I’m Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit, and This Is How I Work
Brad Smith knows karate. Not “business karate” or some exaggerated metaphor for teamwork; he literally teaches karate. At least until he became chairman and CEO of Intuit.
Intuit is a financial software company that owns and operates TurboTax , arguably the most secure way to file your tax return. (I speak from experience as I am definitely not good at money and taxes. Using TurboTax is like playing a soothing video game.) They also own the popular personal finance app Mint and were the early developers of Quicken. However, there is nothing without disagreement; Intuit has been criticized for lobbying against simplifying tax returns . But back to karate.
Brad Smith has been with the company since 2003 and has been the CEO since 2008. He credits much of his success to the discipline he acquired through martial arts training as a young man, as well as the career advice given to him by his father. … We reached out to Brad to learn a little about his background, how he manages his time, and some of his favorite inspirational films. This is how it works.
Location: Mountain View, California. Current position: Chairman and CEO of Intuit. One word that best describes how you work: passionate. Current mobile device: iPhone 7. Current computer: MacBook Air.
First of all, tell me a little about your past and how you became who you are today.
I was born and raised in Kenova, West Virginia, with a population of 3,500, if you round up! From an early age, the community has played a key role in my life. I started studying martial arts at the local dojo as a sophomore in high school, and the discipline I was taught continues to influence my life to this day. After graduating from Seredo Kenova High School, I attended the United States Military Academy at West Point for one semester, but my West Virginia roots brought me home. In 1986 I graduated from Marshall University with a BA in Business Administration with a focus on marketing.
After graduating from college, my dad advised me to always do what makes your heart beat faster. He [also] said that I should always choose a job based on privilege, not role. In other words, look for targeted companies that challenge me and give me challenging assignments to keep me growing. He told me not to focus on the title or the money because over time that would change if I worked hard. In the end, [he said] understand that there will be good days and bad days, but if the good outweighs the bad, you are on the right track.
I learned at an early age through my martial arts training – where, as a black belt and teacher, you measure your students’ performance – that I loved getting things done as a team, not as an individual. This led me to managing people and my first job at Pepsi. I continued to work at ADVO and ADP until joining Intuit in 2003. I have held various positions at the company before becoming CEO in 2008 and Chairman in 2016.
What apps, software or tools can’t you live without?
Time is our most precious and limited resource, so managing my time is my highest priority. The productivity tool that helps me is color-coding my calendar so I can see how I’m spending my time according to my 100-point plan.
I schedule my time at 40-30-20-10: I spend forty percent of my time running the company using work mechanisms and product reviews; thirty percent build the capacity and leadership of our organization through 1: 1 forums, skipping levels and leadership development forums; twenty percent for outside learning by participating with fellow leaders in round tables, forums and boardrooms; and the last ten percent is for personal growth and development, meeting mentors, and learning from others I admire. Color-coding my calendar keeps me accountable and allows me to determine if I’m on the right track so I can adjust as needed.
How is your workplace arranged? Coffee shop with laptop and headphones? Home office with a standing desk?
I have a seating table when I focus on getting work done, a face-to-face meeting table, and a video conferencing screen so that I can meet face to face with people from all over the world.
When I’m in my office, I’m surrounded by photographs of my family and special memorabilia that reflect the impact on my life, such as my framed We Are Marshall poster, the Marshall University soccer ball, and the King Arthur and the Knights model. Round table – with the Latin inscription “leadership through service to others.” My home office is similar, with family photos and autographed photos from my favorite films, including Forrest Gump , The Godfather, and Gladiator . Family and the struggle for great things have always inspired me!
What’s your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?
The advice is simple, but requires a sincere commitment: never touch anything more than once. For example, my inbox gets cleared every day, despite receiving several hundred emails requiring action. It is not controlled or sorted by an assistant. Instead, I practice the principle of read, act, file, or delete. To stay informed, I schedule appointments of forty-five minutes (instead of an hour), which gives me fifteen minutes between appointments to quickly read any incoming messages and act on them.
What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
You can call me old school, but I love pen and paper! If I write something down, I will not forget it.
What device, besides a phone and a computer, can you not live without and why?
Google Home because it has the ability to search Google by voice command. The Conversational User Interface (CUI) allows us to do things faster than ever, from shopping to getting news, and these types of gadgets have won me over. I was just looking for someone who can understand my West Virginian accent and luckily they are getting smarter!
What are some of your best everyday activities? What’s your secret?
I’m not sure if I’m the best at anything, but I write poetry. My wife and two daughters have poems that I wrote for them, framed on their walls. My wife has one that was written before our wedding, and another that I wrote when she decided to leave her profession and become a housewife. All my daughters’ poems were written on the night of their birth. Although not world-class poetry, they are a sincere expression of my love and gratitude for being present in my life and for helping me strive to be better every day.
What do you listen to while you work? Have a favorite playlist? Maybe we can talk on the radio? Or do you prefer silence?
Although I am a musician myself (guitar and saxophone) and I am constantly inspired by music, it takes its place in my life. I usually work in silence, which allows me to focus 100 percent of my concentration and energy on the task at hand. On hiatus or at home, though, my playlist is pretty eclectic: 80s rock, contemporary country, and some classical music thrown in for good measure. Lyrics matter the most to me, so good songwriters are a plus!
What are you reading now? Or what would you recommend?
I highly recommend Angela Duckworth’s book I recently read, Toughness: The Power of Passion and Perseverance . It’s full of amazing, inspiring stories that show that anyone, regardless of IQ, talent, or background, can succeed if they have tenacity – a mixture of passion and perseverance. I’m a big fan of this school of thought – one of my strongest personal beliefs is that it doesn’t matter where you went to school. This book makes all of us outsiders feel as capable as everyone else.
How do you replenish? What do you do when you want to forget about work?
Spending time with my wife and daughters is my favorite way to recharge. I also love going to the cinema. Since childhood, I was touched by the power of films, and I believe that one of the greatest sources of inspiration for me is precisely them.
What is your sleep pattern? Are you a night owl or get up early?
I’ve always been an early riser, so on a typical day I get up early, around 5:30 or 5:45 am, exercise every morning, do the P90X and watch the introductory call [CNBC] . Then I read a couple of newspapers: The Wall Street Journal and the Huntington Herald Dispatch before getting into the office at around 8 am. I usually leave the office a little after 7 pm, come home, have dinner and spend time with my wife. … I’m in bed around 9pm. Here comes the program!
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
My father is no longer with me, but the best advice I have ever received was from him on how to make difficult career choices. He offered three simple guidelines:
- Surround yourself with people smarter than you : According to your dad, this was important in choosing a place to work, because it ensures that you will constantly learn and grow. With this in mind, I have always been drawn to work in organizations where the bar is high.
- Volunteer for assignments that no one wants : Once you find the right environment, volunteer to work on the hardest and most unwanted challenges the organization faces, because that’s where you’ll be stressed out and forced to grow in ways you don’t. planned. Plus, every boss has something that no one wants to do, and volunteering to do it will set you apart and make you a better helper in solving difficult problems.
- Finally, make sure that you can pay your bills: the last thing my dad said – is never to give preference to big dollars and big business card, rather than the principles set out above. He warned that if I did, I would likely find myself in a position where the number of bad days outweighs the number of good ones. When it comes to paying my bills, Dad always kept his promises. For him, the bills were the promise of payment. He concluded by saying, “But always try to make enough money to pay your bills!”