Brad Englert

Episode 176 | Sphere of Influence in Action | Brad Englert

Show Notes

How effective is your influence as a people leader? Do you think about it very much? What would happen if your first core value was "Family First" in a competitive talent market where you can't match salaries? Transform your sphere of influence on this episode of the Work Positive Podcast with Dr. Joey Faucette and Brad Englert.

Brad led Accenture for 22 years, 10 as a senior partner, and then served as CIO at the University of Texas at Austin where he influenced technology modernization serving 54,000 students, 4,000 faculty, and 21,000 staff. He's the author of "Sphere of Influence: How to Create and Nurture Authentic Business Relationships." On day one at Accenture, his mentor told him the people you work with today may become your boss or customer down the road, so treat them very well. That advice shaped his entire career.

Listen as Brad explores:

☀️ Why "Family First" became the top value and how promising an 8-hour day competed against tech giants on salary

☀️ How he replaced three direct reports in the first 6-9 months for dishonesty and what that taught about culture

☀️ The dirty little secret that many organizations don't have a strategy despite spending tens of millions

☀️ Why he wrote a weekly 200-word blog for 8 years to communicate values and even apologize where they failed

☀️ How moving quickly on dishonesty prevents issues from festering and setting bad role models

Brad transforms how leaders think about influence by proving that when you articulate values, communicate them relentlessly, and move decisively on integrity issues, authentic business relationships flourish.

🔑 Key Insight: "Trust is fundamental to all business relationships. The first thing we did was articulate the values of the organization. Family First was our first value because I live in Austin, Texas where all the huge technology firms are. I cannot compete on salary, but I certainly can promise an 8-hour day. No one joined the organization without going through orientation where they would meet all my direct reports. We had quarterly meetings where we would talk about the values and give examples of where we achieved those values."

💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Be strategic and intentional about which business relationships you want to create and nurture. Your boss is obvious. Direct reports are obvious. Your customers? You don't have to meet with all your customers. Who are your best customers? Your vendors? Who are your strategic vendors? Just pick a relationship. Start with your boss and ask: 1) What are your goals and aspirations? Do I understand that? 2) Be better at setting and managing expectations. 3) Genuinely care. If you want your boss to be successful, you'll be successful.

Connect with Brad Englert:

• Purchase the book in ebook or audiobook format 
• Schedule time on Brad's calendar for a personal conversation
• Connect with Brad on LinkedIn

Workshops and Coaching:

Brad offers two workshops for clients who want to build business relationship skills:

One Hour Interactive Session - Perfect for one person or small groups. The session facilitates discussions of the core principles of the book and can be conducted virtually via Zoom.

Half Day Workshop - Designed for leaders, managers, sales teams, and professionals who want to deepen their business relationship skills. This workshop includes opportunities for discussions and role playing.

Career Coaching - Delivered virtually for professionals seeking personalized guidance.

Contact Brad:

• Phone: 512.587.7837
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.bradenglert.com

#SphereOfInfluence #AuthenticRelationships #FamilyFirst #LeadershipIntegrity #StrategicRelationships #TrustInBusiness #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive

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📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email [email protected] with your recommendation!

Spheres of Influence: How to Create and Nurture Authentic Business Relationships by Brad Englert

Brad Englert has written Spheres of Influence: How to Create and Nurture Authentic Business Relationships to help emerging leaders develop and perfect what he calls the “critical hard skill” of building effective and enduring business relationships.