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We spent some time with Don Soderquist, retired Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice Chairman of Wal-Mart, Inc. He was able to help grow the company from $1 Billion to $200 Billion, becoming the largest company in the world.
In a twist where the master becomes the student Soderquist shares how he met Sam Walton. Walton was a franchisee of Ben Franklin Stores and Soderquist was the President and CEO. Later, Walton left Ben Franklin to start Wal-Mart, but they kept in touch. Walton continuously asked for Soderquist to join the Walmart team and once Wal-Mart achieved $1 Billion in sales, Soderquist finally left Ben Franklin to work for Walton and later retired as the second in command.
Soderquist focused intensely on maintaining company culture. He had a microphone on his desk that allowed him to communicate with the Wal-Mart staff. On Saturday's he would choose a manager to speak on the Wal-Mart culture in their own words to the entire company.
The foundation for company culture is based on ethics and biblical principles. Soderquist is first to admit that Wal-Mart has made a lot of mistakes during the years, however, during his tenure he never was asked to go against his values. This led him to start the Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics. A center available worldwide that trains executives on the benefits of true ethical leadership. For more information on the center see Soderquist.org.
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