Brad Smart

Bradford D. Smart, Ph.D., is the president of Smart & Associates, Inc., based in the Chicago area. A well-known industrial psychologist and consultant with nearly thirty-five years in practice, he has worked with dozens of major companies, including General Electric, Bank of America, and John Deere.

Brad completed his doctorate in Industrial Psychology at Purdue University, entered consulting, and since the 1970s has been in private practice as President of Smart & Associates, Inc., based in the Chicago area. Brad is frequently acknowledged to be the world’s foremost expert on hiring. As a consultant to GE, Brad taught Jack Welch Topgrading methods, which led to many other companies embracing Topgrading. Brad has conducted in-depth interviews with over 6,500 executives. He is author of seven books and videos, including:

Topgrading for Sales, June 2008 release

Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching, and Keeping the Best People (the world’s bestseller, of 1,400 books on hiring)

The Smart Interviewer

Smart Parenting: How to Raise Happy, Can- Do Kids (co-author with Dr. Kate Smart Mursau, 2006 release); originally entitled Topgrade Your Kids!

Brad has helped companies Topgrade by assessing and coaching teams, conducting Topgrading® workshops, and providing books, handbooks, and videos to help clients Topgrade on their own. The resulting improvements in company performance have been featured on the cover of The Wall Street Journal, in many Fortune articles, and on CNN.  Click here to read and watch press about Topgrading.