Congressman Dave Brat from the 7th District of Virginia

I had always wondered how successful I could be at having a “nonpolitical” interview with a politician. Well, I had my chance on March 26, 2018 when I had an opportunity to interview my Congressman from the 7th District of Virginia, Dave Brat.

How did I get the interview?

In the months leading up to the interview, I had been trying to reach Dave Brat’s staffers. One day, I happened to be at a lunch meeting at Tavern 19 at Independence. A half hour later a guy who looks just like Dave Brat walks in. Of course, it was Dave with some of his staffers and some local government officials for a lunch meeting.

There was an opportunity for me to introduce myself and meet Congressman Brat. During that brief conversation, we closed the deal for me to interview him at a future Authentic Interview™.

Not That Easy

I’ll tell you right now, having a discussion about leadership with a politician is no easy chore. I invite you to watch the video below to see how I did.

What Did I Ask Him?

Among the 25+ questions I asked Congressman Brat, here are just a few:

• Who influences and inspires you?
• How do you keep from letting politics get in the way of making true leadership decisions?
• Why did you agree to do this interview?
• What does it mean for a leader to be authentic?
• Then, I ask a question that stumps Congressman Brat.

My takeaways

Here are some of the key highlights I took from this interview:

• “Sometimes you just have to go for it to see what happens.”
• “You need a strong support system in politics or you will get crushed.”
• Dave’s predictable principles.
  • Votes are based on the logic of Adam Smith and James Madison.
  • Have predetermined principles and to be consistent with the principles that you follow.
• “It’s a good thing not to have an easy life so that you can learn how to have a better life.”

What did you get from the interview?