Never Throw Away a Relationship: Interview with Clif Smart, Emeritus President of Missouri State University

Several years ago, I interviewed Clif Smart in an interview originally published in Thrive Global. At the time, Clif was President of Missouri State University; he is currently Emeritus President. Here is an excerpt from our interview:

Adam: What is something about you that would surprise people?

Clif: I spent a year living in Kabul, Afghanistan, when I was 12 years old as my father was a Fulbright Professor at the University of Kabul School of Architecture. We traveled throughout Asia then with little worry of terrorism.

Adam: How did you get here? What failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Clif: I’m a lawyer by trade who has lived in Springfield, Missouri, since 1992. This is my first university presidency. The university hired a president who wasn’t a good fit and the individual lasted less than a year. During that time, the provost returned to faculty. [I had been serving as the university’s General Counsel for the previous four years and] the Board of Governors asked me to serve as interim president as there wasn’t a natural number two in place. I thought I would return to my General Counsel job within the year. However, we had a really good year, turned enrollment around, fixed some policy issues, and raised the most money in school history. The board encouraged me to apply for the permanent position and I’m still here. I made a bad cabinet hire early in my tenure and kept him around too long. I learned from that experience to follow my instincts in hiring and be willing to cut my losses sooner rather than later if a poor decision is made.

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Clif: I think it is critical to be both accessible and approachable. People must have opportunities to share their ideas with you and you must be open to the ideas of others. Having processes that give input to all constituent groups is critical in this business. Then, you work to develop relationships with as many folks in the community and government as you can.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?

Clif: 1.) Be genuine. People can tell if you are pretending to be something you are not and they don’t like it. 2.) Hire people who are better than you are and free them up to do their jobs, always having their backs if they fail. 3.) Never throw away a relationship. You never know who will be in a position to help you/your organization in the future.

Adam: How can anyone pay it forward?

Clif: Take the time to mentor young professionals.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Clif: Get on social media! My participation in Twitter and Instagram has helped me to create a relationship with students.


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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