My dad worked for Nestle for 26 years and ended up being the mayor of our hometown. One of the lessons I learned from him was to never mistake kindness for weakness. Brad D. Smith More Quotes by Brad D. Smith More Quotes From Brad D. Smith The best time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. Brad D. Smith repair best sun time Customer-driven innovation was at the core of Intuit's first product, 'Quicken,' and it continues to guide us as we look to solve new problems in areas like mobile payments. Products like Intuit 'GoPayment' and the IntuitPayment Network are helping small businesses get paid faster, keeping cash flow strong and their business healthy. Brad D. Smith problems look innovation business I tell people: 'Do what you love, but it can also be hard to know what you love early on. But when you think about it and you describe the options, which one gets you a little more excited?' Brad D. Smith do-what-you-love you love people Millennials' tech and global savvy will make them instrumental in shaping our mobile future worldwide. Brad D. Smith make will millennials future Millennials, and the generations that follow, are shaping technology. This generation has grown up with computing in the palm of their hands. They are more socially and globally connected through mobile Internet devices than any prior generation. And they don't question; they just learn. Brad D. Smith generation internet technology hands Good intentions often get muddled with very complex execution. The last time the government tried to make taxes easier, it created a 1040 EZ form with a 52-page help booklet. Brad D. Smith help good government time I was in martial arts starting at the age of 14, and I got my black belt by the time I was 18. Soon after, I was teaching an entire school, with about 150 students. It was unbelievably intense because of the self-awareness part of becoming a black belt. Brad D. Smith black age time school I grew up in a small town in West Virginia called Kenova. It's the city where the plane crashed from Marshall University. I watched the mountain burn, and my cousins were the volunteer firemen. I was 6 years old at the time. Brad D. Smith burn city mountain time I've done a number of things in the spirit of employee motivation. I tend to be a storyteller and a student of history. I often tell stories of great battles, like the battle of Thermopylae, to inspire teams who face what appear to be insurmountable odds. Brad D. Smith face great battle history At Intuit, we've introduced concepts like unstructured time to enable individuals and small teams to be entrepreneurial and identify new processes or product ideas. Brad D. Smith new small time ideas I've always valued and encouraged teamwork, and that collaborative spirit of we versus I is core to Intuit's success. Innovation has been part of Intuit's DNA for nearly 30 years. Brad D. Smith always innovation teamwork success The ultimate proof of confidence for a small-business owner is, are they hiring employees? Brad D. Smith employees proof confidence ultimate The average small-business owner uses 18 apps to run their business every day, and if those applications don't allow data to flow seamlessly and they don't integrate, it's going to become a point of friction. It's going to prevent the small business from being successful. Brad D. Smith every-day small day business I'd say the best way to train someone is to remember that you have two ears and one mouth, and use them in that ratio. That's hard to do, and ultimately what we've learned is how many false positives you get from listening to what someone says they're going to do instead of observing what they actually do. Brad D. Smith best you remember way Intuit's mission, values, and culture of innovation set us apart as a great place to work. Our 8,000 employees are innovators and entrepreneurs that are inspired by the important work they do that is delighting customers and improving the financial lives of millions of people. Brad D. Smith innovation work culture people I used to walk around with a stick. My dad used to call me Moses. It's on a home video. He said, 'That kid would rather lead no one than follow anyone.' I had dogs following me in the neighborhood. I had neighborhood kids coming over. Brad D. Smith walk me dad home I get into the office about 7 A.M., then I usually get out of the office a little after 7 P.M. I get home, I have dinner, then I spend a couple hours with my girls. I'm in bed about 9 P.M. That's the program! Brad D. Smith dinner bed office home I am a dichotomy of tastes. I'm big on water, and I do a protein drink in the morning, but then I eat off the kids' menu after that. So, there's only like six foods I like. I like quesadillas. I like hamburgers. I like sushi. I like pizza, PB&J, or breakfast any time of the day. Brad D. Smith day time morning water I didn't know I'd ever be able to love my second child like I love my first; she came out, and I was amazed I could love them both equally. Brad D. Smith she child know love Many small businesses are running entire businesses from a mobile phone. Brad D. Smith phone many small mobile