SPEAKER_00 0:03

Real conversations, no blueprints, no roadmaps. I'm Tene Travatiste, and I have here with me the visionary, the founder, and the one who is going to bring it to you authentically every single week. Walter Douglas Jr., the visionary behind No Roadmaps.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Thanks so much. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm so excited about what's about to happen. No roadmaps, real conversations with executives, uh Twin Loras, people who've had real success, who are going to share their stories, share their trials, their tribulations, and how they create a roadmap where maybe no roadmap exists, or they knew where a roadmap was and they were willing to share it with you. That's how I succeeded, and I want to share with all of you. That's no roadmaps.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

Oh my goodness. Here's the funny thing to me. People think that you have always, always had it figured out.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

No, not at all. No, I've been uh fortunate enough to have opportunities, fortunate enough to have good mentors, great friends, a loving family, but I think more importantly, a curiosity to do well, to do better, and to do for others.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

That's such an ode to your resilience. I want to talk about it. Let's talk about the reinvention of youth.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

You know, it's funny. I don't know that I've reinvented myself. I think what I've done is I've improved. I've added new tools to my toolbox. But I think who I am, my character, what I stand for has remained the same. Yes. And oddly enough, if we even think about my professional trajectory, I've always been in healthcare and higher education. So I've been in those fields, although the roles I've played have taken me beyond that genre, I should say, of professional work.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Yeah, for sure, for sure. So wait, there's more?

SPEAKER_01 2:02

No, but what about you? When we first met, you were in HR. And look at where you are today.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

So at some point, I have to have you back to talk about your roadmap.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

True. And so maybe mine is more of a reinvention, right? Because yeah, you don't necessarily see a lot of people doing that kind of HR to sportscaster pivot, but here we are. Here we are. And I absolutely love it because I think it's so important. Like you said, still staying true to character. So whether it's in a corporate setting or whether it's here on a podcast or what have you, I'm still going to be true to me, but it's just an opportunity to be a different kind of me. Just like I think you're looking to be a different kind of you, but still at the core, it's Walter Douglas. And who is really that person?

SPEAKER_01 2:49

Well, I'll tell you, first of all, Walter Douglas is my dad. Big Walter. Yes, big Walk. But um I and I say that with so much pride. For sure. You know, so many uh young men, especially young African-American men, don't have the pleasure, the opportunity to grow up with their fathers. Um, and I did. And my father leaves me with a quote that I will take with me forever, and I've given it to my son, which is let my ceiling be your floor. So when you ask me who is Walter Douglas uh Jr., I'm Walter Douglas Sr.'s son. I'm Vivian Douglas's son. I've had two wonderful stepmothers, you know, Ollie Douglas, may she rest in peace, Brenda Swan Douglas, who continues to be just the greatest supporter of me and loves her grandchildren too. Oh, for sure. Uh and so who's Walter Douglas? I'm just a humble guy from Orange, New Jersey.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

I love it. I love it. And for me, when I think about who you are, I think that my answer obviously would be bestie. But some people introduce you as well as the chief operating officer, the COO. So it's the titles oftentimes that we hear. But when you think about, you mentioned some of the titles that are yours and you say them so lovingly and so humbly. But when you hear chief operating officer, COO, the way that other people introduce you, maybe what's some way that you would also introduce yourself outside of the family and maybe outside of the titles that corporate America gives you?

SPEAKER_01 4:23

I know many politicians have made this a target cliche, but servant leader.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Leader as coach, somebody who wants to win, but recognizes that I can't do it alone. And so, regardless of what role I've been in, board member, executive vice president, vice president, chief operating officer, executive director, it's all about how do I serve the people, not only who I work for, who I work with, who I work to support, to care for. Again, having been in healthcare, you were always thinking about the patient.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

Right? It's not about did the lights come on, is internet working. It's what are we doing to make sure the patients are better served? When I worked again in healthcare, I'll stay on that example, supporting physicians, right? Did I provide the physician with the environment to be the best physician practitioner they could be? Yeah. I've built cancer centers. I've built regional biocontainment laboratories. Did I create a place for success for researchers for cutting-edge science? Did I do something that helped people? Did I help someone?

SPEAKER_00 5:35

And I would like to say too, did you help someone in a sustainable way? Because some of the things that you mentioned, I can think back to some of the challenges that you faced even in COVID. That was a very challenging time. And then even coming down to Atlanta and some of the things that you built from the ground up that we could still see sometimes we're driving by and we're like, okay, that's the building, that's the house won't build. So yeah, it's really not just about the titles, but it's about all the things that have led you up to that title, all the things that have prepared you to be able to do the very thing that you do. So that when we walk into that healthcare facility, there's not just, we're not just a check the box, if you will, or it's not just a situation where we don't know what type of healthcare we're going to get because we're so consumed and concerned about all of the ancillary things. You've already taken care of that. And I think a lot of that is because of what came before. You alluded to it. So I want to go back to who you were before that. It's the baller, it's the team player, it's the guy who knows how to finish strong. That's who makes who inform the executive. Let's talk a little bit more about who you were before you became the executive.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

I think, like a lot of people, I have some childhood memories that help shape who I am. Right? And you talked about sustainability. Yes. I remember going to the playground when I was a young kid, and there would, there was a program, a recreational program during the summer, right? We didn't have the camps and everything that my kids go to today. And then I remember going back the next summer in the camp. The recreation program was going. And I asked, you know, the guys who did maintenance at the park what happened. He said there was no money for the program. So when I got involved, and when I began my professional work, I never wanted to do something that wouldn't last. Or at the least have a lasting impression. I know nothing lasts forever, but things should have a decent shelf life. Things should live long enough so that people go, oh man, this impact is real, not just a photo op. I think the other thing I would add to who was really Walter, um, believe it or not, a shy kid. No one believed that.

SPEAKER_00 7:45

Okay, odds with sips water.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Listen, I but you know what I realized is we've all heard the phrase a closed mouth doesn't get fed. And so I had to dig deep into myself and create this persona, Walt D, Walt Disco, the Happy Hour Q, the press. You know, but you know what's funny about that? Uh-huh. If you look at entertainers, right? But if you think about how they've marketed themselves year after year, recreate themselves, created a situation so that people are talking about them and wanting to talk to them. I wanted to be a person that people wanted to talk to. And I wanted to present myself in such a space so that, hey, I have something to offer, and I want you to know that I have something to offer.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

Yeah, yeah. I think about that as well. You are always looking to fill that niche. And the niche can be a larger niche, a smaller niche, and you know how to kind of go between the extroverted Walter, bringing him out when he needs to come out, and the introvert being able to do the same, kind of moving back in the scene and sustain success. But here's the thing: there's really kind of no roadmap for that. It's just a kind of almost, I don't want to say a play as you go or kind of create as you go, but on some level, there's kind of no roadmap, and you realize I just got to create the roadmap. So when did you realize as you're walking through all of these aspects of your life? And we know father, we know son, we know baller, but even in particular, the different iterations of your professional career, and you're like, I got a roadmap for this thing.

SPEAKER_01 9:24

I looked for opportunities. Yeah. If there are two things that I try to share with young people who talk with me and say, Well, how did you get to what you got to? I looked for opportunities and I said no. I mean, I didn't say no. Oh my God, I didn't say no. Yeah. Like I did the things that nobody wanted to do. I did the jobs that weren't sexy. I did the jobs that you don't get the fanfare for. I am extremely comfortable working behind the scenes. I'm extremely comfortable standing behind the curtain and peeking out and making sure the show was going well because I know we've done everything to prepare. And that's important to me. But here's the other thing, too, and I think you know this about me. I made my fair share of mistakes. Yeah. I've stumbled, I've embarrassed myself, I've asked for forgiveness. Yes. But in turn, I've also given grace to others. For sure. And I think that's what's helped me to uh navigate this journey without a roadmap. Because I have some good friends and peers. I look at them and it's like they never get it wrong. They always say the right thing, they never make the bad joke at the wrong time. They always are patient enough when maybe I would lose my cool. And I'm going, how can I be better? And again, I think what our friends watching No Roadmasters will see is I'm going to bring those folks here to tell their stories. Because I can only tell you what I see.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

I can't tell you what's going on inside their heads, but they can.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

And you speak of knowing roadmaps. Sometimes roadmaps and knowing what the roadmap will be or creating it is about success. But you kind of alluded to something that I think not a lot of people want to lean into, which is the failure, which is seeing how to recreate the roadmap once you get on the roadmap and you realize, oh wow, there may need to be a detour. There may need to be a total recreation of it. So not just for success for you, but how has success maybe been redefined because of the failures when you got on the roadmap?

SPEAKER_01 11:27

That's such a great question, T. What I would say to you though, is my faith has always carried me forward. I may have not known exactly where I was going, but my faith in God allowed me to believe that there was something better. Yeah. That, you know, I fell on my face, but get up, right? I I'm hurt, but give yourself a chance to heal and then move on. I really have just been committed to succeeding. And maybe that's the competitor to me. Maybe that comes from, you know, playing ball in sports, and just I don't like to lose. And it's funny, I've lost my fancier games as an athlete. And for the most part in my career, I say for 95% of my career, I was successful. And then some a national leader, you know, held positions where there's less than 200 of those roles in the entire country. And I've held two of them. But, you know, when you when you fall short, you know, when you miss that shot, you know, I I like the stories about Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan and even Ken Griffith Jr. and some of the, you know, Muhammad Ali. When they lost, they didn't dwell on the loss. Yeah. They went right back to work. Or they went back to the lab to, okay, what should my new strategy be? How do I pivot? How do I find someone else that can take me to the next level? Again, I don't have to have the roadmap, but somebody may have it.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

Yeah, see, and that's what I like as well. For the people in the back, you probably have to say it again. The fact that you don't have to have the roadmap all the time before you get on the road. And I think also what's probably helped you to be so successful. Reset and bounce back and want to be on the journey with you. So let's talk about that. The people, the things that have helped to shape you, and always believing in what it is that you're able to do and what it is that you're going to do. And I'm always kind of happy to be on the sidelines, cheering you on and kind of looking to see, wow, what's the next move going to be? What's the pivot gonna be? So for you, how important has that been as well? Not just to be on this journey and succeed, but as you mentioned, have the friends around you, the village that gives you the faith, the grace, the flexibility, you knew what you do?

SPEAKER_01 13:53

Well, listen, on a personal level, you know me. There is no good time like a shared good time. And I just love whether it's my family, my friends, my colleagues, people that we can just tackle this journey together and endure each other and believe in one another. I've been very fortunate that there have been people who believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. I've been very fortunate there were people who saw potential in me when I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. I think beyond that, I've also been, and this is the richness. Yeah, and this is the reason why no role maps. I've had people who are willing to share. Right? Not everybody's willing to share. Yeah. Some people cross that bridge and then they might kick the ladder into the pit. You know, some people may cross that bridge. Yeah. They kick the ladder into the pit. Yeah. So no one can come behind them. For sure. And so I've been so fortunate to have people who encouraged me, supported me. But here's the other thing, T. I stayed very humble. Yeah. I approached situations with humility. And in some cases, I went with hat in hand because I knew that I did not have all the answers. But I believe that there were people who did, who had done things. Um, who done, and I've seen them do things that I want to do. And I was like, please help me, teach me, show me. Yeah. Or tell me where to go get it so I can do what you've done.

SPEAKER_00 15:17

I want to just sit on that for a second because I've seen that in action with you. And I think it's so important for people to know that you are not a gatekeeper. And you have been very fortunate as well to have people around you who are gatekeepers. That's a big part of how you get to where you are. And it's a big part of also understanding it may be, I just see how you move. It may be the person at the front desk. It may because you never actually know how much influence that person has. And just being willing and open to appreciate everyone. I think that's also a key component to the success that you've had. Being able to kind of step back, see the bigger, bigger picture, and see every little player and every little piece that can make it a winning game for you.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

I tell you what's funny, and I think about this so often. When I was in college, one of my favorite courses was economics and both macroeconomics and microeconomics. And if you think about the study of economics and you divide it between macro and micro, it's looking at the same thing but through two different lenses. I've always prided myself with having the macro reel of things, but with a micro appreciation. And by doing that, it's allowed me to understand what the vision is, but to understand what details, what intangibles were necessary to realize and bring that vision to fruition. And that's, I think, why I love operations. Yeah. Right. To really go, you know what? I can build a better mousetrap, I can really help this thing go. But more importantly, I can empower people who are subject matter experts who are great at what they do. They'll bring their talents to the team, and then we all win. And then again, personally, socially, if I we all Yeah, that I feel the same way.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

And like there's enough room at the table for everybody, and we can all shine. I really feel like that. But I will say one area where there are a lot of people at the table is the podcast table. So that's one, but on the same token, there's always a nix, there's always something that each of us can bring to the table that maybe we haven't seen before, others haven't seen before, and we feel like we're compelled to bring something there. So for you, some choose the path of a book, some choose the path of speaking engagements and going out and kind of being motivational speakers, if you will, and then some choose the podcast. I'm gonna do it all. Okay, so tell me the books. The motivational speaking tours, but we're gonna set it up with the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

Uh yes, I did say earlier I was shy.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

God bless your heart. But we're we're still gonna go.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

But I don't lack words to share, and I definitely don't lack for opinion. But more importantly, I believe my niche in the podcast space is bringing people together for real, authentic, organic, from the heart, but business savvy conversations, right? It's not gonna be, oh, this is Walter Douglas, and he's got these awards and all these things. It'd be, hey, this is Walter, and he's worked and he's made some decisions, he's learned some lessons, and he wants to share them with you so that at a minimum, as you're determining the roadmap of your journey, you go, oh, I heard about that. This looks familiar. This is not brand new to me.

SPEAKER_00 18:49

And and not only that, but it's coming from a voice that has seen the ups, the downs, the ebbs, the flows, and can walk you through how to get through the same. Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

And here's the funny thing, at least, and or maybe the irony to me. And some of our guests you may recognize, some you may not. But I believe that you can have a voice that needs to be heard without having the quote-unquote startup and entertainment value. I believe if you bring something of substance, then people will enjoy it, consume it, and then share it.

SPEAKER_00 19:23

Yes, yeah. They'll they'll tell others about it. So let's do a little no-road maps, rapid fire. Okay, okay, here we go. One, two, three, success.

SPEAKER_01 19:33

It is satisfaction. You have to be satisfied with what you do, satisfied with yourself, yeah, satisfied with the product. I have a high bar for myself, so satisfaction for me may not be satisfaction for you, but success is personal satisfaction. A lot of leadership is serving, helping others, you know, and also being willing to do the hard things. Everyone loves to lead when the sun is shining. Everybody loves to lead when you're winning, but you know, sometimes you have to, you know, take the weight. That's the mantle of leadership. They say heavy as head that wears a crown.

SPEAKER_00 20:14

Yeah, yeah, I love that. I love that. And success taught me this. Failure taught me that.

SPEAKER_01 20:21

Success taught me humility. Failure taught me resilience.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

I love it. Last question. What do you hope that people take away after spending an hour with me?

SPEAKER_01 20:35

That if he's special, I'm special. If he did it, I could do it.

SPEAKER_00 20:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

If if he has friends that supported him, I could be a support to someone else. I want them to find their nuggets in what I share. I may not even know what the nugget is, right? But what I want to do is say, hey, here's this gold line. Here's this garden. Come farm it with me. Find your fruit.