Ginger Walker

Ginger Walker is a Managing Principle at Sterling Commerce, an AT&T Company. In her work she directs sales for the company throughout the Eastern United States and Canada. Although she’s proved herself well in the sales arena, Ginger has also had an admirable career in the United States Air Force. She finished active duty in 1994 as the first female squadron commander for an international NATO wing. At that point, she moved to Rochester, New York to be closer to her parents while she raised her two children, Shaun and Remy, and began her civilian career! Now she resides in Celebration, Florida.

“You don’t get what you deserve in life. You get what you negotiate.” - Ginger Walker

What is your definition of success?

To me it is personal happiness and I bucket that into three categories; happiness, health, and wealth. Wealth is everything from the monetary aspect of having enough money to live a comfortable lifestyle to non-monetary personal wealth in the relationships you have in your life and the enjoyment you find in the activities you take on.

What was one of the biggest challenges you faced transitioning from active duty to civilian living?

One of the biggest challenges that I had going from active duty in the military to civilian living was the lack of camaraderie and lack of leadership I observed. I was absolutely blown away by the lack of leadership when I got into the corporate world.

The other thing that I noticed was the generally poor attitudes of people that I worked with. I remember sitting in a staff meeting and listening to all the whining and saying, “You know guys, a bad day at the office is when you sit down at the end of a mission to debrief and you don’t have the same number of people sitting around the table as you did in the beginning! That is a bad day at the office!” They all looked at me like I was crazy. But, it was my reality. At the end of the day, you’ve just got to suck it up and get the work done.

Having been on both sides of the coin, what is your opinion in terms of “supporting our troops?”

To me, it’s a bit of a political phrase or buzz word because when it comes right down to it, there is not a whole lot that we can do as civilians with the exception of a few things; we should all be hanging an American flag outside and thanking our troops for their service when we see them. I travel a lot now, so when I see a person in uniform I always make it a point to walk up to them and say, “Hey, thank you for your service.” It seems like fewer and fewer people are doing that now though.
There are some organizations you can get involved with though that do letter campaigning and things of that nature. In many cases, they’re a valuable support option as well.

What are some of your hobbies?

I enjoy reading and I’m looking to get back into golf. Now that my boys are both out on their own, I’m getting to that stage where I’m looking forward to getting involved with more things in the community here in Celebration.

Ginger can be reached by email at: GingerAnnWalker@gmail.com

Survival is Not a Solo Act

By: Ben DeGeorge

You can't go it alone. Think about every big successful project you have completed. I bet most of them have been accomplished by working with a partner - right?

A bit of bold truth: Every victorious person has accomplished anything big with a lot of support and in many cases had defined partnerships with others.

I have tried to start projects and businesses on my own and have failed or wallowed in obscurity for too long each time, only to succeed quickly when I have worked in conjunction in some sort of partnership with one or more other people. Our newsletter would not be possible without the ideas, motivation and expectations that arise due to two people running the show together, pushing each other to huge heights.

Over and over again, I see countless fantastic business ideas fail because only one person is at the helm.

What do you want to accomplish? It could be monetary, fitness, social or intellectual success. The best way to accomplish the most with the least amount of stress and most amount of excitement is to have an awesome partner, someone you are close with, who you can trust, who will consistently challenge you and is committed to growing at the same time as you are.

Upon graduation in May, I will be heading out to Albany to bring my family's company (www.st-pauly.com) to the Hudson Valley. Taking a reflective shower one morning, I asked myself why I had failed or succeeded in the past. (It's important to figure this out before starting something really important). The answer that came was that survival is not a solo act. After that I not only decided to write this article but more importantly, decided to recruit someone to be a partner in the business endeavor.

I looked for someone who I trust, challenges me and is as motivated to grow and help others as I am. I found fellow SUNY Geneseo business student, Alex Hillis. We would not be able to build the business properly in a new territory without a partner like him. The excitement for both of us is growing, and I am becoming more thrilled to take the next steps after college is over in May. I am certain that the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts!

How do you want to grow personally and professionally?

Let's look at a hypothetical situation. You are socially a bit awkward and unrefined. You want to become the most outgoing, sociable and likeable person that you know. How do you make the transition to become the best from what some may consider the worst? You find a friend who can accompany you on the journey, someone who already has a social leg up on you and is willing to support you along the way. You set goals and model your actions after your friend, and improve. After a while, people start calling you an outgoing, confident person to your face. You smile and remember the beginning.

Another situation: You have become a bit out of shape, or so your friends joke. You want to become a strong bull like warrior of a man. You find a partner who wants to bike ride the California coast over the summer, and is excited to get into fantastic shape for this bear of a task. You in turn get motivated and start getting back into a routine of daily Spartan exercise.

Countless times you have heard the quote, "Behind every great man there is a great woman."

Now, replace that idea in your mind with a more modern quote; "Behind every great accomplishment, there are two or more people."