Brad Rateike: To be successful, figure out people’s why

I genuinely enjoy meeting new people and asking questions about what they do, not necessarily for a living but also in their free time. I have been married for nearly 10 years, and my wife would prefer that I stop asking her “getting to know you” questions as well as “what are you doing tonight” despite the pragmatic swap of information involved. I believe it is a style preference, so it is good for her that she does not have to tell me more than 10-15 times before I take the hint and my questions elsewhere.

A few weeks ago, I attended Rally, an Indianapolis-hosted conference focused on innovation and technology. The host, Elevate Ventures, an organization focused on empowering entrepreneurs through investment and collaboration, brought many business owners smarter than me together to share stories of success, challenges, opportunities and perseverance. I can spell most of those words on the first try, but I was immediately humbled as I met people who are thinking big thoughts about big things, amidst adversity of all kinds, much of which I did not know existed.

The keynote speaker for one day of Rally was Alex Rodriguez (known as A-Rod), a former Major League Baseball player who has invested his personal wealth in entrepreneurs and many other business ventures. The woman who interviewed him on stage asked him not only about what he had done post-baseball but also about why he had chosen to diversify his investments into enterprises that were not always obvious “winners.” Know thy audience.

It is easy to say that if any of us had hundreds of millions in net worth, we might take some risks like A-Rod, though he admittedly was not cavalier about any of it. Sure, he was an athlete, but after hearing his words, it is evident he was always a businessman. I may not tell this next part exactly as it happened, but I will share how I remember it: A-Rod was asked to give advice to be successful. He said that he believes the key to building net worth is the depth and breadth of an individual’s personal and professional network. Wow … and phew.

As someone whose athletic “career” peaked in seventh grade in Little League, I was thankful to hear that. The phrase “it is not what you know, but who you know” is about the concept of being intentional about how you spend your time with people and how you meet new people. A-Rod was not preaching about how to be a “user” and leverage acquaintances but instead about understanding the human capital of deposits and withdrawals and why those relationships, when appropriately cultivated, become the foundation of professional success.

My takeaway from A-Rod was not that we should size up our friends and wonder who can do something for us and/or who is strategic to spend time with. Instead, I heard A-Rod highlighting the importance of being curious and perhaps learning about why people do what they do—and most importantly, what makes them happy.

I know that elite baseball talent is not coachable (tried it, failed, have the empty trophy shelves to back it up). But I also know that doing right by your current friends, making new friends and offering to help them is always the path to follow—in bull and bear markets.

Some may call this a Hall of Fame strategy, though I am obviously not on the Cooperstown committee. Thank you, A-Rod. See you at the next Rally!•

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Rateike is founder and owner of BAR Communications and served as director of cabinet communications for President Donald Trump. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.

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