Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard A. Smith.
Hi Richard, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
During my years in school and throughout my career, I’ve always been interested in seeing others succeed.
Others have observed that I am a perceptive listener and a problem-solver. I have a natural inclination to help others. I’ve found that those traits helped me find the path I was meant to travel. As an HR consultant and leadership coach, my work sits at the intersection of human capital and business strategy. I help individuals and organizations find success by aligning them with their core values, defining the behaviors that lead to repeatable positive results, and coaching through actionable feedback to create positive change.
I am not a “career coach,” but rather someone who works with leadership to help them gain greater awareness of their strengths and areas that need more support. I didn’t start out planning to be a coach and consultant. But in my first leadership role, I had responsibility for setting a strategic vision and executing business deliverables and soon realized I’d need to get the most out of my team to achieve the goals set before us.
Developing a business strategy is the easy part. It’s more challenging getting a team to buy into that strategy and see it through. It becomes an even harder task when managing colleagues who had formerly been peers, alongside those who are 15-20 years older. I faced exactly that scenario as an early career manager. I thought I knew myself well at that time. But leadership challenged me in ways that revealed I had so much more to learn about myself, and others.
I began to focus on self-awareness when I received the results of my first 360-degree review. I learned of the areas in which my colleagues and direct reports thought I was doing a good job. And I learned about areas in which I was still untested or needed to improve. It was tough. I realized that the feedback could either knock me down, or I could use it to make myself stronger and better.
Picking the latter, I decided to integrate the information in a way that was purposeful and actionable. I used it to give me insight into how I could better regulate my emotions and reactions to leverage my strengths. I recalibrated relationships that needed to change based on my manager role. I made it clear to those who may have felt uncomfortable reporting to me that I wanted to help them be successful, however, they defined success.
Around that time, I took a skills and abilities assessment to learn how to further build on my leadership capabilities. I scored high on altruism and inquisitiveness and results showed that I have an open and flexible mind. Funnily enough, the assessment noted that “coaching” was a role that matched my profile.
But I didn’t pursue coaching and consulting. It found me.
Over two decades, I worked in HR-related management roles across a variety of companies, including Terex Corporation, Wal-Mart, Roosevelt Thomas Consulting and Training, and Bell Oaks Executive Search. My work focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, talent acquisition, executive search, leadership coaching, HR program design, and training initiatives. In each role, my teams succeeded beyond others. Colleagues frequently asked me how I was able to get people to support certain initiatives and achieve organizational goals.
Eventually, I decided the time was right to put my hard-earned experience into service for a variety of organizations at one time, rather than just one at a time. I founded Benton+Bradford as a consultancy and advisory firm. My first engagement was helping an $8 billion company consolidate, centralize, and manage its recruiting team across seven locations. It took three years to complete the project.
As my clients gained confidence in my ability to understand their businesses and help them through thorny HR challenges, they began asking for help with leadership coaching. It seemed like a natural evolution. Because I understood what they wanted to accomplish, I could identify the leadership behaviors and EQ (emotional intelligence) factors to help their teams get to the finish line.
From my first coaching engagement, I felt like this was what I was meant to do. All the time spent leading teams, from small crews up to groups of 60 or more, helped me develop the skills I needed to outline a flexible, nimble process for helping leaders execute strategic plans, master constructive conflict, and build trusting relationships.
I’ve helped hundreds of high-potential employees develop the skills to reach the next level of management, guided leaders in expanding their EQ to better manage individuals of diverse backgrounds, and equipped executives with tools to better collaborate and build relationships. My commitment to action and positive results has enabled Benton + Bradford to forge successful partnerships with Comcast, Cox, Serta Simmons Bedding, Georgia Power, Google, Meritage Homes, Société Générale, and Truist, among others.
Outside of my work, I’m a dedicated husband, father, and friend.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One main challenge comes to mind with my work: the desire for instant change.
I often get asked, “How quickly will I see results?” The best engagements I have had are the ones in which leaders understand that behavioral change does not take place overnight and requires their commitment to honest and direct feedback. If a manager isn’t able to provide direct and actionable feedback to support our coaching sessions with their direct report, the likelihood of success is limited. If they’re looking to see a difference in a leader in eight weeks, I must be honest. There’s a process to coaching. It’ll typically be six months to a year before you’ll see demonstrable and sustainable change.
That doesn’t mean transformation isn’t happening long before that. But much of the work takes reinforcement and internal mindset shifts. Positive change becomes evident over time. Also, some leaders expect to accomplish a cultural overhaul with one workshop or session alone. It’s a challenge to overcome the idea that coaching can be a one-time thing. I don’t know anyone who becomes great at a skill or fully understands a concept with exposure to it only once, do you?
We’ve been impressed with Benton + Bradford Consulting, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Here’s a fun fact: At Benton+Bradford, there are no team members with the last names of Benton or Bradford. I selected the name of my firm to honor two influential family members whose philosophy – “Life is about people, not plans.” – serves as the foundation of my firm’s mission and vision.
Benton + Bradford partners with clients to help them link their people strategies and initiatives to their organizational goals and culture. We do this through leadership coaching in small groups or individually, human resources program design, recruitment strategies, and diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting. We identify clear goals and align them with actionable strategies that increase business performance.
Our work is not simply episodic or a check-the-box workshop or program. We are committed to helping organizations achieve sustained success. This takes concentrated effort and collaboration. Everything we do keeps our clients’ mission and company values in mind while linking individuals’ accomplishments to overall company strategies.
I am extremely proud that Benton + Bradford has earned a reputation with clients that is built on trust. Our clients trust that we will deliver the results they have asked us to achieve and that their entire organization will benefit from the work that we do together. Whether we are coaching top leaders, developing new hiring and onboarding processes, or demonstrating how respecting individual perspectives can enrich innovation and collaboration, Benton + Bradford’s objective is to improve business results.
The results we can achieve are quantifiable. Here’s an example: We were hired to work with a rising leader who was dubbed a “bull in a China shop.” The organization was not sure he could achieve the goals that had been set for him. They were concerned about his decision-making skills, relational abilities, and focus on the big picture.
After three years of coaching with Benton + Bradford, he was promoted to lead this company’s largest division and had a demonstrable impact on raising the stock value. Also, his team stabilized and no longer experienced attrition. That’s how far the impact of effective leadership in just one role in just one department can go.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
In my childhood and teen years, I loved being physically active. I enjoyed being outdoors, playing games with friends, and participating in sports. I have always been a bit of a talker.
My interest in science started early as well. One of my favorite books was the Guinness Book of World Records, along with any volume of encyclopedia. I loved to learn about meteorology and physical science. That still comes into play in my work today. I enjoy using data-driven testing to inform my experience and intuition.
I also started appreciating great music at a young age, listening to musical scores from movies like “Star Wars” and “Superman”, along with jazz, old-school hip-hop, and house music.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bentonbradford.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bentonbradfordconsulting/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/benton-bradford-consulting-llc/
Image Credits
Jamila Lisbon, ATS, and Société Générale
