadruple bypass he had received 22 years before.  This time if was going to be a bit more complex with both the Aortic and Mitral valves severely compromised.  After several days of preparation, on Monday, January 9th at 5:30 AM, the teams assembled.  The operating team was led by Himanshu J. Patel, M.D., a specialist in surgery for thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic disease, and surgery for valvular and aortic root disease and a host of pre-op, surgical, and post-op specialists.  The support team was led by my Mom who had corralled family and friends for support and prayers. 

The Expected and the Unexpected

Want To Move Forward Faster? Activate The Collaborative Gene

Arizona biosciences sector demonstrates how to accelerate innovation and job growth and offers insight on how Washington can keep things moving forward faster by activating its “collaborative gene.”

By Joan Koerber-Walker, President and CEO, AZBio – The Arizona BioIndustry Association and Chairman of CorePurpose, Inc.

These days tales of economic vitality are few and far between making Arizona’s bioscience sector an inspiration to all as the nation focuses on jobs and economic recovery.

Reality and Perception: People v the State of Illusion

What is real?  What is perception?  These questions and the answers to them shape our work life, our personal life, and the world around us.  

In business, perception is the basis of our brand, the root of our strategic vision, and the foundation of our team’s commitment to achieving it. 

In life, how we perceive ourselves and others shapes our decisions, our relationships and our ability to succeed. 

Last week I ran into an old friend who has been helping bridge the gap between reality and perception for a number of years as both a trial lawyer and later as an advisor to some of the worlds largest and most successful corporations.  We chatted about his newest project, a film that illustrates the importance of answering these questions.

Making your mark on the wall

I spend a quite a bit of my time with with innovators and entrepreneurs these days.  As CEO of the Arizona BioIndustry Association or AZBio as we say, I get to connect with teams that are researching and developing products for a better world… Sustainable Health (and health care) , more plentiful food, greener energy… pretty heady stuff.  My job’s not nearly as sexy.  Here at AZBio our job is ground support, providing opportunities for them to connect and engage with each other, pulling together educational and support resources and sharing their stories.  Our job is not to change the world.  Our job at AZBIO is to support them so that they can.

 

An Andertoons Cartoon

Brand, Reputation, and Delusion

If you are working on growing your business, you can expect to hear talk about the importance of building a brand.  There are branding companies, branding consultants, branding experts, branding strategists, and so on and so on.  All of them want to help you grow your business by creating a brand presence in the mind of your current and future customers.

See more Office Cartoons

The Best Support is Bidirectional

As I go about my day, I wear a hat or two or three.  I’m a Mom, a wife, a non-profit executive, a CEO, a board member, an investor and a few other things.  Across them all, it it all ties back to one thing.  I need the help and support of others to get the job done.  This week, at one of my many meetings, a fellow board member shared a thought that has really stayed with me.  “We need to provide value BEFORE we ask for support.”   As I have continued through my week, that message kept coming back to me. 

 

An Andertoons Cartoon

 

This weekend, a carton by Mark Anderson brought it top of mind again.  Support has to be bidirectional and not a one way street. 

Support takes many forms: time, investment, donation and talent.  In the non profit world we often view support as a combination of the Time, Treasury, and Talent.  In the for profit world we need the same things, we just look at them in terms of growth capital and human capital. 

Support goes both ways…

As Entrepreneurs, we need to show how our innovative new product or service will create value before we make the ask.  (At least if we want to be successful in garnering support.) When we an demonstrate the true potential for value creation, we are much more likely to succeed.

As Community Organizations (non profits serve communities not shareholders) we need to demonstrate that achieving our mission and vision will support the community and that we know what we need to do to execute on our plan and achieve our stated goals.

As Leaders, in what ever place we can be found, we need to make the time and take the time to support our people so that they in turn can support us.  

So this week…

So this week, as I go about my days running from meeting to meeting and place to place, I think I’ll focus a bit more on how we can serve and create value first and ask for support second.

As a wise friend reminded me, when you create value, you attract support …  you often don’t even have to ask for it.

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned…

Joan Koerber-Walker

Joan Koerber-Walker is President and CEO of AZBio, the Arizona BioIndustry Association.  A two time Stevie Award National Finalist and former Fortune 500 executive, she is also the  Chairman of the Board of CorePurpose, Inc. and the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation and serves as Executive in Residence for Callaman Ventures.  As the former CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the National Small Business Association in Washington, D.C. she has worked with hundreds of small businesses and on behalf of thousands.  Chat with her on Twitter as @joankw, @JKWgrowth, @JKWinnovation, @JKWleadership and @CorePurpose or at her blog at www.JoanKoerber-Walker.com.

Help! I’m chained to my desk!

We’ve all been there. Those times when we have so much to do that we’re just not sure how it will all get done.  Emails are pouring in.  Reports are due.  The phone won’t stop ringing.  New social media communication tools are pinging you from all sides.  A new crisis has just popped up and you have not finished dealing with the old one! Each forms a link in a chain that has you attached to your desk.  

When overload hits, it’s easy to get sucked into it.  That just makes things worse.  As it sucks you down, it slows you down… just when you need to speed up.

An Andertoons Cartoon

At times like this, your attitude and the actions you take make all the difference. 

Mark Anderson’s cartoon has the right idea.  Find the positive in the situation.  You may be overloaded because THEY need YOU.  The question is… how will you meet all those demands.  Here are a few tips that work for me. 

1. Don’t be a super hero – Let others know that you need help.  There are always tasks that can be shared so that you can focus on those high priority ones that will make the most difference.
2. Take yourself out of the game – Let people know that you are on deadline and that for the next 24 hours you will not be available but that you will get back to them.  This will give you the time and space to get stuff done and let them know why you are not responding immediately.  Our communication tools can actually help here.  Set your voicemail message, email responders and other tools  to share that you are “away” and when you will be back in touch along with an emergency contact who can be reached if it is REALLY time critical.  Folks will understand.  After all, we’ve ALL been there.
3. Make the most of seclusion - Now that you have that precious quiet time, get organized. Turn EVERYTHING off so that you have no distractions. Make a list of all your high priority items (the ones you did not share) and then rank them in order of importance. 
4. Start with #1 and get it done.  Cross it off and tackle #2, then #3, then #4 and so on. With each one you will find your sense of accomplishment and your energy coming back to you.
5. Tell them you’re back -  Once you are back in the game – let people know.  Respond to those new messages, send out an email to teammates sharing what you accomplished while you were away and re-engage.  As you are responding, don’t forget to thank them for their patience and for stepping up and watching your back while you were away.

There will always be times when we feel like we are chained to our desk.  By keeping the right attitude, taking the right action and getting the job done, we break those chains.  Soon we are free and have left a string of accomplishments behind us.  THAT is is the best way to create job security.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned…

Joan Koerber-Walker

 

Joan Koerber-Walker is President and CEO of AZBio, the Arizona BioIndustry Association.  A two time Stevie Award National Finalist and former Fortune 500 executive, she is also the  Chairman of the Board of CorePurpose, Inc. and the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation and serves as Executive in Residence for Callaman Ventures.  As the former CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the National Small Business Association in Washington, D.C. she has worked with hundreds of small businesses and on behalf of thousands.  Chat with her on Twitter as @joankw, @JKWgrowth, @JKWinnovation, @JKWleadership and @CorePurpose or at her blog at www.JoanKoerber-Walker.com.

 

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Success Tip: Taking the First Step

If you are like most entrepreneurs, you have BIG plans.  The success journey can be a long one and you are eager to take that first step.  The question is…which one should it be?  Like a toddler who is taking those first tentative steps, some will be met with words of encouragement and applause and others many have you landing on your backside with a thud.  Either way, if you don’t pull yourself up and step forward, you will never get anywhere.

 

Andertoons Office Cartoons

Taking those first steps can be scary.

No one wants to land with a thud.  As entrepreneurs there are things we can do to baby-proof our business process so that our steps are sure and even if we stumble that the landing is not too hard.

Set your sights on a reachable goal.

One of the most common mistakes we often make as entrepreneurs is to set long term vision or goals instead of focusing on achievable short term objectives.   Having a long term vision is great, but most successful businesses look different over time as they grow and evolve.  If you set your sights too far in the distance, it’s easy to fall short.  When this happens you, your team, and your investors can get discouraged and may eventually give up. 

Setting achievable short term goals that build upon each other allows for a higher probability of success.  With each win, you encourage your team to reach for a more aggressive goal the next time and the next time and the next.

“Why” first.  “What” second.

The second secret to safeguarding your first steps is to understand the “why” before you get all wrapped up in a never ending series if “what” and “how.”  Too often we jump right in by recruiting partners, lining up suppliers or designing systems BEFORE we have clear agreement on the reasons behind these steps.  Take the time in the beginning to truly understand WHY you want to achieve WHAT you want to achieve and then communicate it to your team so that everyone has a shared direction and motivation.

Lay out your plan

Once you have those achievable objectives in sight and you and your team know  why you want to achieve them, you are ready to lay out your plan.  Map out what you want to do and how you want to do it. Identify the resources you need and your sources of supply.  Clearly define who will do what and when then get to it.

Grab a camera

Now you are ready to to start your business off on the right foot.   Be sure to grab your camera to capture those important first steps and gather the team to celebrate each success.  After all you don’t want to miss out on the excitement…  

You’ll be up and running before you can say “baby booties” ten times fast.

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned…

Joan Koerber-Walker

Joan Koerber-Walker is a two time Stevie Award National Finalist and Chairman of the Board of CorePurpose, Inc. and the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation.  She also serves as Executive in Residence for Callaman Ventures and on the boards of for profit and nonprofit organizations.  As the former CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the National Small Business Association she has worked with hundreds of small businesses and on behalf of thousands.  Chat with her on Twitter as @joankw, @JKWgrowth, @JKWinnovation, @JKWleadership and @CorePurpose or at her blog at www.JoanKoerber-Walker.com.

 

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When change matters, step up, step out and speak up.

We’ve all been there.  Sitting with a group in the break room, the boardroom or over lunch when the conversation shifts to what’s wrong with our team, our business, our community or our lives. 

It’s so easy to point out what is wrong.  Words fly.  The passion is inspiring.  Each idea builds on another .  Then, oops, you look at the clock.  Time’s up and you go back to work and keep on doing things the same way you have always done them before.

Talk does not bring change, action does.

We all see things we need to change our world but there are only so many hours in the day to do it.  Then something happens that gives us the impetus to step up, step out, and truly make a difference for ourselves and others.  When we step up, we start doing things.  We make things happen.  We get things done.  Yet, we may not be sharing it with others.  That means going to the next step as we step out and speak up.  We begin inspiring others to action by sharing what we are doing, how we are doing it, and how others can do it too. 

I am lucky to know three people who are doing just that. They inspire me and if you read on, they can inspire you too.

Lynn Tilton

One of the most successful business women in the world, Lynn Tilton founder and CEO of Patriarch Partners, was once a single mom, working by day and going to graduate school at night.  Working incredible hours and with very little sleep, she held it together and pursued a passion to learn what she needed to know.  Then, she applied it…well.   She stepped up.  Lynn’s business is founded upon her personal mission...the attempt to save America, one company at a time, one job at a time and she does it by buying distressed companies and turning them around.  The Patriarch platform is built upon the premise that each company otherwise would have been liquidated, but instead is saved and rebuilt so it can add value to our economy and our nation. With the restructure and renewal of each of these companies, jobs are sustained and created.  Over the years Lynn and her team have saved approximately 150 companies from the throws of liquidation and 250,000 jobs associated with those companies but she did it quietly behind the scenes.  When our nation and the world got into real trouble she did more than step up, she stepped out.  By sharing her story and how she did it, she is inspiring others to do the same.

(Read the latest article on Lynn in Chief Executive Magazine.)

 

Morris Callaman

A VC, angel investor and four-time startup founder with Global 500 experience, Morris Callaman believes that it is time for a principled approach to creating companies and products that make life better instead just make money. 

Morris’s story is not your typical success story. An eighth grade runaway, his journey includes homelessness, food banks, ditch digging, carpentry, community college, night school, programming, language study, and a brief apprenticeship with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 640.  He’s seen the worst people can do to each other and the the best.  Through Callaman Ventures, he focuses on the best and invests his time looking for, finding and helping consumer entrepreneurs – people who truly love what they are doing, know how to get up again after a failure and have a business intent that includes net societal benefit while creating real products or real services for real people.  He’s stepped up to help build great companies and now is stepping out to share what he has learned with others and help them when they need it.

(Read Morris’s story in Phoenix Magazine.)

 

Michelle King Robson

Michelle King Robson is one of the nation's leading women's health and wellness advocates as well as  the Founder, Chairperson and CEO of EmpowHER, one of the fastest-growing and largest health media companies dedicated exclusively to women's health and wellness.

When a debilitating health condition left Michelle sick, alone, hopeless and on the verge of taking her own life, she struggled and fought to find answers. Luckily, for all of us, she found them, but it was so hard.  Michelle believes it should not be and she has committed the rest of her life to ensure that no other woman would suffer in silence as she had. And that is how EmpowHER was born. She stepped up and stepped out in one fell swoop creating a web portal where women can find their health answers more easily.  Today millions of visitors turn to EmpowHer with their health questions and find the answers they seek.

(Read Michelle’s story and see the video at EmpowHer.com)

 

And after you act, it’s time to step out and speak up.

Lynn, Morris and Michelle are just three examples of the many people I get to meet that have taken their life experiences and what they have learned along the journey and used them to move from talk to action in an area where they have a true passion.  They did not just sit around and talk about it.  They did it and they still do. Beyond that, they are telling their stories and inspiring others to action by their example.

So what’s your passion?  Your story?  The thing you want to change?  Are you ready to step up, step out, and speak up… in that order?

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned…

Joan Koerber-Walker

Joan Koerber-Walker is a two time Stevie Award National Finalist and Chairman of the Board of CorePurpose, Inc. and the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation.  She also serves as Executive in Residence for Callaman Ventures and on the boards of for profit and nonprofit organizations.  As the former CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the National Small Business Association she has worked with hundreds of small businesses and on behalf of thousands.  Chat with her on Twitter as @joankw, @JKWgrowth, @JKWinnovation, @JKWleadership and @CorePurpose or at her blog at www.JoanKoerber-Walker.com.

 

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