The CSO Before CSOs Were Everywhere | Adam C. Grant

Everyone has a CSO now. Almost nobody runs one the way the people who built the first ones did. Adam C. Grant helped launch some of the first commercial Commercial Solutions Openings in the country. Here is what he learned, and what he is watching now. Adam C. Grant joins Chelsea Roberts on GovCon Unscripted for a Success After Service conversation about non-traditional acquisition and the long road from active duty to industry. As a contracting officer at Patrick Space Force Base, Adam helped stand up some of the first commercial Commercial Solutions Openings (CSOs) in the country, coast to coast across the launch ranges. In this episode he explains why owning a contracting vehicle is not the same as knowing how to use it, what the consolidation of vehicles into the GSA Multiple Award Schedule is doing to competition, and how transitioning service members should actually prepare for the move into federal business development and capture. You will learn how to read opportunity faster, why six months of transition runway is not enough, the follow-up discipline behind building a real network, and how to think about CSOs in your own capture strategy. Built for capture managers, business development leaders, and federal contractors who want practical, practitioner-level insight. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome and who is Adam C. Grant 01:00 From enlisted Air Force to commissioned officer to acquisition 03:00 Running the first commercial CSOs at Patrick Space Force Base 05:00 Why six months is not enough to prepare for transition 06:00 LinkedIn Premium as an intelligence tool for service members 08:00 Reframing your skillsets beyond the obvious career path 09:00 Why you need two or three champions who will not blow smoke 10:00 Shoot or shoot: the follow-up discipline that builds a network 12:00 Breaking into early-stage investing from outside the major markets 17:00 Reading founders in the first three minutes 20:00 Why a no is not a no forever 24:00 What is changing in business development and capture today 26:00 Vehicle consolidation, GSA MAS, and the competition it creates 27:00 From pitch days to CSOs everywhere 28:00 Why owning the vehicle is not the same as knowing how to run it 31:00 How to reach Adam (search Adam C. Grant) and the 15-minute rule 🎧 Listen now on: 🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFA... Like and follow us: 🔹 YouTube:    / @govconunscriptedus   🔹 Facebook:   / govconunscriptedpodcast   🔹 LinkedIn:   / posts   Follow Adam C. Grant LinkedIn Profile:   / adamchristophergrant   Other resources: https://www.core4ce.com/ #govconunscripted #cso #federalcontracting #capturestrategy #successafterservice