My son, Braxton, was “forced” into homeschooling this spring. At first, it was a daunting task for all of us. He had to get used to creating some structure, while my wife Amy and I had to become fifth-grade teachers overnight. After a few weeks, we created a system, and it was a breeze. Of course, Braxton did his math, reading, Latin, science and core classes. That was the mundane required work. And in addition to schoolwork, he learned about payables, cash flow, receivables and inventory management. He even (unfortunately) got to see dad lose a deal and get mad. All part of life. From “Zoom-bombing” me on CEO peer calls to listening in on conference calls, he became more and more curious as to how my peers found their individual success. He asked me if he could interview successful people, ask them questions, write down their answers and repeat the process. This spring, I taught Braxton geometry, and Braxton taught me lessons about life.
Each successful person we asked was happy to allow Braxton to interview them. All were honored to oblige and made time for him; more time than we expected. He wrote down his questions on a legal pad prior to meeting with each person. I offered to be his scribe and he declined. They seemed to appreciate his preparedness and lack of small talk. The enjoyment displayed by the interviewees was clearly visible as an 11-year-old asked them questions about their personal stories. Here are some common themes to questions this wise kid drummed up: