Name: Richie Jimmy Walia, DTM, Bec

Title: Founding Partner

Organisation: Walia Evolution

Business Owner. Pruworks Specialist. Insurancepreneur. Author Of 12 Books. Distinguished Toastmaster. Motivational Speaker. Wellness Enthusiast.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

We’ve gone through the interviews and asked the best of the best to come back and answer 7 MORE Questions on Leadership.

I hope Richie's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers, and other stakeholders?

With God's Blessings! I have been running my Business now for 11 Years, and yes, as a Business Owner, I need to make sure to handle everything well.

I build trust by being able to give the best service to all my clients and partners in my Business. At the end of the day, My Business is all about SERVICE SERVICE & SERVICE.

People will only trust me when I can deliver my promise to them and give them the best service possible, This is my key in building trust.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

Vision to me means, what do you want your Business to be in the future, and what you want to be remembered as.

In this day and age, there are so many people who may be running a similar business with yours or they are in the same industry as you, what makes you different is your Vision, and to stick by it.

I have a Vision to always give the best Service to all my clients to be remembered not by the number of clients I have but the amount of Service I give, and to be able to help people through what I do.

Mission: To be a Leading Agency of quality Service and bring Impact through my Industry. To me, Vision & Mission are both important, it reminds what made you decide to do what you are doing in the first place, so yes, it affects the real world, and people will always see if you are True to your word.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

By being a good example! They need to show their professionalism, because as the saying goes Action speaks louder than words.

If you, as a leader, can set a could example, the people you are leading will be empowered and they will be motivated and Inspired to be you.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

I am a lucky Man! I Started my Business at the age of 17 and I have always had a good mentor by my side who happens to be my Father I run the same Business as him and he has always been there for me and I have also always been there for him, we work well together and are very similar with one another.

We help each other to be better and support each other to be the best.

For us, we just always support based on our strengths; that's what makes us a good team. One Story that I can't forget was about the fact that when I was 15 Years old, My Dad came to me and asked me, What is your passion? I Answered I am not sure Dad, let me get back to you on this, and then he said don't worry, You are 15 now so I want to tell you this "What ever is your Passion Follow your Heart and do what it is you have to do and what feels right to you"

I got back to him after a day and said to him "Dad my Passion is Helping people, I love to help people every chance to give them a Small Impact, Medium Impact or Big Impact in my life, After thinking about it I realized my Passion is in the Insurance Industry what you have been doing for so many years? Because I find the industry interesting and I feel I can Learn fast about and help a lot of people."

My Dad was shocked, He didn't expect that to be my answer but then he was like "Alright, Like Father Like Son I guess" That was the best decision of my life today, we have helped so many people supporting Hundreds of Clients, paying countless Insurance Claims and giving the best service possible.

God Blessings! That is the power of the right mentor and the right guide. If you don't have one, make sure you find one.

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

I actually Belive that it is just about loving you do, for me when I work I don't feel as though I am working I feel it is my calling and my purpose to do what I do, as long as you feel like that you will Focus no matter what happens.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month, and years ahead in your role?

Well, one thing for sure, I focus on a week first, then a Month, and then the next year.

One thing about me is that I don't think too much about the next year when the current year has not even finished. So I take it by the real day.

For Example right now is 2024, I am still focused on what more I can do for 2024 because my Business is fully Running till 31st Desember 2024 and the 4th Quarter is most hectic and crowded Business Quarter for me, once it's 1st of Jan 2025 from the first day I start my plan for 2025 and focus on it and execute everything till the year ends.

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

BE SMART! DON'T DO EVERYTHING ON YOUR OWN. When you are a leader, you have a team; this is not a one-man show.

You need to delegate so that you can work more. If you put too much pressure on yourself, you will never be able to be Efficient.