Valerie Woerner
My Home Base: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Current Boards and Committees: Matot, Michigan Ross Alumni Board of Governors, The Capitol Theatre (governance chair)
First Appointment: California State University at Monterey Bay, Business School Advisory Council
Professional Background: I’m a strategic CEO and board leader who transforms businesses using both creativity and logic, utilizing left-brain, right-brain and sandbox skills. Positions held include CEO for Artichoke Industries and Snokist Growers, COO of FarWest Fabricators, CEO and owner of CEO at Your Service, principal of E78 and business professor for entrepreneurship, finance, ag credit and finance, compensation, HR management, venture formation and financial strategy, labor economics and business law at two universities.
Professional Associations: Private Directors Association, OnBoarding Women, A Seat at the Table, Southeastern Michigan Ross Club and Michigan Ross Center for Positive Organizations.
Best Boardroom Advice I Ever Got: The CEO is the captain. Listen more than you speak and give everyone a chance to talk, which minimizes conflict even if not all members agree. Show up, be well prepared and engaged, and ensure positive performance for stakeholders.
Most Difficult Thing About Board Service: One of the difficult things can be an unhealthy corporate culture. It’s imperative that leadership understands the vital importance of people in any organization. Leadership is not just about learning knowledge and skills. It’s doing the right thing in hard circumstances, getting people to follow you and engaging them to be their best selves. Over time and with consistency, trust builds, resulting in positive culture as well as enhanced business results.
Most Rewarding Thing About Board Service: Board service provides the opportunity to share my time and talents to assist companies in numerous positive ways, which provides me with fulfillment and happiness. It expands my professional network, allowing me to learn and collaborate with other professionals, all of which enriches me, the company and all those involved. Studies show that health, happiness and well-being are boosted by sharing your time and expertise.
Book I Think Every Board Member Should Read: National Association of Corporate Directors’ 55-page The Future of the American Board, which presents a framework for governing in the future with focus on purpose, accountability, objectivity and oversight and includes many key questions for boards to consider.
One of my all-time favorite leadership books must also be mentioned, and that is Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life by Francesca Gino, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. This book was stunningly impactful for me given her many true stories such as Blackbeard, an extraordinarily successful English pirate who preyed upon sailors around the West Indies and North America in the early 1700s. He captured many ships by trickery, smart attacks and, importantly, by giving his fellow pirates a form of democracy, allowing the election of captains, a say in all matters for every pirate, limiting his power and sharing equally in the bounty captured. Merchant ships were floating dictatorships with harsh conditions, lack of rights, poor morale and dissent punished as mutiny. Once captured, many joined Blackbeard’s ship.
My Personal Motto: I am passionate about authentic leadership, mentoring, lifelong learning, making positive differences and collaboratively delivering winning strategies that produce exceptional results for companies and individuals that match my personal and professional values.