In episode of Career Compass, Walter Bond discusses the traits of highly successful HR professionals and highlights the parallels between winning teams and career success.
Human resource professionals play an important role in attracting, developing and retaining talent, which is directly tied to an organization’s ability to operate with purpose and achieve results. In this episode of Career Compass, hosts Vernon Williams and Kevin Abbed are joined by Walter Bond. Following his success as a shooting guard in the NBA, Bond is now a motivational speaker recognized for his impactful message, having been recognized by the National Speakers Association and inducted to the Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE) Speaker Hall of Fame in 2015. Additionally, Bond will be appearing at SHRM22 as the conference’s keynote presenter for students. In this conversation, Bond discusses the traits of highly successful HR professionals and highlights the parallels between winning teams and career success.
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Vernon Williams:
Welcome back to season four of Career Compass, a podcast from SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the SHRM Foundation. Career Compass prepares the future leaders today for better workplaces tomorrow.
Kevin Abbed:
As the voice of all things work, SHRM supports students and emerging professionals with advice, information, and resources for every step of your career.
Vernon Williams:
Designed for the student or emerging professional, Career Compass delivers timely, relevant, and critical conversations about work to help you succeed in your career journey. Thank you for joining us for today's episode. My name is Vernon Williams and I will be your co-host.
Kevin Abbed:
And my name is Kevin Abbed, and I will also be your co-host. During this episode, we will talk about overcoming adversity, traits of successful teams, and characteristics of high performers. And to assist us with these topics, we have a special guest who was a starter on a basketball team that reached the Elite Eight, before taking his talents to the NBA, and now is a hall of fame speaker, Mr. Walter Bond. Also, just so you know, this episode is valid professional development credit, or PDCs, for the SHRM CP or SHRM SCP. We'll provide the code later in the episode. And with that, let's go ahead and get started.
Part of this episode, and certainly part of Mr. Bond's story, is about overcoming obstacles. Vernon, you played division one hoops. Did you have any challenges that might be relevant for today's conversation?
Vernon Williams:
Oh man, let me count the ways, so many. I feel like one that probably stands out, and I'm sure Walter can probably relate, probably has lots of stories himself, but for me, and not everybody knows this, I got cut in high school, more than once. And unlike Michael Jordan, I didn't grow six, seven inches over the summer so that they were dying to pick me up the next year.
And so basically what that meant was that a lot of the efforts and work had to be done on my own. So when everybody else is in team scrimmages and practices, all of that playground work, going to every local basketball court that I could think of, trying to play against better competition, essentially the hard work, the dedication, is something that I've carried with me throughout my career. And it's sort of the focus of how I was able to finish my doctoral program.
At some point, my advisor looked at me and he said, "Hey, if you want to finish this thing, you've really got to dig in. What would you have done in sports?" And basically I created a plan, worked with it over the next three to four months, and the next thing I know, I was lining up for graduation. So the hard work and the dedication that I learned through those sort of athletics pursuits has been a godsend throughout my career, honestly.
And for you, Kevin, you're quite the multi-sport athlete yourself, playing golf, swimming, baseball, lacrosse, and probably more than that, that's just the ones we've talked about. What did sports teach you about how to approach difficult situations?
Kevin Abbed:
Yeah, and I just want to clarify, unlike my co-host and our guest, my athletic career, well, besides golf, ended when I was about 18. So a little different lens to look at it, but just a couple things I learned, one, I had a couple injuries in high school, torn Achilles, dislocated hip and a torn labrum, a fractured rib. That's adversity that you really have to work hard to overcome. There were times where I dislocated my hip and tore my labrum and I kind of wanted to just kind of give up on the season. It was early and it was my senior year. I physically couldn't walk and got my hip drained and kind of went back out there.
And my teammates and my coaches told me, they were like, "Hey, you don't want to play in college, you want to go pursue academia, but this is kind of it for you." So you hear the term, "Leave it all out there," I think that is the way that I approach everything now, not just athletics, but putting your all into something is the way that you're going to find your most success. And one thing that definitely stood out to me, hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
Vernon Williams:
Oh, I like that.
Kevin Abbed:
I think that athletics has helped me with that in everything I do.
Vernon Williams:
I like that, man. And you're right, again, that theme of hard work. And somebody who can certainly relate to that is today's guest. So those of you who do know Kevin and I know that we could probably talk all day about sports and work related things and themes, but we want to make sure that we save time for today's guest because we've got lots of great questions. So let's just go ahead and jump into that.
Walter Bond was born in Chicago, Illinois and played college basketball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 1987 to 1991. As a senior, he helped lead his team to the Elite Eight with wins over Texas-El Paso, Northern Iowa and Syracuse before falling to Georgia Tech. After going undrafted in 1991, Mr. Bond worked his way onto the Dallas Mavericks roster, eventually playing three years in the NBA for the Mavs, Jazz, Pistons and Rockets before taking his talents overseas.
Today, Walter travels the country speaking, coaching, teaching, and inspiring companies from across a wide range of industries, from financial services to agriculture and financing to real estate and much more. At any given time, you can find Walter leading a mastermind class, offering one-on-one professional development, hosting book talks, and coaching hungry business leaders and entrepreneurs towards success.
And lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention that Mr. Bond is a loving husband for nearly 30 years to his wife and business partner, Antoinette, as well as a father of three children. We are extremely excited about today's conversation. And with that, Career Compass would like to warmly welcome, and I wish we had the Chicago Bulls or some other sports team theme music as he's coming in, Mr. Walter Bond.
Walter Bond:
Hey guys, how are you guys? Man, thank you for having me. Kevin, Vernon, listening to your introduction, you guys described life. In life, you're going to have injuries. You're going to have ups and downs. You're going to have setbacks. And I think the beauty of being exposed to sports early, you learn how to deal with it. And a lot of times, you don't have to deal with it alone. One of my greatest memories is that in sports, when you lose, you lose together. And in sports, when you win, you win together. And when you think about human resources and companies and business and organizations, that's what you want. You want people that's been through some things, that understands what it means to struggle, what it means to battle back. But ultimately, you want your teammates to know that we're going to do this together.
And the worst thing you can have is a bunch of professionals coming together who have no experience. And so all of our experiences, my wife was in student government, and she'll tell me, "Hey, you talk about sports all the time, but hey, I learned this through student government." And my sister was in the band. And anyone's background, as long as you're pursuing excellence, as long as you're part of an organization working in teams, you have a chance to really learn and be equipped and prepared to be successful throughout your whole life because you learned how to win and lose and struggle at a young age.
Vernon Williams:
I couldn't agree more on what you're talking about there in terms of the various ways and different areas and entities that you can pick up leadership. You're spot on. And we're going to get into that a little bit more, but there's no way I could go home having an NBA player on the podcast and not ask at least a couple of sort of basketball related questions.
So we're going to kick things off there and then we're going to get more into the workforce, workplace, HR, and all of those things. But you played three years in the NBA, the best basketball players in the world. In your highlight tape, you're shaking Michael Jordan. And we recognize that to our audience, they may not necessarily know who you are, so tell us a little bit about yourself and what drove you to pursue a professional sports career.
Walter Bond:
I come from a sports family. My uncle I was named after played major league baseball and he died of leukemia when he was only 29 years old. His name was Walt Bond. So my dad named me after his brother. My father was in the hall of fame at his college, Lane College in Tennessee.
Vernon Williams:
Okay.
Walter Bond:
My big sister, JaMaiia Bond, played college basketball and won two national championships playing with the young lady named Cheryl Miller at the University of Southern California.
Vernon Williams:
Okay. All right.
Walter Bond:
Yeah. So I'm the youngest, right? And so when I think about having a hall of fame dad, a sister who won two national championships, an uncle who played Major League Baseball, even my other brother, he won a city championship in tennis and in chess. So my family were sports related, everything was sports, but we also were raised by teachers. My mother was a kindergarten teacher. My dad was a high school principal. So the house I grew up in, guys, was all about sports, but most importantly, academics. And I was trained to be a student athlete and not an athlete student.
Vernon Williams:
That makes a lot of sense. And I love that you put that emphasis, since we target on this podcast, students and emerging professionals, some of which may be athletes themselves. And putting the emphasis on the student, which comes first, and then the athletic portion. And I know that we mentioned at the beginning of the show that you're a hall of fame speaker. So I should also mention that you'll be one of our speakers at SHRM22 in New Orleans, June 13th, 12:00 PM central time. We'll have more details on the conference later on, but I want to go off of a few more rapid fire NBA sort of related questions. So if you could just indulge just for a little bit, what was your welcome to the NBA moment?
Walter Bond:
My welcome to the NBA moment was incredible. My second NBA game, I scored my career high in Minneapolis where I played college basketball. And I got a standing ovation from the home crowd, which I was playing for the Mavericks, which means we were visiting. But the fans in Minneapolis had all followed my basketball career at the University of Minnesota. Vernon, Kevin, I didn't start in college, I came off the bench. And so despite that, I made it to the NBA. And when I scored 27 points, the fans gave me a standing ovation. And I think they appreciated the resilience. I think they appreciated me not quitting, not giving up. And I think they really saw me grow and develop. One thing about fans, especially college fans, you see these kids at 18, full of potential and all these high rankings, and you hope they develop, you hope they grow, and you hope they reach their potential.
And my college basketball team, we got a chance to have success, go to the Sweet 16, the Elite Eight. And so we gave the fans a lot of happiness. We gave the fans a lot to cheer about. And back then, you stay in school four years, so they saw me get better. They saw me evolve and they saw me reach my potential. So even though I didn't start in college and I broke my foot twice my senior year, the culmination guys is when I got a chance to play against the Timberwolves in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves won, they beat us, but I had a career high. I scored 27 points my second NBA game ever. And it was a very special moment for me. It was a very special moment for the fans. And I had no idea it was going to be my career high.
Vernon Williams:
Sure.
Walter Bond:
It was the second NBA game. I'm thinking, "Man, I'm on my way to doing big things," but my second game was my career high. And it is what it is and it was a special moment. But the most important thing for me, guys, is that moment, I was confident I belonged. It gave me confidence that I was legit. It gave me the confidence that I was good enough to play at this level. And when I deal with professionals, a lot of times that confidence is what's holding people back. If you're not confident, you're not going to speak up in a meeting. If you're not confident, you're not going to apply for the promotion or you kind of play small and you hide from situations and opportunities. And so that moment was special for me, guys, because not only was I in front of my home crowd from my college days, it convinced me, the most important person that needed to believe that I was a legit NBA ball player, and when you score 27 your second NBA game and you know you're legit, that was a special moment.
Vernon Williams:
I completely agree. I love what you're saying there in terms of the sense of belonging, which we've talked about on some other episodes, as well as that confidence piece, which we have not discussed as much on this particular podcast, but you're right in what confidence does for you in all settings.
One more quick question, again, sort of rapid fire with these, the best superstar teammate you played with, and I know you probably played with a few, Grant Hill, Joe Dumars, Stockton, Malone. Who would you say was probably your favorite superstar teammate to play with?
Walter Bond:
I can't say one. You can't separate Karl Malone and John Stockton. They're like peanut butter and jelly. They're like Batman and Robin. They're like fire and ice, salt and pepper. So if I may, I would love to just give both of those guys tremendous respect. When you get a chance to be teammates with great players, hall of fame players, the best ever, at the time, I didn't realize how much I was learning. So for example, John Stockton, who played until he was 39 or 40, he went to a chiropractor four times a day on game day. He was relentless. He was a stickler for going to the chiropractor, and I didn't understand it at the time, but he just believed in keeping his body aligned and it paid off. Here he is, a point guard playing in the NBA at 40 years old.
Vernon Williams:
Yeah.
Walter Bond:
That's unheard of.
Vernon Williams:
It is.
Walter Bond:
The point guard is the quickest down the court. And at 40 years old, Stockton was just as quick as any other player in the NBA. And he gives that credit to the chiropractor. Karl Malone, 6'9", 256 pounds, probably the greatest body we've seen in the NBA. And he lifted weights every single day. That dude was a stickler for the weight room and he was a very meticulous eater too. And I remember one time he ordered a grilled chicken Caesar salad and the salad came out. And I'm thinking to myself, "This big dude's eating a salad? What the hell?" And I'm sitting here with a cheeseburger and fries and milkshakes and he ordered a grilled chicken Caesar salad. And he asked the waitress, "Hey, will the grilled chicken breasts have any char marks? Because I don't like carcinogens." Just real anal.
Vernon Williams:
Wow.
Walter Bond:
About his diet and what he was going to put in his body. So not only were they great players, they really showed me what it meant to do something extra. And that's what made them great. There's a bunch of talented guys in the NBA, but they were willing to do extra things. Lifting weights every day is extra, right? Every single day. I'm not talking about a lot. I'm talking every single day, that guy was in the weight room. And John Stockton, on game day, he got adjusted four times a day. Now, I don't know what he did with his off days, but on game days, I was a witness, I saw it. He made his chiropractor famous, a guy named Craig Buhler. And in the playoff season, Craig Buhler would travel with us because John Stockton swore by his chiropractor.
And that's just in the beginning of when athletes were really starting to really get into nutrition and really getting into this extra physical fitness. Now you hear about LeBron James investing a million bucks into his body. When I was in the NBA, that was just starting to begin. And it makes sense for athletes to invest in their body. And I was a little late to the party, but John Stockton was ahead of his time and ahead of his game because his deal was a chiropractor and I was a living witness.
Kevin Abbed:
Yeah, that's super interesting. As someone, I know Stockton stopped playing in like 2003, which is right about when I was getting into watching the NBA. Just seeing that hard work and going the extra mile is sometimes what separates a good player from a great player. And I think that also relates to the workplace. If you put in the extra effort, if you come in on a weekend to complete a project, or if you stay late a couple times in order to get ahead, I think that's what separates good from great employees.
Kind of relating something to your NBA career, once you got into the NBA, your first year, that Mavericks team went 11 and 71, but fast forward 30 years, you're a hall of fame speaker talking about the traits of championship teams. What did that specific experience teach you about teamwork and developing talent that our listeners can apply in the world of work?
Walter Bond:
Kevin, that is a fantastic question that I'd love to answer. Let me back up a little bit. My very first team I ever played on was a baseball team called the Eagles. And we did not win one game the entire season. And as I told you earlier, I was named after my uncle who played Major League Baseball. So you can only imagine, I was excited and fired up to play sports for the first time, and I didn't taste victory one time. And I would get into the car, and after a while, I was discouraged. I went from excited to frustrated and angry. And it's no different in the person being excited about a new job, and all of a sudden, they walk into a bad culture, but if I'm going to be an HR professional, it's my job to evaluate the culture, but then can I fix it? That's my job to fix it. Right?
And so the one thing I learned from that experience is to identify bad culture. So when I played for the Dallas Mavericks, I'm signing my contract and the player personnel director says to me, "Walter, it's going to be a long year. We're going to lose and we're going to lose a lot." And I thought to myself, "We have not had one practice. How do you just say this? We've not even played one game."
Vernon Williams:
Such a defeated attitude.
Walter Bond:
But guys, it really set a message to me that leadership sets the tone. And when you say that to one of your employees, you just gave me permission to lose. You literally gave me permission to lose. He says, "Walter, we're going to lose and we're going to lose a lot." And guess what guys? We lost and we lost a lot, but it was the culture. So even though it was sports, for me, I was still learning. And it has direct application to what I do today for companies because leaders define the culture, leaders create the culture. So throughout my whole entire sports career, guys, I got a chance to play for losing teams. So I understand the poor, toxic culture.
I got a chance to play for winning teams. When I played for the Utah Jazz, we were one of the winningest teams in the history of the NBA. My coach, Jerry Sloan, is the fourth all time winningest coach. So I get winning and I get losing, but I spent a little time with the Chicago Bulls. I went in the training camp with them right after they won a championship. And man, there was a different energy there. There were just a different aroma, if you will. I always tease my leaders, that leadership has an aroma, right? Your leadership has an aroma on your organization.
So when I was in Chicago, just for a couple of days, Utah gave me a better contract so I left and went to Utah. But Phil Jackson always talked about when Mike shows up. It was a couple days before training camp. And he was like, "Hey man, when Mike shows up, nobody leaves early. When Mike shows up, everybody plays defense. When Mike shows up, when Mike shows up, when Mike shows up." It was clear to me that was a championship culture and anything less than a championship was a bad season. So in my lifetime, guys, through sports, I clearly saw winning cultures, I saw losing cultures, but I got a chance to experience a championship culture.
And so now for human resource professionals, I'm able to inspire and teach them how to create a winning culture. And for those select few who really want to go all the way, I also understand what it means and what is required to build a championship culture. And in the context of corporate America, guys, I've seen it all. I've seen losing cultures, I've seen winning cultures, and I've experienced championship cultures within the context of human resources.
Vernon Williams:
And just sort of building off of that and how important management and leadership is, I know yesterday Alex Alonso was talking about how many folks leave their companies related to poor management, so you're right. I always like to use the quote from the movie Remember the Titans where he says, "Attitude reflects leadership, sir." And that's something I've always thought, whether I'm supervising people or whether I'm the supervisee.
Sort of sticking with the theme of change or maybe transition, I'm going to ask a question a little bit differently for our audience. You started your career as a professional athlete, you played nine years, then transitioned to life after basketball. What was that transition like? And what advice can you provide for our audience who might be listening to this and in the middle of a transition themselves, or perhaps reentering the workforce?
Walter Bond:
Great question, Vernon. The good news, as I mentioned earlier, I was very fortunate to be the youngest in the family and my family was educated, right? So sports had its proper context and it was like, "Hey man, good game. How's school? Good game, man. You've got to test tomorrow," right? So my family never got sports above life and we all understood that I'm good enough and if I can, play as long as you can, but when it's over, it's over.
And one of the things my father had me do is set my life goals. When I was like 17 years old, I'm one of the top basketball players in the country. And my family were high level athletes so it wasn't like I was some snotty nosed kid with pipe dreams and everyone said that I'm the best athlete in the family. So my dad had me write my life goals down. And at 17 years old, guys, this is my life that I wrote on a sheet of paper. "I'm going to graduate college in four years. I'm going to play in the NBA. And when I'm done playing basketball, I'm going to make more money in business than I did in sports." And the fact that I set that goal at a young age and the fact that it was important to me, when basketball was over, it was over and I was able to attack the next phase of life.
My wife is a HBCU grad. She went to Howard University when I met her. She had a great job with Dr Pepper and she left that career to come and be my wife. And so I knew that she was making sacrifices for me and our family. And so when I was 30, 31 years old, when it was over, it was easy for me to say, "This chapter of my life is over. It's time for the new chapter," but I had a goal in the new chapter, right?
And so any professional listening, always have personal goals. Never make your personal goals more important than team goals, but never lose sight of your personal goals. And when something is over, it's over. Move on. Right? My father always talked about that, man. When something is over, it's over, move on. And I'm very thankful that when my career ended, my last year of pro basketball, I actually played in Germany, had a great season, made first team on a German league. And we were flying back from Germany. We were living in Minneapolis at the time. And on the airplane, guys, I'm looking at my wife, I'm looking at my three kids. One's in diapers. The other one is a toddler. One has a bottle. And I'm looking at my wife who had just sacrificed her corporate career. And to myself, I was like, "I'm done. I'm done." And she looked at me like, "What?" I was like, "Nothing." It was a private moment where I knew that basketball was over.
The good news is that since I had such a big goal on life after sports, of doubling my NBA income, I had to get into attack mode. And I always talk about the shark mindset. And the truth is the shark runs the ocean because they're relentless, right? They're resilient. A shark never stops moving forward or they die. And so if someone gets fired, so what? Never stop moving forward. I've been cut off basketball teams. That's the same thing as being fired. You keep it moving. It's okay. That's their loss, right?
And so when my basketball career ended, it was my call, it was my decision, and we attacked business. And my wife and I launched our training and development company 20 years ago. We did it right there in the Twin Cities. And we grew it slow. We grew it steadily. And now I'm a hall of fame motivational speaker because we attacked it. And a lot of times people leave situations bitter, people leave situations angry, people leave situations frustrated. The truth is, another characteristic of a shark is that a shark only looks up, a shark never looks down.
I could easily look at my basketball career and say, "Man, my college basketball coach didn't do me right. I should have played more." Or, "I can't believe the Dallas Mavericks cut me. And how could the Utah Jazz cut me?" That was not my attitude. My attitude was, "You know what, guys? I could have had a better career, but you know what? I had a great career. I got a chance to play in the NBA. I got a free college education. I got a chance to live in Italy, in Greece, in Germany. You know what? This is a great experience. And now it's time for me to move on and attack the next chapter of my life."
I say that because I know a lot of professional athletes who are bitter. I know a lot of professional athletes who are frustrated and they're stuck, but the same thing can happen in a business world. You get let go, you get fired, or someone mistreats you, or you didn't get the promotion you thought you should have gotten. You could easily get bitter. You could easily get frustrated. You could easily let this afflict you the rest of your career. You know what? When it's over, move on and attack the next thing.
And so when basketball was over, guys, it was over. I ended up broadcasting two years for the Minnesota Timberwolves and I didn't like it. It was okay. And I majored in communications and it was enough for me to kind of finally get basketball out my system completely. But while I was working for the Timberwolves, my wife and I started the speaking thing. And simultaneously, basically, we started building our speaking platform almost at the same time, because I wasn't crazy about broadcasting, but it got me back out in the public. It got me in front of the basketball fans. And in many cases, they're business people. And we launched Walter Bond Seminars in 2001 in Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
And my first gig, you guys will love this, the Timberwolves were in the playoffs. And back then, they would always lose in the first round. Kevin Garnett and Phil Saunders, Flip Saunders, always lost in the first round. Well, I had a construction company that wanted me to speak for their employees, but if the Wolves got out the first round, I couldn't do it. And I booked the gig, I signed the contract, and I'm sitting there thinking, "Man, I hate to say this, but I hope they lose so I can want to do this gig." And it was a gamble that paid off. The Timberwolves lost again in the first round and I got a chance to speak for a client. They're the ones who built the Metrodome. Knutson Construction, they built the Metrodome where the Vikings used to play. And I got a chance to do their event and they loved it. And my wife and I looked at each other and we were like, "We're done with broadcasting. Let's do this full time." And here we are, the rest is history.
Vernon Williams:
One of the things that I'm hearing from that is that attitude determined your altitude. And so you talked during your earlier response about the Mavericks and how they set low expectations and that gave you sort of the license to lose. And here you are setting goals for yourself, educationally, professionally, in terms of sports, and then financially, of what you're going to do after sports. And from everything I can tell, looks like you've exceeded those goals. So in a lot of cases, your attitude is ultimately going to determine how far you go.
Walter Bond:
Well, Vernon, thank you for those kind words. And the truth is, again, I'm fortunate. My parents were teachers, which means they were expert at developing kids, right? My mother was a preschool and kindergarten teacher. My dad was a high school principal. So we were covered at the young ages and we were covered at the high school ages. And every day wasn't perfect, every day wasn't great. Sometimes I lost academic focus and my parents were there to remind me of what is important, but it's called life, guys.
And the way I see it, just like human resources, it's no different than a parent. Your job is to develop people, right? And the thing about the corporate environment, you get to hand pick them, right? You go and select them. When you have a family, they're just born into your family, right? The package is almost kind of pre-gifted and you have to just kind of see what you got and make that kid the best person he can be and make your daughter the best person she can be. But in the human resource environment, you get to choose a person, but you still have a responsibility to develop them.
One of my biggest frustrations in some human resource circles is that some human resource professionals forget the development phase and they're always trying to land the next star. I just want to land these great employees who show up kind of ready to go from day one. I don't have to spend a lot of time training them, teaching them and getting them up to speed. And I just want you to be a superstar from day one. Now, again, going from the sports world, there's only a handful of superstars, a handful, everybody else had to get coached and developed and we had to be patient with them, right?
And so when I think about corporate America and the business world and organizational health, you can't just want to recruit a superstar and not understand that everybody on your team is not going to be a superstar, which means you have to develop them. And so my challenge for any human resource professional is how strong is your training and development? Sometimes that's the part of human resources that we downsize. Sometimes we overlook it. Sometimes we under staff it. And I'm going to give you the example of McDonald's. McDonald's, the most powerful franchise in the world, was not built off kids going to Harvard. We were threatened in high school. I don't know about you two. I was threatened in high school. "If you don't get your act together, you're going to be somewhere flipping burgers," right?
Vernon Williams:
With the fries, right? With the fries. Don't forget the fries.
Walter Bond:
Oh, trust me, I love McDonald's fries, so I never forget them. But McDonald's built Hamburger University, which is basically a leadership academy. So they took the C student, per se, out of the local high school and they developed them into leaders. And built the most powerful franchise in the world. For me, that's the model. For me, that's the metaphor of how powerful training really is. And the truth is, from a sports perspective, great coaches know how to develop their people. I played with seven different guys on my college team who played in the NBA. None of us were All-American out of high school. So my college coach had a really strong player development program.
And so when I come inside of companies and they're looking for help and they're complaining it's hard to hire people and these young people don't want to work. And I'm like, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. It's your job to recruit. It's your job to develop. And it's your job to retain top talent. That is your job. Okay? That's what you're getting paid to do so you've got to figure it out." If someone comes into my home to paint it, I expect them to paint it. I don't want to hear a bunch of excuses. "Well, I need this kind of paint and that brush." Go find it. All I want is my house painted. If you're a professional painter, paint my house. I'm going to pay you to paint. I'm going to pay your wage. Give me the bill. I'm going to paint it. Just paint the house. I don't need to hear about all these excuses. I don't need to hear about all these reasons why it's so hard for you to paint. Paint the freaking house and I'll pay you.
So for me, human resource professionals need to have that same mentality. Okay, people are going to be different. Every generation has their deal, right? But if you're going to be a true pro, a professional in human resources, you figure all this out. You have figured out how to inspire people. You figured out how to motivate people. You have figured out how to recognize and award people. You've figured out how to build chemistry and collaboration. Why? Because you're a professional in human resources. And so if I go to a doctor, I expect the doctor to know what he's doing. If I go to a restaurant, I expect the chef to know what they're doing. If I deal with a human resource professional, I don't want to hear excuses. All I need to know is that you're a true pro and you figure out how to manage effectively your human resources.
Vernon Williams:
I want to pause just for a second to take care of a couple of housekeeping items. First, those of you listening to this podcast who are seeking professional development credits for this program, know that it is valid for 0.75 PDCs for the SHRM CP or SHRM SCP. Please note that the code that I'm about to give you will expire on April 21st, 2023. The code is 23-N532X. Again, that is the number two, the number three, N as in November, the number five, the number two, and X as in x-ray.
Kevin Abbed:
And speaking of PDCs, one place to earn several PDCs, 27 in fact, while networking with peers, connecting with mentors and expanding your HR knowledge is at SHRM22 this June. The SHRM annual conference and expo, which has drawn more than 20,000 attendees in the past, is a can't miss experience for any current or emerging HR professional. And it's even better for students with a curated experience, featuring career focused programming and discounted member pricing at just $425 for in-person registration in New Orleans and $275 for virtual passes. For more information, visit SHRM.co/SHRM22student.
Vernon Williams:
So jumping back into the podcast, I always thought of basketball or sports more as a microcosm for life. Our podcast focuses on the workplace. So let me ask you, Walter, can you give us maybe one lesson that you took from playing the game of basketball that translated to your success in the world of work?
Walter Bond:
Absolutely. You must know your superpower. In sports, we call it your game. One thing about my basketball game, I did everything well, nothing great. I could dribble, shoot, rebound, pass, play defense. I did everything well, but to play in the NBA, I really had to develop a niche. And I became a shooter for most of my NBA career. And when you get into the NBA, there's a very, very fine skill that teams are looking for.
And so when I got into the workforce, I needed to figure out what is my value proposition? What is my superpower? Okay, I love people. I love to inspire people. I love to motivate people. And not many people can do it. Right? And so sometimes, when we have jobs, people don't know what their gift is. And I think it's easy to get frustrated sometimes. But as an athlete, the one thing I learned, guys, is that I know my game. I know what I do well. I know what I don't do well. And so I always try and play to my strengths.
And so the same thing is true today. I'm 53 years old and clients are looking for motivational speakers. I will tell them, "I am perfect to open or close conference. If you're looking for some passion, you're looking for some energy, you're looking for someone to set the tone, I am perfect for that role." And so as a result, I do about 80 to 100 a year, I almost always play that role. Okay? A couple times I might be out of my element and I'm asked to do something different.
So for example, just recently, I did a workshop for eight presidents of a company. And collectively, they were in charge of $3.4 billion of revenue. A little bit different.
Vernon Williams:
Nice.
Walter Bond:
It wasn't a keynote in front of 1,000 people, 2,000 people, 5,000 people, which is kind of my sweet spot. These were 10 people. The beauty of me doing this for 20 years, I've grown. And now I was able to go into that ballroom with 10 presidents, responsible for $3.4 billion, and I killed that too. I couldn't have done that 20 years ago because that wasn't my strength at the time.
And so what I'm really trying to teach is that I know what I'm best at, but I also understand hard work and evolving and growing into something more. So when I think about a professional, know what you're good at. Start your career and really understand what your superpower is. Develop that superpower. Perfect that superpower. Make sure your gift is so powerful that everyone wants your gift. Everyone wants to hire your gift. But as you evolve and develop your gift, don't be afraid to add other skillsets into your repertoire because you should not be the same person at 53 you were at 23.
And so I knew what my game was, but I'm not afraid to evolve. That goes for basketball, but also in the training and development space. I was a keynote speaker for the first 15 years, now I'm more than just a keynote speaker. I'm a hall of fame keynote speaker, but you know what? I have become a really good author. My book Swim, we can't keep it on the shelf. It's a bestseller. Now, I'm a really good coach. Now, I've learned how to consult. I've been able to grow in these other areas, but it began with my superpower of motivational speaking and it evolved into being a coach, a consultant, and an author.
And so any professional listening today, know what your superpower is, especially when you first get out of school, because that's what companies want. And once you really get entrenched and people see the true value of your gift, of your true superpower, then spread your wings and evolve beyond that. But the most important thing, you've got to understand what your superpower is as you get into human resources. It could be benefits, right? It could be, "You know what? I like it all," so you should be a generalist, or whatever the case may be. Find your superpower and then take that superpower and position it in the best place possible. And over time, that's a really good metaphor that will allow you to reach your potential.
Kevin Abbed:
Wow. I think those are some great words of wisdom. So I want to wrap up the show with one last question. I personally can hardly wait for New Orleans, especially knowing you'll be speaking at SHRM22. Can you talk a little bit about what our audience can expect to hear when they listen to you, either in person or virtually, to your remarks in a couple of months?
Walter Bond:
First of all, I'm real, I'm down to earth. And a lot of times, people think that they're going to hear from a professional athlete, kind of bragging about how great they are. And the truth is, I've achieved some great things, but I have failed too. And what I want to do is really give a powerful message to your HR community that I think everyone's in the people business.
I do a lot of work in the financial services industry. You know what I tell them? You guys are in the people business. I do a lot of work in franchising. You know what I tell them? You're in the people business. So human resource professionals, you are directly connected to the people business. And any organization, for them to achieve greatness, the most important asset are their people. If you don't manage the human capital effectively, it's going to be impossible for any organization to reach their potential. I don't care if it's sports. I don't care if it's business. I don't care if it's real estate. You can't do anything great without people. And so learning how to manage, how to inspire, how to develop people, to me, is the most important skill set.
So at a young age, I really want to inspire your audience about what it means to be an impact player, what it means to be a coach, what it means to develop other people. And I'm going to go back and forth from sports into business, business into sports, because that's how I'm wired. That's how I'm wrapped. And that's how I understand the world around me. I made it to the NBA because I mastered the fundamentals of basketball. I'm a hall of fame motivational speaker. I'm a highly sought out resource for companies who are looking to get the most out of their people. And I have mastered the fundamentals of motivation. I have mastered the fundamentals of teamwork. I have mastered the fundamentals of helping HR professionals build the right corporate culture.
So right now, remote work is a challenge. Staffing shortages are issues. People are trying to find new help. I'm like, "Are you maximizing the people you already have?" It's hard to get everyone on the same page. Do you have common goals? I could go on and on and on. But when I teach professionals how to create impact players, but also how to build amazing teams, when I think about human resources, that's what it's all about.
We can make it complicated if we want to, but to win championships in sports, you must have impact players working together as a team. Business is no different. Organizational success is no different. You need to be able to attract a bunch of impact players and to get them to work together as a team. If you can learn the how-tos, and I'm going to teach as much as I can, I'm going to get about 60 minutes, I'm going to give it everything I got, but if you can learn the secret sauce or the fundamentals of how to manage human capital, you are in a much better position for the rest of your career but you can not reach your potential if you don't understand the fundamentals of your industry.
So for example, if I'm going to be in human resources and this is going to be my career, I need to understand why do some people stay with their employer and why do some people leave? Here's a little bit of a sneak preview. Here's the truth. If I believe I can reach my potential here, I stay. If I don't believe I can reach my potential here, I leave. So if I'm going to be a HR professional, especially positioning myself to become an executive in human resources, I need to learn how to build a culture where everyone in the building completely thinks, buys into and agrees, that I can reach my potential here, so I don't need to leave.
The only reason why people leave companies and organizations is because they believe that they can't reach their potential here. It happens in sports. It's called the transfer portal. If I can't reach my potential here, I'm going into the portal and I'm going to leave. If I believe I can reach my potential here, I stay. Business is no different. Professionals want to reach their potential, just like athletes. And you must create the culture. You must create the environment. You must have strong training and development. You must have really teamwork. Convince professionals that they can reach their potential with you, which means they don't have to leave.
If you can create that kind of retention, as an executive, my goodness, you would be in high demand. Why? Because you are a true pro who has mastered their industry. So you must recruit, you must develop, and you must retain top talent. And to me, that is the key of being an amazing HR professional looking forward to an amazing human resources career.
Vernon Williams:
Walter, thank you so much for taking the time to share your energy, your passion, your thoughts, to support students, emerging professionals, and the HR community as a whole.
Walter Bond:
Thank you.
Kevin Abbed:
And with that, we're going to bring this episode of Career Compass to a close. We'd like to thank SHRM and SHRM Foundation for providing us with this platform. But more importantly, we'd like to thank you all for joining us and hope you stay with us throughout the season as we discuss more topics like this episode.
Vernon Williams:
For more exclusive content, resources and tools to help you succeed in your career, consider joining SHRM as a student member. You can visit us at SHRM.org/students to learn more about being a part of a community of over 300,000 HR and business leaders who impact the lives over 115 million employees worldwide.
Kevin Abbed:
If you liked what you heard, follow or subscribe to Career Compass on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. And do you have a topic you think we should cover or a guess we should hear from? We'd love to hear it. Email us at CareerCompassPodcast@SHRM.org.
Vernon Williams:
Lastly, are you looking for more work related or career related podcasts? Check out all things work and honest HR at SHRM.org/podcast. Thank you again for listening and we'll catch you on the next episode of Career Compass.