Ep. 93 - Wale Adebogun - No One Succeeds Alone

What if your next career leap doesn’t come from working harder, but from curating the right relationships and asking better questions about who you are and why you lead? We sit down with Wale “Wally” Adebogun—author, speaker, and award‑winning banking leader—to trace his journey from a childhood in Nigeria to leading teams in Canada, and the surprising role that mentors, sponsors, and faith played at every turn.

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:05

Welcome

Welcome And Global Community

SPEAKER_00 0:06

to the Leader Impact Podcast. We are a community of leaders with a network in over 350 cities around the world dedicated to optimizing our personal, professional, and spiritual lives to have impact. This show is where we have a chance to listen and engage with leaders who are living this out. We love talking with leaders, so if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions to make this show even better, please let us know. Best way to stay connected in Canada is through our newsletter at Leaderimpact.ca or on social at LeaderImpact. And if you're listening from outside of Canada, anywhere else in the world, check out our website at leaderimpact.com.

Meet Wale “Wally” Adigbookan

SPEAKER_00 0:38

I'm your host, Lisa Peters, and our guest today is Wally Adagob Adibogan. Is that right, Wally?

SPEAKER_01 0:45

That's good. That's good. Great job.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

All right. Wally is an author, speaker, and award-winning area manager at a leading bank in Canada. With over two decades of leadership experience, Wally is passionate about helping the next generation of leaders grow and thrive. He's the author of The Power of Strategic Relationships, Seven Champions Who Accelerate Young Professionals' Careers. And Wally also holds a master's in leadership from the University of Regina. Wally also co-founded the Money and Marriage Conference with his wife Elizabeth. And when he's not mentoring or speaking, he enjoys volunteering, playing table tennis, and spending time with his twin daughters. Welcome to the show, Wally.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Thank you, Lisa, for having me. Such a great honor to be here. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Well, I'm sure many people don't know, but I got the opportunity to meet Wally, and we had a five-minute interview on my TV show, and it was like, whoa, this is not enough. So I'm very happy.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

That was a great time.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Very happy that you came.

unknown 1:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

So on the Leader Act Impact podcast, we love hearing about professional, your professional story. More importantly, we sort of love hearing those pivot points of how you got from where you are to where you got today. So if if you can share a little bit of that.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Yes, again, thank you, Lisa, and uh thank you for the great work that you're doing. Uh I got a chance to listen to some of the past episodes. It was really good. So uh really proud of you and what you and your team are doing. Well done.

Origin Story And Early Grit

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Um, when I think about myself, uh, my journey really started uh back in Nigeria, uh, which is where I'm originally from and where I was uh born. And um and my journey started after university, I began a career as a teacher and a small business owner. And prior to that, and maybe this is something I like to have fun with sometimes, I like to say that uh I started my career at eight years old as a salesperson because I worked for my mom and dad. You know, they had a shop there, and so and I was pretty good at it. I was pretty good at sales actually, and uh had a lot of fun. Of course, uh the only sad days I had is when I couldn't get in to play soccer with my friends, right? And so so this way, but but things changed uh when I when I turned 12, uh, because my dad unfortunately passed away. And so that that changed everything for us as a family. Uh, it meant that I needed to grow up so fast. And um in my teenage years, I I ended up um working for an NGO while I was still going to school. So a Sunday school teacher uh at the time was the head of this NGO that um was helping people who were living with HIV and AIDS, and uh so I was working there part-time, going to school, and then that really gave me a good foundation as well. And then I went off there from there to the university. And when I got to the university, I was very involved in student leadership. Again, that gave me a really good, solid foundation as well. Uh, and then after I graduated, uh, then I thought for a year uh and uh did a little small business as well. And then at 24 years old, I made the book big

Immigration Shock And Mentored Pivot

SPEAKER_01 4:09

move. I moved to Canada. And uh and so I moved straight here to Regina. I haven't gone anywhere else since, right? So uh and moving to Regina had its own challenges too, right? So new country, new culture, trying to figure out a whole lot of things. And and one of the things that uh stands out to me, I remember approaching one of my uh mentors and just saying, hey, I'm trying to figure out what I'm gonna do here. And he recommended, you know, uh joining a bank, right? I'm like, what? Joining a bank? And I'm like, okay, how do I do that? And then of course he provided some guidance and fast forward is one of the best decisions that I ever made, right? Listening to somebody who was able to guide and advise me. And I said, look at where I am right now, of course, in a community manager role, an area manager role, uh, looking after you know six of the branches of the bank that I work for, and uh 60, 65 uh employees that I get to work with and do great things for clients and do great things with the team, the leadership team that I work with as well. It's been such a pleasure uh getting to do that. So again, when I think about my journey just from a kid uh to how that has evolved and some of the values and some of the things that shaped me growing up as well, to where I am today. It's uh it's been quite a journey, and I really love um you know adding value to people, whether that's through coaching, mentoring, or helping people along the way.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

I find it interesting that you moved from Nigeria to Saskatchewan. Uh, did you bring a winter coat?

SPEAKER_01 5:48

Well, I landed in March. Um, it was, I think it was March 29th. Uh, was there I landed. So it was spring when I landed. And uh one of, of course, it was a bit of a cultural shock to me. One of the, you know, I had this view of Canada, like Canada is a very good country and all of that. And so as my plane was landing, you know, at the Calgary uh airport, you know, before we made the connection to Regina, I was like, why don't they grow green grass here in Canada? What's going on? I had no idea about the seasons, right? That you know, it was spring and then it would take a while for it to grow up. Thankfully, I didn't say a word. I was just a thinking in my mind. And later on, I found out that, oh, they do have greengrass here. You just have to wait till summer to really see it. So that was one of my culture of shock that I had at first.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

Oh, yeah, I bet. Um, thanks for sharing that. I I didn't know uh a lot of your before you got to Canada, so that's exciting to hear. Uh, we talk about best principles of success, and I'm wondering if you have one and a story that illustrates that.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

Yeah, thanks for asking that question. Uh, the decision is to tell which story now, and what story, because I'm I'm a uh quite a storyteller, like telling a lot of stories. But but I think the principle I'm gonna um put out there today um is that no one truly succeeds alone, right? And and the quality of your relationship really determines the quality of your life. And I mentioned earlier about that Sunday school teacher, right? Um, and how the relationship that I had as a Sunday school kid, you know, letting give me an opportunity

Principle: Relationships Drive Success

SPEAKER_01 7:35

to work with his NGO, and that really exposed me to some of the things I needed as a teenager to help me elevate um, you know, myself in life. But also, as I look at my careers, well, I remember my first few years uh in banking. I was one of those people that believed so much in the fact that my work will speak for me. I just gotta work really hard and I did work really hard, and I still do work really hard, uh, but I wasn't intentional about making connections, right? You know, those socials are like, yeah, instead of doing socials, let's just work harder on this on the work, you know, that we needed to do here. And then what I realized later on was that that's not enough, right? So it's not enough to just work hard. You need to connect with people, you need to connect with people who can advise you, you need to connect with people who can open doors for you uh to be able to get to what you you need to get to in life. And so I think about um one lady in particular, Linda, and Linda was the one that spoke for me as a sponsor uh for me to land my first branch manager role, because I was almost getting passed on for that role. And and she she went to what I like to call the powers that be and said, Hey, this is your best guy. You know, he's done this, he's done this, he's done that. I've watched him, he's ready. He should be the person that you should be going with here. And what I learned from that is you cannot succeed alone. Like you need a team of champions, you need a team of people uh to help you open those doors, but to also guide you into those doors as well. So that's one lesson that I can I can share today that has you know stood out for me in my career journey and continues to stand out for me is when I know in my interaction with many professionals around the world, um, that's that's an area as well that I see as an area of opportunity for people. Relationships matter.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

Yeah, I think many leaders um identify with that because leadership can be lonely at the top. That's right. You know, you maybe you worked your way up there, but then you're alone at the top and you have no one to talk to. Um, I think that's why I absolutely loved your book, The Power of Strategic Relationships. And not, you know, and I I think it because you know, the tagline is seven champions who accelerate young professionals. But I think of myself who, you know, um maybe stepped back, and now I need to step back in, and I've just forgotten who are those people to connect with. And not that the who is in here, well, not that the people's names are in here, but the the who's, right? The the sponsors, the mentors, the the friends, the family, the like allies and coaches. Yes. Yes, yeah, and and we forget that we need all those people. Um because yes, we think we can do it alone.

Inside The Book’s Core Idea

SPEAKER_00 10:26

Yeah. Uh so thank you for sharing that best principle. I think you live that. And I think was that I mean, I feel like that's what inspired the book that you read.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

That's that's exactly what inspired the book in there. And so, of course, I know you've had the opportunity to read the book, so thank you for doing that. Um, and so when you look at the central theme of the book, it's really from my story, but also the story of people that have had the opportunity to work with this last 20 years, coaching, mentoring them. And there is one common pattern, one common denominator that I see. It's the fact that um when people are intentional about building what I sometimes call personal board of directors, right? It's a game changer. It's a game changer. We're at whatever stage anybody is in life. Now, there are some stages in our lives where maybe we're not the one directly benefiting from the relationship as we like to think about it. Uh, so you're more in the giver position, but it's really a win-win, right? And so I know that when I get to mentor people, the things I learn is remarkable, right? That the information I get from that is remarkable. And so we we might be at it. So I have people that I'm mentoring, but I also have people that mentor me. So it's like a win-win, it's an exchange, and and it goes on that way. And I think that um that that's the central message of the book. And like whether you're giving or are you at the receiving end, strategic relationship is a win-win, and it's something that we all need to continue to do because that's really what life is all about. How can we make impact uh in the life of all the people?

SPEAKER_00 12:03

Yeah, it's funny because I know I told you this story because I asked you if you knew this

Mentoring As A Two‑Way Win

SPEAKER_00 12:07

woman. She was following your book to a T. She asked me to mentor her, and she was following, and I'm reading it going, This is crazy. Like she didn't waste, you know, she came with the questions, she was very respectful of my time. Like it just and and when you say that they help you, she inspired me when you know, just talking to her, and I walked away thinking, I can do this, you know, something I was thinking of. And so I I agree, you know, as much as you need a mentor, it's great to mentor someone.

SPEAKER_01 12:36

That's right. That's right. I love that. Um thanks for sharing that.

Failure, Loyalty, And 1% Better

SPEAKER_00 12:40

Yeah, and I'm gonna come back to your broken another question, but uh right now I want to ask you about failures and mistakes, or if you call it failings, if you don't use the word, but we know we learn more. We learn more from our failures, mistakes, and our successes. So I'm wondering if you have one that you could share and maybe what you learned from it.

SPEAKER_01 12:56

I do have more than one, and it depends on how much time we have, but I only share one. Uh you know, your question reminds me of um a book written by John Maxwell, who is someone I have great respect for and I love to follow. He wrote the book Failing Forward. Uh, and so as I think about that, well, the story that stands out is one of my first, I would say, leadership lessons, and one of my failures in life, but which I've also learned from and that's helped, you know, been a guiding light really for me over those years. And it happened when I was about nine years old. Um, and I know it's weird, and I'm going back to when I was nine years old, but but that that has stuck with me. So I want to share that story very quickly. And so growing up, uh, there was a day I approached uh a 12-year-old in our neighborhood, and uh this this young boy, and I was nine, he was 12, so he was older than I was, but I approached him and said, you know what? Uh how about if we start um plucking uh it was kind of like apples, you know, fruit, he's kind of like what we just called it. That was a general name at that time. I said, How about if we just pluck it off the tree and sell it to all the kids in the neighborhood and do that? And then the question he asked was, like, well, who's gonna climb the tree? And I'm like, Well, you're older than I am. You should be climbing the tree, but I'll do the selling and all of that. So we just stopped. Anyway, he was hesitant at first, but I was able to convince him, even as a nine-year-old, uh, to say, you should be, you know, climbing a tree. And and we and he did that. He agreed to doing that and he did that. And then one day we went out. Unfortunately, he fell from the tree. And I was so scared. Actually, I thought he had died, and I didn't know what to do. I just, I just ran away. Like I just went to hide somewhere. I mean, I was nine years old, I was confused, I didn't know what I needed to do, and and I could not put myself in a position where I could go back to to go talk to him because I was just so scared I couldn't move past that. But what I learned from that lesson was uh as a leader, you need to learn to stick with people. Taught me loyalty, right? So no matter what's going on, you know, good, bad, ugly, stay with people, stick it out with people. I wish I had, you know, stay there, uh, you know, supported as much as I could, visited him every day. I wish I could have said that, but but but I didn't. I was just so scared. I didn't even know what to do. Uh, of course, I knew that some adults were around and if you know they were able to take care of him, got him to the hospital and all of that. But but that taught me loyalty. And so that's very much shaped my leadership journey today. Uh, where when I tell somebody I'm gonna be here, I'm gonna be there, right? You know, so so and that's been a watchword for me, and that's something that shaped me um over the years now. And so uh for me, I think that as a leader, we learn every day. You know, life is um is is leaped forward but understood backwards. So as we reflect on each day, because there are sometimes every day in my job, I know there are a lot of times with every day, we're like, hey, I could have handled that that conversation a little bit better, and then I take that lessons so I'm not afraid to learn from my mistakes. As a matter of fact, I have a guiding principle in life, and my guiding principle is I want to get 1% better every day. If I can just I tell my team all the time, I don't want to get better like 100% every day. My goal is 1%. And I said, hey, do you know why it's 1%? Because at the end of the year, if we've had 365 days, that's 365% if it's simple interest, right? And then I always make a joke and I just say, hey, but if you feel like you're good at math, you can do the compounding, right? And and when you figure out that compounding, let me know, right? So so I'm throwing that out to our audience today. If you if you figure out a compounding of 1% every day for a year, whatever that is, uh, you can let me know.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

You know, that's we talked about that this morning being 1% better than yesterday. And uh uh the book we're reading is John Maxwell's The 360 Leader. That's where very good book. So I've written down Failing Forward. I'll have to look up that one as well. He's a great leadership writer.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

Yeah, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 17:26

So my next question is a little about um uh we at leader impact. We want to grow personally, professionally, and spiritually. That is what we do as marketplace leaders. We want to increase impact. So, would you be willing to share an example of how the spiritual makes a practical difference in your life as a leader?

SPEAKER_01 17:44

Great question.

Faith As A Leadership Foundation

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Thank you, Lisa, for that question. Um, I believe very much that that faith and leadership for me is very connected. As a matter of fact, I don't think I can be a good leader without my faith as a solid foundation in there. And so I lean on my faith every day. I read my Bible every day, I pray every day. I I met Jesus when I was 16, and I haven't looked back since, and I'm really proud because it's one of the greatest decisions I ever made uh in my life, and I'm that public about my faith as well. I I really believe that everybody should get to know Jesus because it's a great, it's it's a great thing, right? So uh, and so how has that shaped my leadership from day to day in in the professional world? What that has meant, um what that means to me is, you know, even when I'm about to make some major decisions, you know, have to have a difficult conversation, you know, just just pausing to pray, pausing to reflect, and asking for God's help, asking for God's wisdom, and that's really helped me. Another example that I can share is is during COVID, right? So we all know COVID, I know it feels like a lifetime ago. Uh, but I was working for a financial institution at the time, uh, and I was branch manager at that time, and uh it was downtown, downtown Regina.

COVID Resolve And Inner Peace

SPEAKER_01 19:05

And so this financial institution made a decision in order to serve customers not to close at all during COVID. So, which meant the branch manager, of course, he had to be at work every day. And so a lot of days I felt like uh a soldier fighting an invisible war going to work. I mean, I enjoy the fact that there was no traffic on the road, so you could just leave home like you know, you know, very quickly you get to work. I love that part of it. But some days felt heavy, especially when you start to think about, you know, like, you know, we and those were early days of COVID. Nobody really knew what it was, and but then you still had to to show up to work. But one of the things that stood out to me at that period is that I had that sense of peace. I had that sense of tranquility within me. And it wasn't it wasn't peace that came from outside, it was it was inner peace. And I think that that came from my faith and my walk with God and my relationship with God. And of course, we received God's mercies. My family was protected all through the period. Of course, you know, we had to wear masks and do different things. So, through all of that, I saw faith helping me and such that I was also a voice of encouragement to other people as well, and say, hey, we're gonna be fine, we're gonna be okay, we don't know what it is yet, but you know, take care of yourself, follow all of the rules, get get vaccinated if you want to, and you know, those kind of things in there, but but making sure that I was I was a steady uh leader for the team, and I think that I couldn't have done that without my faith in place.

SPEAKER_00 20:43

Yeah. Who do you surround yourself with that keeps you in your faith? You know, um because it's easy to, you know, like who who's in your circle?

SPEAKER_01 20:56

I just I've got a lot of people in my circle. The other

Building A Grounded Inner Circle

SPEAKER_01 21:00

day, I was just uh I looked at uh an old picture of mine of when I was in the university, my first degree now, and uh it was the picture of myself and uh who I sometimes will call my schoolmother, but she was really my mentor, and she's still my mentor. Actually, she and her husband they live in England, and both of them are my uh well, they were my mentors then back in school, but they're still my mentors today, and they're spiritual mentors for me as well. I was a very new Christian when I got on campus. Uh, I remember they bought me my first study Bible, Dake's Bible, if you ever know what that is, uh, in there, and and I would pour through that. Actually, the reason they bought me that Bible was because she had one and I borrowed it from her. And then I told her, whenever you need it, to let me know and I'll bring it to you. And so I guess she was getting to a point where she felt like I need I need my Bible. And so they just decided on one of my birthdays, and then they bought me one. I was like, oh my god, this is the best gift ever. And I still have that Bible, and I cherish it so much in there. So I surround myself with people, people like that, and they've been my mentors for over 20 years. Uh, and and you know, I've had different times in my life where I had to lean on that relationship. Of course, here in Regina as well. I have uh a few other you know spiritual leaders that are my mentors, of course, the pastor of my church, uh local church here in Regina that I go to, but I also have other people as well who speak into my life as well, and I connect with them regularly. Uh, they help me stay grounded. Of course, there are things that I need to do myself as well. I talked about you know getting in my Bible every day, praying, you know, uh as someone who's married as well, doing that with my wife, but also doing it with my family as well. So every night we have a devotion, uh, devotional time as a family where we have great discussion, but also pause to pray uh as well. So all of those things have helped me stay grounded, but I am intentional about my inner circle. No, I'm a social butterfly, I love to meet people, I love to meet new people. And so for me, I'm always meeting people, I'm always connecting with people, but I've learned the power of the inner circle. And I talked about this in my book as well, uh, that find your inner circle. That's really, really important because for someone who is extroverted like me, and I struggle with this for a number of years until recently, is that I can meet people connect with them, meet another group of people, connect with them, but then I don't take it further to get to really know them and get really close to people. And so uh in the process of me writing the book, that's something I had to be intentional about because I'm like, you can't write about this if you haven't lived it. And so now I've been working really hard on that, and now I have people in my inner circle who have not only helped me in the area of faith, but even other areas of my life as well. So I believe strongly in not

Identity, Purpose, Then Legacy

SPEAKER_01 24:05

just having one mentor, having a network of mentors. So I have a network of mentors for my spiritual life, I have a network of mentors professionally. Uh, when it comes to marriage, I have a network of mentors, uh, even fine even for my finances, even though I'm a banker and I'm in the industry, I have a network of mentors that I follow. Um, you know, in that space as well. I think it just enriches our lives, it gives a lot of different perspectives uh as you work in in life in that regard.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

Oh, great answer. I love it, and that's why I think I loved your book.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

Thank you. Thank you. Buy the book, buy the book if you're listening.

SPEAKER_00 24:42

Buy the book. Yeah. So I'm gonna go to I have been loving uh talking about legacy, and uh um I have been pulled in to moderate panels on legacy, and I and on this question, I'm gonna ask you about your legacy. Uh, in your book, first, you talk about the legacy question. What do you want to be remembered for? And you talk all about it and our purpose and our legacy, and oh, I loved it. So, my question for you is you know, as you continue to move through this journey, um, your own journey, have you considered what you want your faith legacy to be when you leave this world?

SPEAKER_01 25:15

I have, and that's a great question. So, um, when I think about that, I shared the story about my dad earlier, how he passed away suddenly. He was 36 years old uh when he passed away. Now I'm I'm well over 36 now. Uh, and so that's that his story has helped me also have a lot of time to think about my own life as well. Now, this is the way I approach legacy, and in and I talked about this even in my book as well. Uh, it is that you cannot really start to truly answer the legacy question if you haven't answered the purpose and the identity question. And here is what I mean. Uh, when it comes to the issue of identity, the first thing you need to ask yourself is who am I? And who am I really? Not what is your name, not what do you do for the bank, you know, but but who are you really? What is your identity? Like being able to answer that question, I think it's really, really important. Now, for me, um uh my identity is grounded in my values, which is shaped by my Christian faith. So I know who I am, I am who God says I am, and I'm very proud of that. And that keeps me grounded because I've discovered, you know, who I am that way. And then, of course, the next step is is to then think about purpose, right? Why am I here on earth? I know I'm not here by accident, and I know our listeners, you know, you're not here by accident. God has a purpose for your life. We all have a God-given purpose. And so finding it, right, changes the game for you. And it is when you've found those two things, then you can start to talk about legacy. So for me personally, uh I've come to discover my life's purpose is helping others maximize their potentials and be all that God has created them to be. Now, this shapes how I work, this shapes who I connect with, this shapes my values, this shapes a whole lot of things. Um, in my even shapes where I live now, too. I have a lot of opportunities to like, you know, move cities and do different things. But I'm like, hey, this is where I believe God wants me to be now, and this is where what I need to be doing right now. And so I'd rather do that and do it joyfully as well in that space. Now, as I've thought about my legacy, I'm always reminded, uh, especially when it comes to my faith legacy, about the story of King David. And and and he says here, and you may not know, but I'm also a preacher as well, so but I'm trying hard not to not to start quoting scriptures here. But it does say um in my favorite book, uh, that you know, he served his generation. Uh, it served God's purpose in his generation. And so I'm hoping to leave that legacy as well of serving God's purpose in my generation, such that the people that I've had the opportunity to connect with, they can truly say that you know, it was a man, it was a man that that loved, it was a man that led really well, it was a man that really cared, that impacted people. And so for me, I keep that um in mind. And and my goal every

Joy Through Changed Lives

SPEAKER_01 28:22

day is that when I meet somebody, I want to leave them better than I met them. That's what I want to be remembered for, right? Making impact in people's life, in in how I lead, in how I love people, in how I connect with people. Uh, that's a legacy that I hope to leave. Um, you know, on that day, uh, when I disappear, whether by rapture or, you know, or by death, right? So uh of course, uh I plan to live longer than King David did, uh, but until that time, I want to continue to leave each day uh intentionally because the time is short and we really need to continue uh to maximize the time that we have while we're here. And the best way to do that is to invest in other people. I view success from the lens of other people, and so every day I have to invest in other people is a great day for me.

SPEAKER_00 29:17

Oh, it's a great day for me, Wally. You've made a difference in my life.

SPEAKER_01 29:23

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 29:23

You're leaving me better.

SPEAKER_01 29:25

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 29:26

Uh my last question for you is what brings you the greatest joy?

SPEAKER_01 29:31

That's a that's a very deep question. I uh and uh thinking about what gives me a great joy. Let me let me share this story. So Monday, October 6th, so today's October 8th, right? Um a colleague of mine at work sent me a note and said, Hey, you wouldn't believe it. My son started working. And and his son had not been able to walk for A couple of years now. Now, it's such a sad, you know, touching story because this this friend of mine or this colleague of mine, the wife had just passed away. The wife was was just 43 years old. And and this happened last month in September. Now that happened in the middle of, you know, their son playing basketball had an injury, 14-year-old, and it just happened to be that he hasn't been able to work for a couple of years. And so I decided to visit their house. We went to their house. And so when we were about to leave, he said, you know, you know, I was with, you know, one other person there and said, Would you guys pray? You just for my son, you know, it's my desire to have my son walk, right? And then and this other person I was with was much older than me. And so she she prayed first. And and and as she was wrapping up, I just felt a leading also um to to pray.

Where To Find Wally

SPEAKER_01 31:00

And and so I began to to pray. I I held his legs. I I had the leading to for us to anoint his legs. And so I asked them if they had some kind of oil and you know that we could use. And so they they brought some and we prayed over the sun. And I truly, really believed that he was healed that day, and we held him up and tried to kind of move him around a little bit. Uh, and then that episode went only for me to get that message that I got from him, you know, two or three weeks after we prayed to say, hey, they got home and then he started walking. And I was like, wow, stories like that brings me joy, right? That is there is nothing more joyful to me than that, right? So, so whether it's the story of the life of the 14-year-old that was touched, or the father who was just recently gone through a loss, but but a bit of joy, you know, he was telling me how tears of joy, he had tears of joy, and I was like, oh wow, this is amazing. Or, you know, when I come into the professional circle of people that get promoted because of you know conversation that we had, you know, or like today, just before I came on the show today, uh, somebody wanted me to be a reference for them. And so I did that reference spoke, and I hope to get the job, right? You know, those are the moments that give me joy when I'm able to pour into others, when I'm able to help other people, whether at work or they're outside of work, those are the moments that gives me great joy. And of course, um, you know, my connection with my family as well, my wife, my kids, those moments that we spend together, it's it's really great because you know, it doesn't really matter how much money you make in life when you're by your dead bed. You're not gonna say, oh guys, so how much is in my account right now? Bring me all the money. You know, it's really your loved ones. That's really what's gonna matter. The people that you impacted, the lives that you touched, that's really what's going to count. So for me, what gives me the greatest greatest joy is seeing lives change, is seeing lives transform, whether it's spiritually, whether it's professionally, whether it's financially, whatever way it means that I can help people when I see people's lives changed, that gives me joy.

SPEAKER_00 33:22

Oh Wally, it has been a fabulous 33 minutes with you. Um, I've really enjoyed. I I've I've loved your book and just uh hearing a little bit more about you. And how did I miss that you were a preacher? It is not in your bio.

SPEAKER_01 33:38

I know. I I wasn't sure if I if I should have that in there or not, but uh I've got a few messages on YouTube actually from a church that we go to here. It's Gateway Church. I was actually speaking on on Sunday at two of our services there. Uh and uh I know you interviewed uh Carol Lafayette Boyd. Do you remember what that is? We go to the same church, yeah. And uh I know she was on church on Sunday. So Carol, I saw you at church, you were at church, right? So um, so yeah, so I get to to support our pastor, you know, uh sometimes speaking in there as well. And of course, I do get invited uh to other places as well to to bring God's word, sometimes in a professional circle, but also uh just uh playing, you know, talking about God's word and helping people, um depending on wherever they are, they are, right? It's all about adding value to people and bringing God's God's goodness to people, really.

SPEAKER_00 34:38

I love it. Thank you, Wally. So not only can we find you on YouTube, where else can we find you if any of our uh listeners or viewers want to connect with you?

SPEAKER_01 34:46

So you can find me on LinkedIn. Probably the easiest way to connect with me, uh, LinkedIn, just search my name Wally at deboko, it would come up. Uh I also have a website, uh, wali at dbokoon.com. Uh, so easy to connect with me through that as well. Of course, I'm on social media handles as well. So uh you can just even Google the name Wally at debokoon, you know, you'll get a lot of information uh from that and you'll be able to connect with me that way. And I look forward to connecting. I love meeting new people and uh talking about relationships and leadership, and that's something I'm really passionate about. So I look forward to connecting.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

Yeah, and if the people Google the power of strategic relationships, Wally, and it's spelled W-A-L-E, they'll find you there on Amazon.

SPEAKER_01 35:31

That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 35:32

Yes. Well, Wally, thank you again for joining us. It has been an absolute pleasure to have you.

SPEAKER_01 35:37

Thank you again. I would just say finally, uh Lisa, you and your team, you're doing a great job and keep doing that. I was just listening to one of your previous conversations. You were talking about an advice you received from one of your uncles that said, you know, retire into something, right? So I was listening to that episode there. So I said that to say that you've been making a great impact in our community. Please keep doing that because life is really all about, you know, the lives that we touch, right? And so that's what we should all be about uh as leaders. Leadership is influence and influencing people uh for the better. And so thank you for that. And that's my goal uh to continue to do that as well, as long as I have breath.

SPEAKER_00 36:22

My cheeks hurt from smiling. Thank you. Thank you. It was wonderful.

SPEAKER_01 36:27

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 36:27

All right, and to all our viewers, uh, if you're part of Leader Impact, you can discuss or share this podcast with your group.

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SPEAKER_00 36:33

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