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Fall Newsletter
Traveling with Sam
by Andy Wilson, CEO
Sam Walton had a great impact on my life. At the Soderquist Center, we all have lots of stories about Sam. Here is one my favorites, full of learning and life lessons.
I had been a Regional Vice President for a few months. People I worked with always told me, “Andy, whatever you do, don’t travel with Sam! If he wants you to get in an airplane with him and fly to a store, don’t go!” Sam’s administrative assistant called me one day and said, “Sam’s flying to Louisiana.” (That was my region.) “And he wants you to go with him.” Even after all I had heard from my fellow associates about not flying with Sam, I decided to go. I was looking forward to it.
It was a cool November morning in Rogers and I boarded the plane, piloted by Sam. He was in the left seat, I was in the right. We took off and headed south. We got to Baton Rouge and flew over the Kmart store. Sam tilted the plane and said, “Andy, count the cars”. Dumbfounded, I just made up a number. We went over the Wal-Mart store and Sam asked, “Andy count the cars.” Then, I understood why he had asked me to do the same thing at Kmart.
After we landed, we went to the Kmart store and walked around. Sam talked to the Kmart associates, customers and the store manager. He was so personable and down-to-earth, they just opened up to him. We went to the Wal-Mart store and walked around it, taking separate paths. We went to the next Wal-Mart store and had lunch in the break room – tuna on Ritz crackers and I paid for it! We walked around stores like that all day. It was phenomenal. I realized it definitely wasn’t about the money. I was passionate about working there.
 When we landed in Rogers that evening, I sat down in my car and thought “what was this day all about?” I wrote down five points about that day that I’d like to share with you.
The first thing I realized is that humility is not a weakness. No matter who Sam came into contact with that day, he talked to them. He talked to the customers and he talked to the people. You could tell he was humbled. If you really want to be a great leader, the first thing you need to do is be humble. Humility was a silent strength that day.
The second thing is this: when Sam got on that airplane, he could have had an ego. But, he left the ego somewhere. I thought, here’s the richest man in America, but he had his baseball cap on, his sleeves rolled up, wore a Wal-Mart shirt and tie, with shoes from Wal-Mart’s shoe department. All day, there was no selfishness or feeling of self-importance.
The third thing is that arrogance consumes everything and everyone and there was no arrogance that day. I noticed people were telling Sam how we could improve the company. He had a tape recorder he carried with him to record his conversations with associates. He would say into the recorder, “I’m standing here with Mary. Mary has a great idea. Tell me about that idea, Mary.” What Mary didn’t know was that those notes were transcribed at the end of the day and were sent to all the officers in the company. Decisions were made at the highest level on Mary’s idea! Sam united people and ideas.
The fifth thing is that Sam created an environment for open dialogue. We have a policy here at the Soderquist Center that everyone at the table has the same authority. We have graduate students who work here, we have undergrads, managers, directors – when we are at the table, we all have the same authority. And it’s very healthy that way.
When we landed, I thought, “Andy, if you’re going to be successful running a $3 billion region, you need to learn from this day.” I began to think about how I would approach my region of 120 stores and lead 12 district managers.
The five principles mentioned above worked for me. Your company, your values, these principles – they work. Be humble, forget about your ego and being arrogant, create an environment for open dialogue and unite your people and their ideas. It’s a powerful formula that worked then and works in today’s business environment.
awilson@jbu.edu
Business Leadership Summit - Guatemala
July 23-27, 2006
 Don Soderquist and Andy Wilson of the Soderquist Center, Dr. Chip Pollard, President of John Brown University (JBU), and Dr. Joe Walenciak, Graduate Business Program Director at JBU traveled to Guatemala in late July. Hosted by Manuel Espina, son of the former Vice-President of Guatemala, and Guatemala Prospera, the group built upon a relationship that began at last year’s Business Leadership Summit.
Don and Andy spoke to a group of around 1,000 business leaders about leadership and ethics. The trip included a visit to Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala City to speak with the SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) team. Don and Dr. Pollard also addressed a group of 2,000 students from several universities in the area.
Dr. Walenciak escorted the team to Guatemalan mountain villages to view the continuing cinderblock stove project which began last year. JBU’s SIFE team has partnered with Texas-based Helps International to provide stove sets to families in Guatemalan villages. The stove sets not only reduce the risk of burns but also conserve wood and make cooking more sanitary.
Manuel arranged meetings with the President of Guatemala, Oscar Berger Perdomo and the Mayor of Guatemala City and former President of Guatemala, Alvaro Arsu. Guatemala Prospera is an organization committed to the promotion of values in the Guatemalan workplace.
Learn more about Guatemala Prospera
Learn more about SIFE and John Brown University
Email Joe Walenciak
Clergy and Spouse Marriage Renewal Retreats Expand
Presented by The United Methodist Church and The Soderquist Center
The stresses and challenges facing couples and families when one of the spouses is in a position of leadership are truly unique. The impact of marital distress on leaders has been documented to have a significantly negative impact on their effectiveness as a leader.This is especially true for leaders in ministry where often the expectations on the family are great.
Thanks to a generous gift from a private donor, The Soderquist Center has been providing marriage renewal retreats for United Methodist clergy and their spouses since 2004. The program is running in Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri and has recently been expanded into the Texas and Central Texas conferences. Discussions are underway to begin providing retreats in the Louisiana conference starting in January 2007.
These three-day renewal opportunities include group discussions, individual and marital assessments, presentations from successful leaders who have managed to sustain strong marital and family relationships, and spiritual encouragement at specially selected locations. The Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas retreats all take place at Greystone Estate on the banks of Beaver Lake outside Rogers, Ark. The Texas retreats are held at The Inn Above Onion Creek located 25 miles southwest of Austin, Texas. These settings allow couples not only to escape the daily stress of life and work but to experience quality time with each other and with other clergy couples to whom they relate. Together, with the fine amenities of the retreat, it is an unforgettable experience.
“The health of your marriage has a direct correlation to the health of your ministry,” commented Loren Hancock, Customer Relations Manager for Faith-Based Programs. “As a leader, it is important to understand the impact of this relationship and to continue strengthening and supporting your marriage.”
The impact of the experience, the tranquility of the surroundings, and the time away from daily demands and routine, rejuvenates marriage relationships. For more information on this program, contact Loren Hancock at lhancock@jbu.edu. The Soderquist Center is in the planning stages with the leaders of WinShape, the marriage retreat sponsored by the Chick-Fil-A company, to develop a similar program for business leaders and their spouses. We plan to launch this program in the Spring of 2007.
Email Loren Hancock
New Fellows
 Seth Hildebrant
Master of Business Administration
Project Coordinator - Design & Delivery
- Responsibilities: Logistics coordination, program development, customer relations, project management
- Degree Program: MBA, year 1
- Education: BS Business Administration, AA Construction
Management - John Brown University
- Experience: Arkansas Governor's Award Finalist, general
operations, and project management
- Honors: Dean's and President's Honor Roll, Alpha Chi
- Contact: hildebrants@jbu.edu
 Dusty Pruitt
Master of Business Administration
Project Coordinator - Leadership Development
- Responsibilities: Team-building coordination,
undergraduate program development, project management
- Degree Program: MBA, year 1
- Education: BS Business Administration - John Brown University
- Experience: Banking branch manager, account services,
president of rugby team, real estate and commerical loan analysis and
project management
- Honors: Leader Scholar
- Contact: pruittd@jbu.edu
 Amy Pyles
Master of Business Administration
Project Coordinator - Marketing & Media
- Responsibilities: Communication of SCLE vision and programs, public relations, development of marketing collateral
- Degree Program: MBA, year 1
- Education: BS in Business Administration - Oklahoma State University
- Experience: Campus Representative for Focus on the Family Institute, Event Marketing, Public Speaking, Development of promotional campaign and materials
- Honors: Business Honors Organization, President and
Treasurer - Jones Hall Government, President's Honor Roll, National
Society of Collegiate Scholars, Phi Kappa Phi
- Contact: pylesa@jbu.edu
 Christine Wells
Master of Business Administration
Project Coordinator - Business Development
- Responsibilities: Customer relations, event & logistics
coordination, project management
- Degree Program: MBA, year 1
- Education: BS in Public Accounting - John Brown University
- Experience: Forensic accounting and auditing, financial analysis, property / casualty insurance analysis and litigation cases,
spreadsheet preparation
- Honors: NAIA Academic All-American, Dean and President's Distinguished Students
- Contact: wellsc@jbu.edu
The Soderquist Center In the News
The Soderquist Center has been featured in publications, newscasts and speeches of late. Here is a taste of where we've received media attention in the last few months:
-Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 40-Under-40 10th Anniversary Event
As a Speaker Sponsor of this event, the NWA Business Journal has provided The Soderquist Center with the opportunity to have a presence on their website and advertising space in an upcoming issue of the Journal.
-Celebrate Northwest Arkansas Magazine
The Soderquist Center was featured in an article highlighting the work we do with all kinds of different companies and organizations. The story provided illustrations of our work with New Creature, Wal-Mart Pharmacy and Sunstar.
-Training for American Samoa Government
Siloam Springs, Ark. - The Soderquist Center recently conducted a two-day leadership and ethics training session for the Executive Branch of the American Samoa government. American Samoa has been an official American territory since 1904. The mid-August program, called “Aligning Priorities and Ethics”, fulfilled a goal set by Governor Togiola Tulafano earlier in the year when he announced the “promotion of ethical behavior at all levels of the Executive hierarchy.”
Read Press Release
-ENRON Story
When the ENRON verdicts came down in late May, The Soderquist Center’s Tony Hawk was interviewed by KNWA-TV for some insight into the case and how local businesses could avoid an ENRON situation at their place of work.
-“Live, Learn and Lead – with the Soderquist Center”
KNWA-TV has also afforded us the wonderful opportunity to come to our local audience on a weekly basis to present a leadership minute every Wednesday during their morning news show. These segments will begin airing this fall on KNWA and will be available for download at www.soderquist.org/resources.
-Maximum Impact Simulcast
Don Soderquist was a featured speaker for this high-profile annual event. The simulcast originated out of Atlanta and was broadcast to millions around the world. Don spoke about the importance of ethical leadership and values in the workplace.
-Speech by Governor Huckabee
Arkansas’ own Governor Huckabee mentioned The Soderquist Center during Wal-Mart’s annual media conference held over a two-day period at the Embassy Suites in Rogers. He called The Soderquist Center “A one-of-its kind program.”
info@soderquist.org
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