Fall in Love with the Process: Brad Dufrane on Hiring, Legacy, and Leading Well
What would it look like if your family had a constitution, a shared document of values, mission, and legacy that guided every generation after you? This week, Jon Goehring and Coach Jim Johnson welcome Brad Dufrane, managing partner of New York Life's Finger Lakes office, 30 year veteran of the financial services industry, marathon and Spartan race finisher, and one of the most genuinely warm and thoughtful leaders the Lounge has had the pleasure of hosting.
Brad opens with the three things he wishes someone had told him on day one of his leadership journey, humility, gratitude, and servant leadership, and makes the case that these are not soft skills but the foundation everything else is built on. He is candid about the fact that none of them came naturally to him early in his career, and shares how intentional work with a positive psychology coach transformed the way he leads both at the office and at home.
The conversation goes deep on hiring and team building, including Brad's powerful reframe of the classic people-first hiring approach. Rather than falling in love with a candidate, he coaches his emerging leaders to fall in love with the process, because a great process filters for the right people every time. He also shares three interview questions he swears by, including one that almost always catches candidates off guard and one that opens the door to the most authentic conversation of the entire interview.
Brad then unpacks the concept of the family constitution, inspired by the book What Would the Rockefellers Do, and explains how his family built a living document around shared values, giving, and generational legacy. He shares the origin story of his family's annual giving tradition, which started with a Saturday morning he almost resented and turned into a 30 year practice now carried on independently by his own children.
Jon and Coach also draw out the connection between Brad's physical discipline, running marathons and completing Spartan races alongside his wife Wendy, and his professional and personal effectiveness. His answer brings the conversation back to the same idea that runs through everything he shares: the difference between living life by default and living life by design.
The episode closes beautifully with Brad answering the same question he asks every candidate he interviews, and his answer is worth staying for.
Whether you are a young leader trying to find your footing, a seasoned leader looking to be more intentional at home as well as at work, or simply someone who wants to build a life and a legacy worth passing on, this episode will challenge and inspire you.
Connect with Brad: LinkedIn at Brad Dufrane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-dufrane-fscp-chfc-clu-clf-lutcf-86499194/
Email bdufrane@newyorklife.com
Grab Little Billy and Beans on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Billy-Beans-Brad-Dufrane/dp/B0C5P7VXN7
