Wisdom From The Top with Guy Raz Why to Put a Chink in Your Own Armor: Brad Smith (Intuit)
Jul 10, 2024
Former Intuit CEO Brad Smith shares how vulnerability and failure are key to leadership. He transformed Intuit into a cloud-based platform, emphasized a startup culture, and learned from a $40 million mistake. Smith navigated tough decisions with compassion, evolving the company culture and emphasizing transparency in performance reviews.
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The $40M Mistake That Led To Promotion
- Brad raised $40 million to build an internet payroll product and sold only 15 units, proving the distribution hypothesis wrong.
- He told the board what he learned, and they promoted him to senior VP instead of firing him.
Choose Growth Over Title Or Pay
- When choosing a job, pick the role that makes your heart beat fastest and surrounds you with people smarter than you.
- Avoid accepting positions solely for title or pay because those change over time.
A Mayor's Authenticity Lesson
- Brad asked his father why he used the word 'ain't' in public and his father replied that authenticity makes leadership attainable.
- That lesson shaped Brad's belief that leaders should be authentic and vulnerable.