Apr 24, 2020
Richa Sigdel:
The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken. I'm Richa Sigdel and I am a Tri-City Influencer.
Paul Casey:
One definition of multitasking is messing up two things at once. I love that definition.
Speaker 3:
Raising the water level of leadership in the Tri-Cities of Eastern Washington, it's Tri-City Influencer Podcast. Welcome to the TCI podcast, where local leadership and self-leadership expert talk Paul Casey interviews local CEOs, entrepreneurs and nonprofit executives to hear how they lead themselves and their teams so we can all benefit from their wisdom and... Here's your host, Paul Casey of Growing Forward Services, coaching and equipping individuals and teams to spark breakthrough success.
Paul Casey:
Thanks for joining me for today's episode with Will Wang. He is the president of HFG and it's a financial company that I've been using for many years. My financial planner is Bob Lagonegro. Hi, Bob.
Paul Casey:
Hey, so I asked Will what is a funny story that he could share and I usually like to retell it, but it's so funny that I think he should tell it. Will, tell us the story.
Will Wang:
Yeah, thanks for having me, Paul. The story I shared and I think it's kind of quirky because I don't think anyone else in the world typically does this is that I keep all my suit jackets in my office. And I have all my ties laid out and they sit on a cupboard that pretty much opens up and everybody can see it. I wear the same pair of pants and white shirt every morning. It makes it easy to pick what to wear and I just switch out a blazer when I get into work. Well, what's kind of happened over time is people have started raiding my wardrobe at work and I see some of my coworkers wearing my ties and my jackets, and so it's become a communal wardrobe at this point in time. But I would say that's probably the weirdest thing about me is I share clothes with my coworkers.
Paul Casey:
That's an awesome story. Well, we'll dive into this interview after checking in with our Tri-City Influencer sponsors.
Paul Casey:
The C12 Group is a national organization focused on spiritual and professional development of Christian CEOs and business owners. Members participate in professionally facilitated monthly meetings during which 12 experienced Christian CEOs exchange ideas to solve business issues biblically. Additionally, members receive a 90-minute personal coaching session each month. Information is available from Tom Walther at (715) 459-9611 or online at c12easternwa.com.
Paul Casey:
Thank you for your supportive leadership development in the Tri-cities. Well, welcome, Will, we're trying to think about when I was privileged to meet you and it was maybe seven or eight years ago, I was doing an event. It was called The Edge, and Preston House and I were doing that. We combined pizza with professional development and the topic of the day was sales and marketing. And you were there, I think your wife might've been there too because-
Will Wang:
Yep, she was.
Paul Casey:
... It was with Mustang Signs. And so it's been great to watch you over the years as you have become a Tri-City Influencer.
Will Wang:
Yeah. Well, getting there, getting there. I think it's impressive to see how you've grown, Paul, during that time. Because I think when we first saw you, that was when you first started the speaking circuit.
Paul Casey:
It's true.
Will Wang:
And look how far you've come.
Paul Casey:
It's true. I had a day job and I had the dream job, developing off to side.
Will Wang:
Yeah, that's right.
Paul Casey:
And then 2015 is when I launched full-time.
Will Wang:
Yes.
Paul Casey:
Yes. Thank you. So that our Tri-City Influencers can get to know you, take us through your past positions that led up to what you're doing now.
Will Wang:
Yeah, it's kind of funny because I don't think most people that reach a pinnacle in their career and become an influencer typically go into it thinking that that's what they'll end up doing. I had a relatively modest background. I mean, I graduated in a corporate finance degree. Thought I'd work for a big firm in a big city and, and just be one of the cogs in the wheel. And I was fortunate enough to meet a mentor here in the Tri-Cities by the name of Ty Haberling that really took me under his wing and gave me an opportunity to see what it would be like to work in a smaller firm and to wear more hats than just one.
Will Wang:
And so as I kind of came through the ranks, I started off as an associate financial planner. And then after I acquired my certified financial planner designation, became a full-time advisor. But I did feel like there was always this itch of doing something more or different than just being an advisor with one client at a time. I came to realize that what I really enjoyed was entrepreneurial, team building and working with others. And so frankly, watching others succeed was a little bit more rewarding than finding success for myself. And so those were, I guess, the leading paths that that led to being president of the Wolf Management Company.
Will Wang:
One of the big passions I had growing up was coaching. And so I coach high school basketball right now. And being a financial advisor was coaching, but it was coaching people at an individual, one-on-one level. Running a business was like coaching as a team level. You have team goals. And so I think that probably had a bigger influence on my ability to do what I'm doing today and also the desire to do what I'm doing.
Paul Casey:
I love that Ty saw something in you and took you under his wing. That story has been replayed many times on this podcast where there was that mentor that just saw something. I mean, I could think of the mentor in my own life when I was a fifth grade teacher. That's what I started out as, and my principal said, "Paul, I want you to be my vice principal." And I just went, "No way."
Will Wang:
And that changed your life.
Paul Casey:
It did because I thought, it's these 24 students, which of course was extremely powerful. But if I could have influence over 525 kids-
Will Wang:
Oh, absolutely.
Paul Casey:
And that sounds like that was the same journey you are on. You said you wanted something more. And so what else did you get from coaching that you bring right over to being the leader of a business?
Will Wang:
Yeah, I think when it comes to coaching, and keep in mind, I coach 16, 17-year-old children, so I still call them children because I don't think they behave like anything other than-
Paul Casey:
Brains haven't fully developed yet.
Will Wang:
And I coach boys so you know that's the case. I think it's three really important strengths, and I don't know if there are strengths that were developed over time or if there are ones that came naturally, so I haven't identified that yet. But I think one, it's the ability to not dwell on problems. And so being very solution-driven. When you're in a basketball game, you get a split second and a time out to go and make a call, and you have to make it. You don't have time to dwell on what could be or couldn't be. It forces you to make decisions quickly. I think the ability to be solution-driven I guess helps people move on and live in positivity than negativity.
Paul Casey:
Oh, that's so good.
Will Wang:
The second one would be clear instructions. It's really difficult to tell 16-year-old kids how to do things if you're not clear. And so it was very straightforward instructions to say I need you to be there, at this time and I want you to do this; and I don't tell him to do anything else.
Will Wang:
And so that helps in many ways because what I see a lot of businesses struggle with, with leadership, it's they know in their mind what they want, but they don't communicate it well to their team. And then their team find it very frustrating because they'd given it everything they can, but they still can't figure it out. And so that disconnect, I think, often leads to problems for businesses. I think that's been helpful for me in my role.
Will Wang:
And then the last one would be just the ability to know strengths and weaknesses of each person or at least attempt to find that, and then you put people in the best position to be successful. And so those three things I think are things that have really bode well for me. I don't think I've mastered them, but they're ones that I think suit that job well.
Paul Casey:
Yeah, so Tri-City influencers, we'll just share it being solution-focused, being forward-focused, not languishing in the past. Now we're going to call this timeout. The past is the past, let's move forward. Then giving those clear instructions, being articulate, casting vision so that everybody picks up what your laying down. Those are really excellent.
Will Wang:
So important.
Paul Casey:
And then finding the sweet spot for everybody and trying to put them in that sweet spot for as much of their day as possible. That's good stuff. Speaking of that at work, what's your sweet spot? What are your talents? What are your strengths? How do you use those in your president role to keep those around you successful?
Will Wang:
Yeah. I think what I'm starting to notice, I've been doing this role for about a handful of years... In the past, it used to be focused on, What do I need to do to get the day done and what do I need to do to be successful? The shift has really been away from What do I need to do, to What does the team need to do to reach their goals?
Will Wang:
And so I've tried to be really simple, simplistic in my approach. I just have, at least with my senior management team, a very simple spreadsheet that tracks all of our major projects, and then we prioritize them. And we review them every month to say, Are we making leeway on these projects? Are we progressing? And all of them have due dates. I guess if anything I've changed, it's trying not to chomp off everything at one time, but just being really basic and simplistic.
Will Wang:
And I think the team has appreciated that because it clarifies to them what their priorities are. And most people struggle with that because there are so many things for them to do. And so that was one strength I think that has really translated in this role every day. That happens once a month, and outside of that I try to focus on the projects that I'm responsible for so that when we have those meetings I have something of value to add to the table. I'm leading by example, and those are the things that I think are important each day for a leader.
Paul Casey:
Those are so good because that will work for everybody. If you're a solo entrepreneur by yourself at home, or a president of a company or you're a middle manager and you've got a department in charge of, is to figure out what those major projects are, prioritize them, which is hard because it looks overwhelming when you look at everything at once, put the due dates beside them, put the people's names beside them because-
Will Wang:
Oh, absolutely. Who they're assigned too, yeah.
Paul Casey:
If everybody's in charge, nobody's in charge, right?
Will Wang:
You nailed it.
Paul Casey:
And then have that monthly check in to say, "Well, how are we tracking on this?" And then you as the leader trying to model the way by saying, "I've got to take care of my stuff."
Will Wang:
Yeah. And it doesn't matter if you're in a finance business or you're in construction or signs or you're in the medical field, I think all of us have projects that are either working on the business or in the business, and they need to get done, and I think prioritizing those are a big deal. Most of us don't really even get around to the projects that are working on the business.
Paul Casey:
Yeah.
Will Wang:
And that's unfortunate.
Paul Casey:
And you mentioned in the business and on the business, just for our listeners that may not be familiar with that terminology, what does that mean to you?
Will Wang:
Yeah, so working on the business to me would be things that grow the business forward. Things that allow you as either executive management or an owner to remove responsibilities off your plate. At the end of the day, you look at what you're trying to accomplish, and these big picture things help you get closer to those goals.
Will Wang:
In the business, it's things to keep the building open and keep, keep the doors open, keep the lights on, pay rent. That means taking care of your customers. If you own a sign company, it's making signs. That would be working in the business. If you're in sales, making sales. That would be in the business.
Will Wang:
But working on the business would be maybe working on the systems and processes to make your team more efficient in the sales. Very different problems. Some are a little easier to do. Others require a little bit more strategic planning, brainstorming and things like that.
Paul Casey:
Where do you see a lot of business leaders... Which one do they forsake quicker? Which one do they not give enough attention, from what your observation is? In or on?
Will Wang:
Yeah. Well, and I can speak from experience because we own a couple of businesses and I think we've made these mistakes. But when you first are involved in a business, I mean, you'll look at a carpenter for example. They become a great carpenter and their client base grows. They start hiring new people. Well, they didn't change their skill set. Their skill set was to build. And so naturally that's where they go to when they're unsure of what to do.
Paul Casey:
The technician role.
Will Wang:
The technician role. And so I would say people typically forsake the on the business side because that's not what you started in the business to do. Now, publicly traded companies can get away with it. They go out of their way to find a professional executive manager. Small businesses, you can't do that. You can't pay rent, you can't pay utilities if someone's there telling everyone else what to do, but you have no one to tell that to. I think that's the biggest pitfall. And the ones that are successful can shift from technician to management or on the business, as you say, over time.
Paul Casey:
That's good stuff.
Will Wang:
So hard to do though.
Paul Casey:
It is.
Will Wang:
So hard.
Paul Casey:
On the flip side, what are one of your biggest liabilities? How do you mitigate that weakness so it doesn't limit your influence?
Will Wang:
If you ask my team, they'd say there's a lot. I probably couldn't narrow-
Paul Casey:
You get to pick one.
Will Wang:
I get to pick one. We'll focus on one. I would say, I mean, what's become evident to me, the biggest weakness is just the lack of patience, and the reason I highlight that one is because it does trickle down to a lot of other weaknesses that might come about but lack of patience. And so that often means letting investments come to fruition. That could be a downside to being lack of patience.
Will Wang:
Being a good listener. When you're not patient, you tend to listen to respond, but only-
Paul Casey:
Yeah, about 15 words and then you're done.
Will Wang:
You're done. The minds gone. I'm already thinking about ways I can tell them why they're wrong, and that has not bode well in this role. And so I think lack of patience definitely has been the biggest learning experience for me.
Paul Casey:
Yes, we can all work on our listening. Somebody said the best ratio is 80% listening, 20% talking. If you're flipped on that, it may be a good thing to work on for today.
Will Wang:
That would be being kind to me right now if you said the flip on that. But sure, yeah, I would agree.
Paul Casey:
Well, in your opinion, Will, what's the most difficult part of team or business leadership?
Will Wang:
Well, certainly, I think there are numerous. But if I had to pick one, and I think similar to the patience thing, it trickles from this is the ability to forget your own agenda and your self-interest. I think when they talk about being in these positions... And I can't remember who said it right now. I'm trying to remember whether it was Charlie Munger, and most people don't know who Charlie is.
Paul Casey:
I've heard of that name.
Will Wang:
Charlie-
Paul Casey:
John Maxwell talks about him.
Will Wang:
Yeah, John Maxwell talks about him. That's Warren Buffet's right-hand man, and they've been part of Berkshire Hathaway for at least three or four decades. He talks about leadership as a position of service. And that if you're not willing to give up that position because you're not the right fit for it, then you're really not fit to hold that post.
Will Wang:
And so I think forgetting yourself is the hardest thing because it's human nature to look out for self-interest. I mean, we're survivalist. I mean, you think about why all of these animals and species have been extinct and human beings have survived because we're survivalist by nature. And to tell someone, listen, you're going to have to put your own interest aside for others, it's very difficult. And so that's what I think is the most difficult part.
Will Wang:
Now, if you do that well, everything else takes care of itself because you'll make decisions in other's people's best interest. People want to follow you. You will be scalable, you'll be efficient. And so those things are, I think, all trickled down from being selfless.
Paul Casey:
And that's good because it is moving from that technician to the leadership mentality and there is a big difference. I heard it said that, "Are people are there to get the work done or is it work is there to get the people done?" I can't remember who quoted that, but a leader thinks that second line, Work is there to get the people done. It's people development, facilitating their growth, removing obstacles that are in their path so that they can get their stuff done.
Paul Casey:
I also love the quote, "Your people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." How do you show your people at HFG, both your team and the clients there, that you value them as people?
Will Wang:
Yeah, and that's a really tough question just from the standpoint that I think different people feel valued by different languages or different things. I'm sure people have read The Five Love Languages and everybody receives them a little differently. But I'll maybe give something to the audience that I think has allowed us to have one-on-one connection. And that's what we call... We've instituted over the last couple of years, an employee development meeting. And that meeting is once a month or once a quarter. However way you want to do it. You probably don't want to go a year because that's a long time.
Will Wang:
But that meeting is set aside to let the employee tell you what they think you could do to help them. It's not a performance feedback mechanism. And so this EDM or employee development meeting, you give them a chance to talk, you give them a chance to tell them what they enjoy about their job, what they wish the company could do better. And I think that's the beginning phase of listening, which always makes people feel valued.
Will Wang:
The second one, I think, and this one is a little bit more difficult because, one, it could be systemized. This one's a little bit harder. The ability to be able to read people and understand that they want one-on-one time and they want something, they need something from you or they want to be thought of. And so we'll have employees that they might have had a tough week, and so you'll leave them something small on their desk that says, "Hey, thinking of you. Appreciate what you did last week. Here's a $10 coffee gift card." Those small things are, I think it's more to do with less than $10 that you gave them, but the fact that you thought about them and you recognized them.
Paul Casey:
That's right. That's right.
Will Wang:
That one's hard though because it requires you to be really observant, and most of us are not. We're so focused on ourselves. And if you're selfless enough to recognize how important your team is, I think those opportunities will become more evident to you as you go.
Paul Casey:
That's so good. You brought the up book, The Five Love Languages, which is a classic, and I think it was written in the late 90s, but it's still relevant today. And then the author Chapman, he came up for the business version of that, since you can't do physical touch in the work place where there will be a little HR violation.
Will Wang:
That's right.
Paul Casey:
But he came up a book called The Five Languages of Appreciation at Work, which would be another book to recommend. Because sometimes, yeah, like you said, people need that face time. Other people, they don't... Like "Boss, just stay in your office. But once in a while, give me that thoughtful gift or that word of appreciation, that kudos email. That's all I need from you to say that I'm doing a good job."
Paul Casey:
But I love that employee development, meaning that EDM, which is sort of that check-in to make people feel heard. And also it could actually be used to cast vision, again.
Will Wang:
Yes, absolutely.
Paul Casey:
And to re-up their passion at work.
Will Wang:
And one thing we notice that doesn't add too much value is, obviously, financial, monetary bonuses. I mean, every company thinks... Parents do it with their children. I don't spend enough time with them so I'm going to throw gifts at them. I'm going to throw money at them. And those are all momentary. I mean, we've seen those. Those make someone happy for a month and then after that they long for some other connection. And so, obviously, businesses give bonuses when they do well, but we've had to deep seek for more of an emotional connection than just an annual bonus.
Paul Casey:
That's so good, so good.
Will Wang:
Yeah.
Paul Casey:
Well before we head into our next question on some life hacks that Will uses to be successful, a shout out to our sponsors.
Paul Casey:
If you could trade one day each month for targeted application of biblical business practices, purposeful accountability and godly pure counsel, would you consider it a wise investment? The C12 Group is a national organization focused on spiritual and professional development of Christian CEOs and business owners. Members participate in professionally facilitated monthly meetings where 12 experienced Christian CEOs exchange ideas to solve business issues biblically. Information is available from Tom Walther at (715) 459-9611 or online at c12easternwa.com.
Paul Casey:
Will, what are a few of your life hacks that help you to be successful on a daily basis?
Will Wang:
Yeah. I was trying to think about this and I saw a YouTube video of all these hacks and I'm like, "Wow, they're so intelligent. How do they take that paperclip and turn it into this juicer or something."
Paul Casey:
MacGyver.
Will Wang:
Sadly, I don't have anything that miraculous, but I did feel like one of the reasons that I've been successful in this position is that I treat my home life the same way I treat my professional schedule. And what I mean by that is at the beginning of every day, regardless if it's Monday or Saturday, I have it planned out from the minute I wake up to the minute I'm in bed, and they're all slotted. And because I'm very focused on not wasting time, there are almost something scheduled by the hour, even on a weekend. I don't know if that's a hack, but it's a mindset I think I've had to allow me to be productive, not just Monday through Friday but Saturday through Sunday.
Will Wang:
And sometimes those productivity has nothing to do with work. It's productive with the kids-
Paul Casey:
Rest.
Will Wang:
With rest. I might say, eight to ten is coffee, breakfast and, and reading time. And then 10 to 12, I'm going to the gym; and then 12 to two, that's kid time. I'm not scheduling every minute with kids, but that time is set aside for the kids. And so that allows me to structure the day so I get all those things done. Try not to look back at the end of the day and say, "Wow, I only accomplished one of the six things I wanted to do."
Paul Casey:
Boy, you're a man after my own heart. That's focused blocks of time. One author calls it FBOTS, focused blocks of time.
Will Wang:
That's a good way to put it.
Paul Casey:
That's how I live my life, too, with these blocks. I've been appearing on some national podcasts and talking time management with a lot of them. And I've gotten a question a couple of times now like, "Wow, that seems a little oppressive having so many time blocks." But I like how you said the block is there to put your priority in. I've got date night with my wife. Or I went out to Target with my daughter last night because she's a teenager and so that's a cool date with a teenage girl. But it's unstructured within the block, so it still feels like this isn't a checkoff on your list.
Will Wang:
No, absolutely not. I think it's not a checkoff. In fact, it's the opposite. It's that it's so important and it deserves a time on your calendar. You should not miss it. And for those out there that are married, date night with your wife is one of those.
Paul Casey:
When's your next one, Tri-City Influencers? That's right.
Paul Casey:
Well, decision making and leadership is huge too, so what process do you use to think through a decision before making it, just generically?
Will Wang:
Yeah, I think we always... I mean, and this has been something that I think has been learned over time just from wasting so much time on things that maybe didn't have a significant impact, but it's always coming back to your goals. What are you trying to accomplish? Any decision we make, and I try to do it even with personal life, it's a little harder sometimes, is we look back at all these projects and priorities and we say, "Okay, we've talked about this subject for quite some time. What are we trying to accomplish?" And it's almost like every single time someone asks that question in the meeting room, it just becomes so obvious. And so these problem-solving things, it's just reminding yourself, why did we get into this discussion in the first place? And when you focus on that goal, I think a lot of the solutions or options weed themselves out.
Paul Casey:
Yeah. It's like the big why. We got to get back to the why.
Will Wang:
Yeah, the why.
Paul Casey:
I used to be on a staff with a guy, who when he would start the meeting he always goes, "So what's the purpose of this meeting?" He would say that every single time. We started rolling our eyes after a while because we knew the question was coming. But it was so good because it made us do, what you said, what are we trying to accomplish?
Will Wang:
It centers everybody.
Paul Casey:
Yeah. Instead of a languishing again. And we've all been in those meetings that it's just a spiral. They just keep saying the same thing over. Nobody's changing anybody's mind.
Will Wang:
No.
Paul Casey:
But this brings you back to center, and then it becomes obvious.
Will Wang:
And I think it ties very closely and I think it's become more important as the business has gotten bigger.
Paul Casey:
I bet.
Will Wang:
When we were running Mustang Signs and we had a sign shop, and it was me and my wife and my mother-in-law, it was no problem. I mean, there were no goals and objective because the only one person made the decision. No problem.
Will Wang:
As your business grows, and at HFG today we've got about 24. At Community First Bank, we're at 110. It takes a lot of collaboration and buy-in. The goal allows people to buy in. And so the alternative to that is you don't listen to your people, and I don't think anyone wants to do that. As your company grows, I think that's been a really useful tool.
Paul Casey:
Yep. Who influences you, Will? Who do you surround yourself with to keep growing yourself, whether those are live people or people from afar, maybe through podcasts or books or other mentors?
Will Wang:
Yeah. Well, on the book thing, I haven't been a big reader. I know you are, and that's funny. Every time I name a book, you're like, "I remember that one." And I'm sure if we reversed roles, I would say, "Wow, we've already maxed out my list." But I'm trying to be, and so I'm starting to listen to audible and I'm getting these books online, and I can just listen to them on a drive and things like that. I'm trying to be a better reader.
Will Wang:
But my biggest influences, I think, are names that a lot of people know. I think Warren Buffet has been a huge influence on me primarily because of my industry, obviously. But his mindset, him and Charlie both, I think they both deserve credit on business as a whole. How do you value a business? How to invest? How do you value people, employees and develop? I really do value the two of them. And they both in their 90s. It's amazing that they're still as fresh as they are. Those two have been big influences.
Will Wang:
I think Simon Sinek has been a huge benefit for me. I've only, relatively new, come across him, but he's three books have been phenomenal. The most recent one, The Infinite Game, for business owners, I'm sure you've read it, is phenomenal. His first book was What's Your Why.
Paul Casey:
It Starts with Why. Yes.
Will Wang:
It Starts with Why.
Paul Casey:
It's a classic now.
Will Wang:
That was one of the big aha moments for me was when I read that book, and then now The Infinite Game has been a big one. Those two from afar, I think have been quiet mentors or heroes.
Will Wang:
And then my wife, and I would say my mentor Ty Haberling, those are the two I would say are the closest primarily because I see them operate every day. They don't take shortcuts, they work their tail off, they put other people first and they have a vision. And I think those are the things that I think all leaders have. I think those are the ones that probably impact me the most.
Will Wang:
And there are so many out there. Yourself, watching you grow as you've come along. You mentioned Preston House, who was a big part of Papa John's, what he's done and grown. There's a lot of them, but those are my favorite ones for sure.
Paul Casey:
Yeah, it's really critical, Tri-City Influencers, to have that personal board of directors, whoever that is. Some can be afar, some could be close. I invited a new person on my personal board. I just did it very informally. I said, "Hey, every time we get together you give me great ideas and give me great feedback. I've actually implemented some of them and they're working. I would like an hour of your time every month."
Paul Casey:
And he said, "Hey, if you'll do the same for me, it's a deal." And so I just got this joy in my heart yesterday to think that I'm going to get to spend 12 hours with this guy this year and he's going to help my business grow.
Will Wang:
I think going on this subject, I think all successful people need to have two types of people in their life. And one, I think they need a coach. You've got somebody that you reach out to that you said, "Hey listen, I want you to be honest with me on how I can be better." That's one of them. And I think that's really critical. Anyone that's out there that says, "Hey look, I don't want to pay for a coach." It's totally worth your while. Go do it. They're going to change your life.
Will Wang:
The second one is, I think they need someone in their life that's a business partner, that isn't afraid to tell it to them straight. And for me, I've got a business partner, his name's Drew Westermeyer. He's got all the opposite skillsets I have. He's my Charlie to Warren.
Paul Casey:
That's cool.
Will Wang:
I'm not Warren Buffet. I'm not saying I'm Warren. But those two have been tied together for many years, and I intend on Drew being with me for many years. And he tells me all the time, "You're not doing that right." And I respect him enough sometimes to listen the fourth time he says it. But you need someone there-
Paul Casey:
You do.
Will Wang:
... that isn't afraid to tell you, "You're wrong," when you're being wrong. And I think those are the two people you should have.
Paul Casey:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Will, when you've lived your life and you think back on your influence, how do you want to be remembered?
Will Wang:
Yeah, I think we're talking about legacies here, aren't we?
Paul Casey:
Yes sir.
Will Wang:
Wow, that's pretty deep. And my wife will say, "Will, loves talking about legacies." But I haven't thought about mine. I've always known I've wanted it, and we do a lot of legacy planning with a lot of business owners. You've probably put an estate plan together. And one of the things we sit down and we ask people is, "What do you want to be remembered for because this is going to be part of it?"
Will Wang:
And so I think for one, I think it's being selfless. I do a lot of hirings and firings today in the business and in the position I'm in, nothing puts me off more than someone that obviously has selfish tendencies. And it doesn't matter how talented you are, if you have those tendencies, and all of us have some, but if those override your willingness to share and to be with others, you shouldn't work with us. I mean, you're not going to fit with us.
Will Wang:
And so that would be one, is people looked at me and said, "Look, he was the ultimate, selfless leader," at least to humanly possible. And not to get religious here, but obviously the biggest example I think was our Savior. I mean, he's the best example. Whether you're Christian or not, that story of what Christ represents, that's the pinnacle of selflessness. And I think that's what I would want people to think I represented as best I could.
Will Wang:
And then the second one would be, "He worked hard." I mean, "He wasn't the most talented. He wasn't the tallest... " I play basketball. I'm five foot three, so you got to have a little grit in you. That they said, "He might not have been the best, but he worked hard. He built something from the ground up and he was willing to sweat it out." Those are the two I'd say, if I could be remembered for anything, those would be it.
Paul Casey:
All right. Well, start etching that tombstone right now.
Will Wang:
I'm a long ways away from that. I think anyone that knows me would say I'm far, far away.
Paul Casey:
Well, finally, Will, what advice would you give to new leaders or anyone who wants to keep growing and gaining more influence?
Will Wang:
Yeah. Wow, that's a really good question. My only advice, I think, would be remember what got you to that position and to always remember who you are and your roots. As you grow in life and you're thrown more money, thrown more responsibilities, you get titles, people shower you with praise, that it's easy for that to get to your head. And I think the most important thing is to be grounded. Because the minute you're not, I think people stop following you. I mean, they stop following you on a journey. They start, I guess, following you because you've given them a paycheck and I don't think that's the right way to lead or run a business. I would say remember what got you there.
Will Wang:
And then I would remember that everything takes time. And I think leadership, you expect results right away all the time. And I think that people are impatient. I mean, most leaders are impatient. That's how they got to leadership is they drove so hard. But you got to remember that sometimes, what is working today may not have been planted that year. It may have been planted three or four years ago.
Paul Casey:
Yeah, the seed was back there.
Will Wang:
Yeah. Warren Buffet talked about of someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted seeds five years ago or 10 years ago, and I think that's so true. And so remember that so that you're not judging your success or your business success by a profit and loss statement, by how profitable you are. Because you might've been profitable this year, but it was work you did three years ago. You did nothing this year to further that cause. Likewise, you could have added down year, but you did so many great projects that are going to pay off in the future. I would say that's my advice is remember that everything takes time, and not everything that sits on a profit and loss statement is that what it seems?
Paul Casey:
Well, Will, how can our listeners best connect with you?
Will Wang:
Yeah. If they want to get in touch with me, they can reach out to me via email, will@hfgtrust.com if they ever need anything. I'm active with the Chamber and with HBA and those kinds of things, and so I'm aware of those things that are going on. I coach 16, 17-year-old kids. If there's anyone out there that has entrepreneurial dreams or would like to learn more about what it's like to lead a business, I'm all ears.
Paul Casey:
Thanks, Will. Appreciate all do to make the Tri-Cities a great place, and keep leading well.
Will Wang:
Thanks for having me, Paul.
Paul Casey:
Let me wrap up our podcast today with one of my leadership resources to recommend, and that's, I've started a group called Leader Launcher here in the Tri-Cities. It is for young professionals and emerging leaders to get leadership development skills. There is rapid, retiring of baby boomers and millennials coming in behind and there's just not enough spots, the research says, of trained, young professionals coming into the workplace to take all of those leadership positions.
Paul Casey:
I have created this program called Leader Launcher. You get one monthly leadership development seminar for a couple of hours on a leadership development skill; and then there's a mastermind group in between where you can process what you've learned, make an action plan, and go back to work and put that into place. If you'd like to either put forward an employee for that or you'd like to join yourself, go to leader-launcher.com.
Paul Casey:
Again, this is Paul Casey and I want to thank my guest Will from HFG for being here today on the Tri-Cities Influencer Podcast, and we also want to thank our TCI sponsors and invite you to support them. We appreciate you both making this possible so that we can collaborate to help inspire leaders in our community.
Paul Casey:
Finally, one more leadership tidbit for the road to help you make a difference in your circle of influence and it is a quote from Jack Welch. He said, "Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentless drive it to completion." Until next time, KGF, keep growing forward.
Speaker 3:
Thank you to our listeners for tuning in to today's show. Paul Casey is on a mission to add value to leaders by providing practical tools and strategies that reduce stress in their lives and on their teams, so that they can enjoy life and leadership and experience their key desired results.
Speaker 3:
If you'd like more help from Paul in your leadership development, connect with him at growingforward@paulcasey.org for a consultation that can help you move past your current challenges and create a strategy for growing your life or your team forward.
Speaker 3:
Paul would also like to help you restore sanity to your crazy schedule and get your priorities done every day by offering you is free Control My Calendar checklist. Go to www.takebackmycalendar.com for that productivity tool or open a text message to 72000 and type the word GROWING.
Paul Casey:
The Tri-Cities Influencer Podcast was recorded at Fuse SPC by Bill Wagner of Safe Strategies.