OM DENNE EPISODE
Brad Englert, author of Spheres of Influence: How to Create and Nurture Authentic Business Relationships, discusses his 40-year career spanning 22 years at Accenture and eight years as Chief Information Officer at the University of Texas at Austin.
He reveals how intentional relationship-building became his competitive advantage, transforming organizational cultures through trust, transparency, and genuine care.
He introduces his framework of internal and external spheres of influence and demonstrates how strategic relationship investments, rather than transactional interactions, drives measurable business results, from vendor partnerships to campus-wide technology implementations.
The conversation emphasizes that relationship-building is a learnable skill requiring consistency, vulnerability, and alignment between stated values and lived behaviours.
Key Takeaways
- Relationship-building is a learnable skill, not an innate talent
- Three core principles to building relationships include understanding goals, managing expectations, and genuine care
- Culture change requires leaders to model values visibly and consistently
- Brad's weekly 30-minute office visits, monthly peer meetings, and physical presence during implementations signaled that relationship investment was non-negotiable organizational priority
- Create advocates who recognize your value and create advancement opportunities when leadership changes
- https://bradenglert.com/media-press/
