Not many people can say they’re prepared for anything, from a presentation gone wrong to tripping over someone’s feet. Mark Bradburn can. That’s why he’s the co-managing financial advisor and founder of The Bradburn Group at Morgan Stanley and High Point University’s Wealth Management Innovator in Residence. His ability to prepare, among other things, has led to his success as a financial advisor.
He recently returned to campus to share some of the things that have enabled his success with students. Here are the top five takeaways:
1. There’s no formula for success. All the little decisions add up.
“There’s lots of little things that contribute to success. People ask, ‘why are you successful?’ The answer is that I work really hard,” he said.
“At 5 a.m., January 1st, I send out all my annual reviews. Every single client gets a report personalized by me,” he said. “If you’re another advisor that doesn’t do that, you’re in trouble. I’ve just set the bar.”
2. Show people they can trust you.
“If you say you’re going to do something and you don’t do it, that’s the greatest way to destroy trust,” he said. “If you say you’re going to do something, you better do it exactly the way you said you’re going to do it, because people expect that. You’ve sold them that.”
3. Be prepared. To succeed, you have to plan for every possible outcome.
“There’s a quote from the greatest hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretzky. He always says, ‘Skate where the puck is going.’ What that means is to plan for the future. Figure out where things are headed, and be ready for it; adjust and adapt.”
4. Strategic decision-making is important. What choices are you making to achieve your goals?
“One of my strategic decisions was that I used to get into the office before my manager got in. Then, I would leave 15 minutes after he left every day. Why 15 minutes and not two? Because what if he forgot something, and he turned around, and he saw me instantly? We need to take a forward-looking approach.”
5. Be accountable. Dreams are in your head; goals are on paper.
“Once you put something on a piece of paper, that’s gold. When I ran track, above my bed, I used to have a time that I wanted to achieve. And I looked at that time every single day when I woke up and when I went to bed. It took me a year and a half to run that time, and when I did, I went over, and I tore it off. That was a goal,” he said. “Put your dreams on a piece of paper until it’s an actionable goal. Then you have accountability. Then, you can hold yourself up to a standard.”
Mark Bradburn is a part of HPU’s Access to Innovators Program, which invites leaders across industries to campus to advise, speak to, and mentor students. Students have unique access to figures such as Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple, and Netflix founder Marc Randolph. This program is one of the many ways HPU is uniquely equipped to develop Life Skills in students as they prepare to lead in their future careers.