Beverly Flaxington is a practice management consultant. She answers questions from advisors facing human resource issues. To submit yours, email us here.
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Dear Bev,
My staff complained for a long time that we weren’t sharing information. After a lengthy search, in which I included most of our staff, we agreed on a system and paid for consulting and installation. Now we have installed a new CRM tool, but no one is using it. They offer excuses: it is unwieldy or they don’t have the time. How do I get them to use the system that they asked for in the first place?
Michael B.
Dear Michael,
This sounds like a “be careful what you wish for” response to your colleagues! I wonder whether they were really asking about something else that was answered by the idea to put in new technology. In other words, rather than a new system were they asking for more meetings? More opportunities to work together? More insight into what’s happening in the firm and why? It sounds to me like the original complaint about “sharing information” could have been a more in-person, information sharing request rather than a request for new technology.
That said, they system is in place and you’ve paid for it, so let’s look at ways you could maximize use. You mention consulting but you didn’t mention training. This is one of the main areas I see overlooked when firms are installing a new system, particularly a CRM. You want to avail your team of any training from the CRM vendor. It works best to assign someone within your firm as the point person and “expert.” Anoint someone to be the liaison with the vendor and become an expert at helping others in the firm learn the system.
Aside from training, the other common problem is lack of reinforcement and accountability. If there is no downside to not using it and no upside to using it, they won’t bother. Most people don’t need another thing to do in their day. To increase adoption and usage, it has to become part of the firm standards. Pull reports, reach out to people to ask why they haven’t updated information, have meetings where you review information from the system. The more you make the system a centralized part of what you are doing day-to-day, the more people will be compelled to use it (as long as they are trained on it).
Dear Bev,
I work in a large financial services firm. My boss doesn’t know what he is doing. I spend all of my time covering for him. What if I just stopped? Would it reflect badly on him or on me?
B.I.
Dear B.I.,
This is a question that would take several hours of research to answer. The correct response is “it depends.” It depends on a great number of factors. As a rule of thumb, it is typically best to do whatever you can to make your boss look good. I have seen few situations where bashing or undermining the boss gets you anywhere. I realize you are not suggesting this; you are just suggesting ceasing to “cover” for him, but the result could be the same.
While it is frustrating to work for someone you don’t respect and that you believe is less skilled than you are, it’s always politically important to remember that the organization put that person in charge. Someone in an even higher position than your boss saw fit to make him a leader of some kind. It can actually reflect badly on the higher-ups if the boss fails. I think this point often gets missed by top-performing people. They think because they have done well for so long that someone will listen if they complain about their boss or make him or her look bad. This can happen -- which is why my original answer was “it depends” -- but it doesn’t often happen.
Overall it’s important to realize that technical knowledge, being good at what you do and providing a service to your employer, is not enough. Knowing the politics of your organization, recognizing the impact of human behavior and understanding that people do things not because it is “right” necessarily, but because it’s what makes sense to them, are keys to success as well.
I completely understand your frustration and I’ve seen many people in your situation but I strongly recommend you continue to be a team player, support the boss as best you can and keep a good attitude. Most of the time a bad boss will eventually cycle out and hopefully someone better will come in to work with you.
Beverly Flaxington co-founded The Collaborative, a consulting firm devoted to business building for the financial services industry in 1995; in 2008 she co-founded Advisors Trusted Advisor to offer dedicated practice management resources to advisors, planners and wealth managers. She is currently an adjunct professor at Suffolk University teaching undergraduate students Leadership & Social Responsibility. Beverly is a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (CPBA) and Certified Professional Values Analyst (CPVA).
She has spent over 25 years in the investment industry and has been featured in Selling Power Magazine and quoted in hundreds of media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, MSNBC.com, Investment News and Solutions Magazine for the FPA. She speaks frequently at investment industry conferences and is a speaker for the CFA Institute.
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