Take 10 With Vistage Chair Walter Paulsen
Where do CEOs and business owners go when they need to make better decisions, strengthen their teams and grow their businesses? For Krista Coupar, it is her monthly Vistage Group meetings. The global organization has an outstanding 60-year-plus track record in executive coaching. To learn more about how Vistage could help owners of architectural, construction, and interior design firms, COUPAR interviewed Vistage Chair, Walter Paulsen. Walter came to Vistage after a successful career as a three-time startup CEO. As a native Californian, he says, "I love our state for all its imperfections; the future is being written here."
CC: What inspired you to become a Vistage Chair?
WP: After a successful career as a three-time startup CEO and corporate executive, I was looking for a new challenge. Executives and founders need to project strength, but I knew from first-hand experience that a CEO often feels lonely and can't turn to anyone to discuss their biggest problems. When Vistage contacted me about leading a peer CEO group, I knew I wanted to do it immediately.
CC: Vistage has an outstanding 60-year-plus track record of CEO and executive coaching; what do you attribute its success to?
WP: Two things. First, a fundamentally sound idea -- the peer advisory group model is highly effective. Second, within the basic framework, Vistage Chairs and the parent company are constantly iterating on new ways to help CEOs and share best practices. A good idea and constant improvement equal long-term success.
CC: How are the participants in the monthly Vistage Groups selected?
WP: There's a mutual selection process between the Chair and group members. The prospective member goes through a rigorous qualification process, and joining Vistage is like joining any high-performing team -- right fit, compatible qualities, and chemistry are all critical.
Feldman Architecture’s San Francisco office. Photo: Paul Dyer
CC: It's the start of a new year; as a CEO Peer Group Coach, what advice would you give to entrepreneurs and owners of architectural, construction, and interior design firms?
WP: In my group, we have a regular review and planning process about successes and failures from the previous 12 months, what we learned, and plans for doing better -- at least, we want to make new mistakes. Many of my members are experienced in other industries and can share their management practices through tumultuous business cycles. For many architecture, construction, and design firms, there's been a recent slackening of overall demand, which makes this an excellent time to cut back on wasteful practices, trim low performers, and create a strong foundation for renewed growth when the market springs back.
CC: What happens during a Vistage Group meeting?
WP: Vistage meetings push members out of their comfort zones and require accountability, communication, partnership, reflection, and thinking about how to do it better next time. Without giving away the secret sauce, the members check in about the state of their health, emotions, and business, and often there's a speaker that gives a presentation on a topic of interest. Think about a keynote speaker from a major conference, but in an intimate and interactive setting.
The core of the meeting is Vistage's proprietary "Issue Processing," where CEOs share their most challenging issues; the group asks questions to help the CEO to get to the heart of the matter and then develop a plan of action and deliverables. The members can leverage each other's experiences and advice on how to resolve challenges. Then they have to describe what they did, how they did it, and the outcome.
CC: What are the most rewarding and frustrating aspects of being a Vistage Chair?
WP: The most rewarding thing is easy: I spend time every month with some of my favorite people and help them solve their most challenging problems. The most frustrating aspect is needing to be patient and give the CEOs the time to figure out their path and act on it. I'm not a consultant who will write a report and walk away. Vistage creates a structured process to help CEOs get better at solving their own problems.
“A Guide to the Golden State from the Past to the Present,” WPA Poster
CC: With your busy schedule, how do you maintain a work/life balance?
WP: It's a challenge, but I try to build good habits for sleep, exercise, and nutrition. In the long run, consistency and moderation are key. And I can be stubborn -- my Apple watch tells me I've hit my move goal for 1,397 days in a row, which is a little excessive. One of the keys to successful leaders is efficient prioritization; CEOs need to focus on the big picture and not get lost in the minutia. I prioritize good habits every single day.
CC: As a California native who went to Harvard for your undergraduate degree, how did the experience of living on the East Coast change you?
WP: It made me aware of what a special place California is to live and work in. I got an excellent education at Harvard, but it has a sharp and intensely competitive culture that carries a deep fear of failure. When I returned to California, it struck me how open and collaborative people are here and the willingness to try new ideas, even at the risk of failure. People here are still smart and ambitious and more resilient than anywhere else I've ever been. The success of the California economy over the past quarter century speaks for itself.
CC: What is the most adventurous thing you've done in your life?
WP: When I graduated from college, I'd never been outside North America, so I took a 3,000-mile solo bike trip around Europe, riding from England to Denmark to Greece and then back up to Munich to finish for Octoberfest. I rode over the Alps. A car hit me in Italy, I got food poisoning in Greece, and I escaped arrest in Budapest for some youthful exuberance. I learned to get along with people in different languages and cultures, make friends quickly, navigate unfamiliar terrain, overcome obstacles, and persevere through flat tires and long uphill days with strong headwinds. I still enjoy outdoor adventures, and I recently finished the 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail and ran the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim last September.
CC: Best advice you'd give your teenage self?
WP: If you don't get something you want, don't mope or beat yourself up. Learn from it and move on to whatever comes next. If you never fall, you don't know how good it feels to pull yourself up again. Also, success is a series of good small daily habits, so pay attention to details. Do the little things right, and over time they'll add up.
To learn more about Walter’s Vistage Group, email him at walter.paulsen@vistagechair.com or by phone at 650.465.7929.