Clint eventually moved on from his early days in Orangeburg and joined the Navy, spending six years on an aircraft carrier as an electrician’s mate before deciding that life on the high seas wasn’t the one he wanted. He would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from The Georgia Institute of Technology before earning his MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Through it all, Clint learned valuable lessons, like the value of teamwork, and how easily projects can fall apart when teams aren’t working in unison. While at Georgia Tech he began to notice that while many of his classmates were brilliant technical minds they often struggled with interpersonal relationships, including communication skills. Once Padgett entered the real world, he observed those interpersonal shortcomings contribute to failed projects, often due to poor communications. His passion to provide clarity through conversations was born.

They weren’t having the conversation that is so critical to projects getting across the finish line. The one in which everyone claims their part of the project, establishes a timeline that works for them, and commits to doing their part in front of the team. It’s conversation—up-close and personal—that breaks down silos, allows for cross-functional teaming, and ensures projects remain a priority for all involved. When teammates freely make promises to each other, rather than allegiance to a stale process with predictable—often disappointing—results, magic happens. This simple but profound insight formed the backbone of Clint’s business optimization philosophy, and is how any engagement with Clint and Project Success Incorporated begins—with a conversation.