The Place: Genuine Joe’s

The Cup: Coffee for me, and, this is a first, cranberry juice for my new pal, Brad.

Background: Cup  55, Joey McGirr said Brad was someone I really needed to get to know. Strangely enough, it wasn’t the first time I’d been given Brad’s name. I presented at a training event hosted by Cup 5, Steve Harper a few months back and during a bit of Q&A someone asked how I got my meetings with strangers. I explained they were all introductions from friends or former strangers. At the end of the session, a man who had been sitting in the front row slipped me a piece of paper with a name on it and a phone number. (Wow, it’s been a few years since that’s happened.) I assumed it was his own, but later learned it was not. Long story short, the name was Brad Closson and front row dude knew him and thought he’d make an interesting coffee interview.

He was right! But before we get into it, let’s cover some:

Common Grounds

1. How did you make your first buck? Mowing lawns. 
   
2. What’s a food you can’t live without? Pizza.
3. What is your favorite way to unwind? Going to the movies.
4. What is the last thing you fixed? I put in a new garage door opener.
5. What was your favorite TV show as a kid? Star Trek (THE ORIGINAL, he added emphatically.)
6. What’s the best place to eat in Austin? Chuy’s if you want the “Austin, Tex-Mex, take guests from out of town spot”. Otherwise, Brick Oven Pizza – specifically the one on 38 1/2 Street. I always get The Hawaiian.
7. What is something you’ll regret not doing if you don’t do it?  Taking my daughter back to China for a visit.
8. What is the best compliment you ever got? That I’m a good dad.
9. What is your guilty pleasure? Chocolate.

Lamoni, Iowa. Who’s been there? I haven’t, but after hearing about this quaint town that Brad grew up in, I feel like I have been.

Brad is the middle son of parents who met in Lamoni, at Graceland University. His dad was a professor and administrator at the college for 22 years. His grandfather, who was a professor for 28 years at the college, also met his sweetheart, Brad’s grandmother, on the campus. Since 1920, there have only been four years that a Closson has not been at the college. There is a gymnasium named after them, and even a fraternity. It’s a family tradition and a family business.

Brad assumed he’d wind up a professor there as well, someday. But after he’d checked the “marry the college sweetheart you met at Graceland University” box, his new wife was accepted into the graduate program at the University of Texas. So, in 1986, off to Austin they went.

In 1989, Brad became a dad, and wanting to be closer to family, he decided to go into business with his dad. Pops has left the college at this point, moved to Kansas City and started an Information Management consulting business. Brad and his family moved north and for the next seven years, Brad worked alongside his dad, assisting schools and businesses with technology, strategy and process development.

During that seven years, unfortunately, Brad’s marriage unraveled. But fortunately, he’d find love again. They didn’t meet at Graceland University, they met in Kansas City. But, she had gone to Graceland and, interestingly enough, her parents, you guessed it, met on campus. How’s that for craziness!?! Just one more level of WOW! She was from Austin, TX. Seriously.

In 1996, Brad found himself back in Austin, working in software development management. 2003 was the year he and his wife adopted a daughter from China and  in 2006, Brad bought his dad’s consulting business, and was once again working with business owners and executive teams to develop strategies for growth. His dad is still his business partner.

I’m curious about Brad’s business philosophy and what makes it different from the other experts out there. Not only do I get a stellar explanation, it came with an acronym and drawings!

Brad believes that what any business needs can be summed up in four areas and it’s called SOAR. Strategy, Operations (Plan), Accountability and Relationships. He and I talk about the fact that traditional training and consulting is very heavy on strategy and then they add in a sprinkle of operations planning, but very few talk about the people (relationships) part that everyone knows is so critical. And certainly, the most looked over of all – which also happens to be the least fun – accountability. Brad adds, “Strategy without a plan is a wish, and a plan without accountability is a piece of paper.”

It could be argued that many consultants hold the accountability keys. Without them, the likelihood of lasting success is miniscule. I ask Brad about this and he is quick to tell me, “I teach people the skills they need. I ask, ‘What’s the shortest, most elegant way clients will not need me anymore?’ and we execute that plan. Teaching them to fish, so to speak, is much more valuable than doing it for them.” It may not be the most profitable business model, but at this stage of his life and career, Brad says he’s more motivated by the intrinsic rewards that come from this approach and from truly helping people than he is by money alone.

Brad then shares another business philosophy about building lasting connections. He wrote a great blog post titled, Are You Planting Seeds or Growing Trees, that I encourage you to check out. Essentially, Brad believes (and I tend to agree) that you don’t need thousands of people in your network. You don’t even need hundreds. What you need is a a handful of people who adore you, are crazy about what you’re doing and support you no matter what. These are the folks who’d support you through company changes, career changes and life changes. They are the folks you could call at 2am if you had an emergency. By the way, that’s a revealing exercise. How many people, that you aren’t related to, could you call if you had an emergency at 2am? I hate to admit it, but my list is short. Really short. Like, zero. I’ve got to work on that.

If you like the way he thinks, Brad wrote a fantastic book on the topic of networking with perhaps one of the greatest titles ever written, Humans, Fire and a Room Full of Socks, that I know you’ll enjoy!

If happiness were the national currency, how would Brad make his living? He’d write children’s books and he’d golf. Interestingly, his life has been full of both activities. He is the author of 13 children’s books, with titles like A Walrus in the Lunch Line and A Monster in My Sock. And since he discovered the sport as a freshman in high school, Brad has been a “golf fanatic”. Over the years, he’s coached both at both the high school and college level, he’s taught golf lessons, he’s run a pro shop and he was even the General Manager of Plum Creek Golf Course in Kyle, TX when it was just getting started. In fact, he named the holes. Cool! He also wrote a golf book called, On the Fringe. 

In addition to writing terrific books, he enjoys reading them as well. Two of his favorite titles are Illusions, by Richard Bach for a great life-in-general sort of book and for business, Start With Why, by Simon Sinek. Brad says he’s discovered that many people he begins working with know what they do and most of them know how they do it, but not many can articulate why they do it. Simon Sinek urges people to first figure out WHY and then answer the other two. Very interesting.

What’s the biggest issue facing society today, in Brad’s view? It’s a lack of connectivity. Brad says people’s values are not in the right place and that in America specifically, we are far too focused on “stuff” and the illusion that more of it will bring us happiness. Brad tells me, “We’re chasing the wrong things. More stuff will not make for better lives.”

Brad lobs a question of his own at me and after I give him my answer, I toss it back. He asked, “What is your recipe for happiness?” His answer is the “Circle of Life According to Brad”. “Relationships, experiences and growth. Everything I do has to hit one of these,” he says, adding, “the more I can hit, the better. If I can get all three, it’s the pinnacle.” Brad says we should wake up every day saying, “I want to grow today!” When he’s presented with an idea or an opportunity, he asks, “Am I going to grow by doing this? Will it help me with my relationships? Will I enjoy the experience?” His decisions are made for him by the answers.

All of us have things that we believed to be true for a long time, but we now know differently. For Brad, it’s the idea that by just working harder on something, it can be fixed. He used to get very wrapped up in this and would work, work, work at something, and then be frustrated with himself when it was still broken in the end. He’s learned that some things can’t be fixed, no matter how hard you work at it. And the lesson, he says, “has been liberating!”

If given 30 seconds to make a speech to the world, Brad would have this to say: “The most valuable thing in the world is people. Spend time connecting and most all of your needs will be fulfilled. Most people, if they’d simply connect with each other, would have better jobs and more opportunities. If you don’t know what to do, find out what people need and then help them. Be open. Make this your whole point in life and vow to stay connected.”

Brad is proof that when you put relationships first – when you plant trees – you reap the rewards, professionally and personally. Opportunities to connect with people are everywhere. Be open to making connections. Start with a smile. Tomorrow, smile and then add, “Hi! How’s your day going?” It’s not hard, but the impact can be huge. One of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned from this Coffee With a Stranger project is that we all start out as strangers. Every single person you know, at some point, was a total stranger. Don’t let another day go by without connecting with the people around you and adding trees to your grove. And then take care of your grove – let them know how much they matter, show them your love and support them no matter what. Then tell them that if they ever needed someone to call at 2am, you’re tops on the list.

To learn more about Brad, follow him on Twitter or check out his website.

If you enjoyed this Coffee With a Stranger interview and want to be sure you never miss a cup, head to Facebook and “like” the 5 Year Project page.