Another great Spring Break trip for the Walter family in Punta Cana (including the mandatory 6am beach walks with Max)
Spring Break in Dominican Republic
WorkLife Podcast (with Adam Grant)
Just started listening to Adam Grants’ latest podcast series called WorkLife. Excellent and highly entertaining insights on how to, in Adam’s own words, make work not suck.
Meet the Newest Member of the Walter Family
After years of nagging and emotional blackmail by my kids, I finally agreed to get a puppy: A Havanese the kids named Fitzgerald (Fitz). And guess who’s doing the 5am walks with Fitz before work…
Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick: People, Probabilities, and Big Moves to Beat the Odds (2018)
By Chris Bradley, Martin Hirt, & Sven Smit (Wiley)
Several times a year, top management teams enter the strategy room with lofty goals and the best of intentions: they hope to assess their situation and prospects honestly, and mount a decisive, coordinated response toward a common ambition. Then reality intrudes. By the time they get to the strategy room, they find it is already crowded with egos and competing agendas. Jobs—even careers—are on the line, so caution reigns. The budget process intervenes, too. You may be discussing a five-year strategy, but everyone knows that what really matters is the first-year budget. So, many managers try to secure resources for the coming year while deferring other tough choices as far as possible into the future.
Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick explores in depth the social dynamics that undermine strategic dialogue and breed incrementalism. It also underscores the real, and very challenging, odds of crafting strategies that will lead to dramatic performance improvement.
–From the Publisher
Skiing in Snowshoe, WV
Enjoyed a great time skiing with the guys (Jorge Rivera & Mark Clark) in Snowshoe, WV
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
From the Walter Family!
Halloween 2018
Mentoring & Immersion Program for Consulting Session
Had the great privilege to co-lead (with Jonathan Tuteur from Tsymmetry and Maria Sinagra from Deloitte) an undergraduate Mentoring & Immersion Program for Consulting (MIPC) session for our impressive MIPC students. Thanks to Milinda Balthrop for organizing–my co-leads and I are looking forward to Part II later this month!
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (2016)
By J. D. Vance (Harper)
A little more controversial than my usual business book recommendations, Hillbilly Elegy paints a striking and thought-provoking portrait of contemporary America and is definitely worth a read.
SMS 38th Annual Conference in Paris
Greetings from Strategic Management Society’s 38th Annual Conference in Paris, where I served as the Program Chair for the Strategy Process Interest Group as well as the co-chair of the Executive Discoveries Series.
OBX Vacation
We had a great time on our annual vacation in the Outer Banks, NC, with friends and family! And we were not the only ones as you can see in the video my friend Greg shot with his drone early one morning about 300 feet out into the ocean…
Never Eat Alone (2014)
By Keith Ferrazzi (Crown Business)
A little over-the-top but, overall, excellent advice on how to become a master networker…
Max Joining CTY & Davidson
After becoming a Davidson Young Scholar a few months back, Max was just accepted into Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth program! Looking forward to the unique opportunities these programs have to offer for him…
Promotion to Full Professor
Another big milestone to celebrate after becoming U.S. citizen a few weeks ago: I was just promoted to Full Professor at the George Washington University School of Business. It has been quite a journey from getting my PhD in 2005, becoming an Assistant Professor in 2006, moving from the West Coast back to the East Coast in 2010, and getting tenure in 2014.
Looking forward to the freedom but also the responsibilities that this new chapter in my career will bring with it…
End of 2018 Swim Season
Congrats to Sophia & Max for a successful swim season with the Stingrays! Max made it to Divisionals (for breast stroke) and Sophia is a 2018 League All Star (for breast stroke)!
Open-Air Concert At Tarara Winery
Another great summer-night open-air concert with family & friends at Tarara Winery
US Citizenship
After living, studying, and working in the United States since I arrived in Philadelphia almost 15 years ago, today, I became a naturalized citizen of this great country!
UVA Summer Enrichment Program 2018
Sophia’s off to college again–to join this year’s University of Virginia Summer Enrichment Program. For twelve days, she’ll be living in a student dorm and taking classes on UVA’s campus.
Strategic Management Society Planning Meeting in Oslo
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Together with my fellow IG Track Chairs, I am attending the back end of the SMS Special Conference in Oslo, and we just finalized the program for the SMS 38th Annual Conference in Paris.
Thanks to Niko Pelka and his team for hosting another very productive meeting!
Sophia’s 5th Grade Promotion Speech
Still can’t believe I had to miss Sophia’s 5th grade promotion ceremony for my Oslo trip–especially since she was selected as a student speaker sharing her reflections on her time at elementary school and the transition to middle school.
So proud of all you have accomplished already, Sophia, and of the person you’ve become!
End of Spring Soccer Season 2018
Congratulations to the “Zombie Dragons” for a successful (and almost undefeated!) Spring soccer season. Sophia came back after a few seasons off and played better than ever!
Summer Swim Season 2018
Another Summer swim season is starting with the South Riding Stingrays!
Achieving Success Through Social Capital: Tapping the Hidden Resources in Your Personal and Business Networks (2000)
By Wayne Baker (Wiley)
Comprehensive advice on how to make sense of social networks–and make them work for you.
FUTURA Workshop on Social Networks
Today, I hosted a workshop on social networks for Sophia’s FUTURA class at Cardinal Ridge Elementary School. And I have to say that I was more nervous before this workshop than about pretty much any other speaking engagement I’ve done over the last few years–but it turned out great, and the students were amazing! Thanks to Mrs. Bowers for inviting me!
Outstanding World Executive MBA Faculty Award
Today, I was awarded this year’s “Outstanding World Executive MBA Faculty Award” at the George Washington University’s School of Business Award Ceremony. Thanks to our WEMBA students for bestowing this great honor on me!
