Episode 055: Willy Walker

PODCAST RECORDED ON March 3, 2020


 


Introduction:


Willy Walker, an avid skier, cyclist, family man and Boston
Marathon runner who once clocked in with an outstanding time of
2:36, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Walker &
Dunlop, one of the largest commercial real estate finance
companies in the United States. I came away from my hour long
chat with Willy recognizing that I was not only a bit smarter
from it, given some of the pearls of wisdom he threw my way, but
also cognizant of his passion to make a difference and his
conscious and/or subconscious belief in two quotes and a song
title that I believe play an integral part in one’s path to
success ... namely that of “Hard work beats talent when talent
fails to work hard” (Kevin Durant), “Things may come to those who
wait, but only the things left by those who hustle” (Honest
Abraham Lincoln), and “Can’t Knock the Hustle” (Jay-Z).


 


Episode Notes:


At 0:55, Willy Walker discusses planting seeds and his empowering
chat with Jim Collins, author of the bestselling book Good to
Great. At 2:52, Willy touches upon Walker & Dunlop acquiring
and integrating companies and human capital being the real value
in its business. At 4:34, Walker shares Colin Powell’s thoughts
on decision making and taking calculated risks. At 5:46, he dives
into taking Walker & Dunlop public in 2010. At 7:40, Willy
speaks on change, opportunity and “countercyclical moves.” At
13:05, Walker addresses culture and scaling at Walker &
Dunlop, and informs us of a past “cancer” within the
organization. At 16:38, he chats about the recent acquisition of
Aaron Appel’s AKS Capital Partners team. At 19:44, Willy provides
some negotiation pointers and explains the importance of watching
and listening. At 23:49, Walker dishes on adding value and his
passion for the business. At 27:07, he talks about Walker &
Dunlop’s range of clients, understanding the time value of money
and taking care and upgrading assets. At 32:17, Willy voices his
thoughts on diversity in the workplace and the pertitance of
building a “bench” through recruitment and investment. At 36:14,
Walker chats about networking and maintaining relationships. At
41:36, Walker dishes on his “no phone policy” during meetings,
and discusses his retreat last year where he “learned to unplug.”
At 46:42, Willy dives into Walker & Dunlop’s partnership with
GeoPhy through artificial intelligence and machine learning. At
50:35, Walker believes that tough times increase collaboration,
while allowing one to see what someone is actually made of. At
55:08, Willy Walker closes out the podcast sharing part of his
recent conversation with Jim Collins, and discusses Walker &
Dunlop making calculated bets.