Brad is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley. He is now working on his second charity project on the Pilotlight 360.
What is your greatest professional achievement?
I’ve worked at Morgan Stanley for the last 27 years. I’d say gaining the title of Managing Director and remaining an important contributor to the business has been my greatest achievement professionally.
What does success mean to you?
Being successful, in my opinion, is all about being a solid contributor to a team. Even if you fail at a task, there are often successes within that failure, which, if recognised, can be very helpful in achieving results in the long term.
Who’s most influenced you in your career and why?
My family has been the largest influence in my career. They have always helped me keep a balanced perspective on what is really important to me.
Why did you become a Pilotlighter?
Morgan Stanley was looking for senior leaders to take part in the Pilotlight 360. Actively giving my experience and time to help others is very important to me so I signed up.
What keeps you working with us?
I’m enjoying learning how to be an effective mentor. I also take great pride in seeing the impact I’ve had on the charities, it is incredibly rewarding.
Tell us one thing you’ve learnt through working with us.
Being a Pilotlighter has made me understand just how difficult it can be to be an effective charity. There is so much dedication and commitment required that many smaller charities struggle to just keep their organisation running. They need help from objective, experienced people like us Pilotlighters.
What’s been your biggest challenge?
I’d say the biggest challenge so far has been to really understand how to best help the charities. Our role as Pilotlighters is to advise and coach, not to give instant solutions.
What’s been your biggest surprise?
I’ve been surprised with the impact that just being a ‘sounding board’ and a trusted adviser can have. A project with a charity on the Pilotlight 360 lasts for between 10 and 12 months, and in that time a charity experiences a significant amount.
Has working with charities inspired you in any way?
Absolutely. Seeing first-hand how charities can benefit from the support Pilotlighters provide has really motivated me to giving even more of my time to help.
Has being a Pilotlighter influenced you in any other area of your life?
I’d say that working with Pilotlight has helped me to be more tolerant and understanding.
Do you feel the charities you’ve worked with through Pilotlight have maximised the opportunity, and were open to change?
There’s a great deal of pressure on the charities I have and am working with to change, but the challenge of being truly effective takes time to bed in. I’m looking forward to the six-month progress meeting with Blackburn Youth Zone to see what change has been implemented since the project ended.
What one question would you ask the next Pilotlighter (who does a profile)?
How did the skills within your Pilotlighter team help the charities you’ve worked with?
