How to Add Value Early in Your Career

11-04-2025

The Daniels School of Business proudly welcomes Bradley Wendt as one of its newest Business Fellows — a professional whose depth of experience spans both public and private sectors at the highest levels. A senior consultant to Charles River Associates, he leads complex consulting engagements in fixed income capital markets, securities pricing, and broker-dealer compliance. His illustrious path includes serving as managing director at Goldman Sachs, co-founding the leading wealth management fixed income trading platform, and acting as senior advisor to the Under Secretary of the U.S. Treasury for Puerto Rico’s $75 billion bankruptcy.

A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Wendt began his career leading astrodynamics software development inside NORAD’s Cheyenne Mountain. He later earned two MBAs — one focused on marketing from the University of Colorado and another in finance from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Over decades of executive leadership, Wendt’s approach to business — and now as a Business Fellow — remains steadfast: spirited focus, hard work and a commitment to accelerating the next generation’s career success.

Across his 30-plus year career, Wendt has learned that early success depends less on titles and more on adding value. Once a candidate has landed a position, he explains, “You have an obligation to provide the organization with as much value as possible.” He advises young professionals to view their performance through this lens: your goal is to deliver results worth multiples of your salary. Being proactive — checking in with supervisors, staying organized and volunteering to take on responsibility — earns long-term trust and accelerates growth.

Wendt emphasizes one of the most overlooked disciplines in business: managing up. His favorite tactic is simple but powerful: Let your manager know when you’ve completed your assignments and ask, “What else can I help you with?” This not only signals initiative but subtly helps managers stay organized while building their perception of you as indispensable.

His guidance for job interviews is equally practical. When an interviewer asks, “Do you have any questions for me?” Wendt says most people miss the opportunity. Instead of offering a generic question or answer, he suggests replying with enthusiasm and clarity about the value you’ll bring: Explain the three reasons you’ll drive impact for the organization starting tomorrow. “It’s a trick that works, and it shows you understand business and value creation,” he says.

Wendt also encourages young professionals to seek mentors, observe people who excel and attach themselves to worthwhile leaders. Apprenticeship, he says, is a lost art: “In any field, you learn by watching how great people perform.”

Finally, he urges professionals not to chase the next paycheck at the expense of long-term growth. “Everyone thinks they can just bounce around for more money, but you run out of runway,” he says. “Build depth before you make a move and only take risks that create real opportunity.”

As part of his fellowship, Wendt plans to bring his insights into the classroom, developing a course that pairs essential business memoirs — like Shoe Dog by Phil Knight — with discussions about resilience, innovation and leadership. “Reading about how entrepreneurs overcame setbacks,” he says, “teaches lessons you can’t learn from a checklist. It’s how you really understand business.”