It’s so hard in our industry to “benchmark” things like comp, benefits and work-from-home philosophies, because if you show me 15 teams or firms, I’ll show you 15 different ways to answer these questions. I know the WFH question is a big one, and many teams are struggling with it.

Some people do much better with change than others. It isn’t that they can’t change or they actively resist it. Rather, they experience more fear, more concern and they need more clarity about what the change means to them.

I’m all about trying to build bridges and fix things, and I am also a realist. I often tell clients there is a right way, and then there is what you can get done within your environment. I’ll always lean toward the second one.

Listening is a skill that can be taught, can be learned, and can be practiced. If a client doesn’t think their advisor is really listening to them, they might take that opportunity to find another advisor who does.

If you read my column, you know I am a proponent of following the SHIFT format. First, get the team together to identify who you want to be as a team and what success looks like to you. Make sure everyone is headed toward the same outcome and cares about the same goals.

As the spring session for my graduate class, Leadership Lab, comes to a close I am in Chicago working with middle management leaders in the financial advisory space on leading teams. It seems appropriate at this time to offer some reminders about simple things you can do to be a better leader for your team.

When I teach my graduate classes in leadership, we talk about the essence of motivation. Even the best leaders cannot motivate other people to do something. They can create an environment within which the person becomes self-motivated. But motivation is intrinsic.

Whatever you end up doing, make sure you are authentic and honest in your approach. Clients see right through a request or ask that you are uncomfortable making. You have to know what you want, find words that are right for you, and proceed accordingly.

This week’s column is dedicated to improving two of the most critical skills: asking strong open-ended questions and listening in an active and reflective way. Let’s start with the harder part — listening.

Ask your advisors to do a time tracking sheet for two weeks. This is often annoying to people in the beginning — it’s another thing to do. However, in all cases, I have found it to be eye-opening to someone to figure out where their time goes.

If someone has deeply entrenched views — either to the right or to the left — they are not likely to change their minds because they listened to you. You could definitely offer some education here by talking about the long-term impacts of this war.

You might want to think about what I often call “internal PR”. Your leaders are focused on other things and are likely unaware of all that is happening directly with their advisors — and definitely with clients.

Take an educational approach. Underscore how pleased you are about her energy and excitement and how much you want her to be an enthused member of the team. Perhaps you could guide her on how to find opportunities more aligned with your ideal client focus

Our team at The Collaborative lost one of our long-time coaches this week to cancer. Cathy Manning was not only an amazing coach, she was a dear friend of mine from the time we worked at John Hancock together in Investment Marketing decades ago. This column is dedicated to some of the Cathy-isms I learned over the years watching her adeptly coach our clients.

As long as I have been writing this column and working in this business, I’ve learned there is still a first time for everything — and this is the first time I have ever heard this dilemma from an advisor.

I often offer this advice on dealing with difficult people. We fight hard to change them, but if they don’t want to be changed the only person getting exhausted from the fight is us. Stop resisting and find another way to deal with his behavior.

Bev addresses questions about fairness in compensation and offers strategies for approaching management about solutions.

Dealing with difficult clients is a topic I discuss often with advisors. When a client is being “difficult”, there are a few key psychological factors to understand. I’ve outlined a process below that may help you navigate these high-stress interactions.

These are times in life where any sort of note, acknowledgement or thoughtful gift is likely to be appreciated. You want to be supportive, but you also want to be careful you are taking your client’s feelings into consideration in all ways possible.

Human behavior is far and away the most challenging aspect of any team — large or small. Add in family dynamics, and there is often plenty of “crazy” to go around.

As we kick off the new year, here are some suggestions for areas to focus on with your team in 2026 to build momentum, enhance momentum or change direction

No one can tell you what’s right for you, so don’t take advice from well-meaning people around you. Do your own due diligence and then decide. Often there are no “right” answers — there are only best answers with all things considered.

I don’t recommend running away from things in most cases. As Kelly Clarkson sings in “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”, we want to get stronger by facing things we are afraid of. In most cases standing up to bullies or those people who ridicule you actually feels good.

As 2025 comes to a close, I am using this column to offer high-impact strategies for you and your team to implement before the year ends. While you are likely focused on tax planning, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), and the other client necessities, it is equally important to address the operational and strategic health of your practice.

I am always concerned when partners have disagreements and there is talk about “winning,” which infers those who do not get their way are losers. This is a set-up from the beginning that chips away at collaboration, because one person is trying to show the others that they are right.

Some clients don’t want to expose everything and may find it annoying to be asked deeply personal questions. I do think, with some work, everyone can come around to share more about themselves if they are approached correctly. Here are some suggestions.

This reflective column explores five key life lessons learned over my last year, emphasizing the importance of health, strong family relationships, and giving back to the community. These insights are used to offer financial advisors specific ways to engage clients beyond just investments, by focusing on passions, supporting family goals, and preparing for life's unexpected crises.

Part of growing into a lead advisor role is learning how to coach and develop team members. It involves showing respect and gaining support through influence. Moving from peer to leader is not an easy transition for most people to make.

Remember that people have different communication and learning styles. What works for one person who “gets it” doesn’t work for another. If a message is important, make sure to use several modes of communication — written, verbal and interactive — wherever possible.

If you are not striving in the same direction and the outcome doesn’t matter as much to one as it does to another, the three of you won’t bring about the alignment you seek.

In today's article, I will outline some steps I often recommend when teams are trying to come together and bridge differences in their approaches to working with clients.

If you want to move ahead in your career, remember that, while you need to be authentic and your best “you,” someone is always watching and making decisions on what they see!

An offsite with a great facilitator can be such a powerful experience. Ideally, they are a way to get team members talking about things they might otherwise be uncomfortable sharing with one another. Sometimes facilitators think the “tough love” approach is the best one to get people to see the dynamics of what is going on.

Here are some key areas of focus as you think about solidifying your current team or preparing to transition and join a new team.

I grew up in an era, like many people, where we were told not to talk about politics or religion in the workplace. We were often told not to even do it with friends and family, just to avoid bad feelings and difficult conversations! Now, if you don’t have a point of view and share it, there is something wrong with you.

Other than showing him how this impacts you, there really isn’t a lot you can do. If this impacts you so much you are finding it hard to trust your advisor, it might be time to consider whether this is the right place for you over the longer term.

Whenever there is change, the more people there are who have a voice and are able to understand the reasons for the changes, the more people there are who can be culture carriers to share with others in your firm. This can improve your chances of your team wanting to help make the changes work rather than resist what you are doing.

With Labor Day and the last weekend of summer behind us and September just getting started, this transition article will focus on how to wrap up your year-end to position your team or firm for transition in 2026.

Advisors can learn to grow organically, but not by just being told they need to do it and being given goals to get there. They need support and help, and once they get it, they often enjoy the process and are self-motivated to keep going.

This week’s column will explore the impact on team members and how to navigate a successful transition when your team has become like family and they care deeply about keeping the status quo in place.

Find ways to segment your clients by those who want to be with you physically and those who do not. Have different strategies for how you will engage each group. You can make it work no matter what communication forum you use, even if sometimes it takes extra effort.

I’m taking the chance in this week’s column to share some ideas and best practices. If you aren’t the one struggling to work with a colleague, maybe you could be the “coach” for others on the team and give some guidance

This week’s column is devoted to the advisors over the years who have shared stories with me that have stuck with me. These anecdotes have reminded me we can’t take anything for granted and being safe is better than sorry.

There are times you can’t get someone to see something that might actually be in their own best interest. All you can do is share your viewpoint.

Each month, this column will focus on issues related to advisor transition. One of the most difficult ones is working with your team as you determine how, when, and where to transition your firm.

Most of us grew up in an era in which you simply had to figure things out on your own, but that’s no longer how it works in business today. The stakes are higher, the competition is fierce.

There are a number of considerations to put in place before you start any change effort, transition or project. These can help save endless hours of wasted time trying to undo things that didn’t work or going back to fix it again.

If you are considering merging or acquiring another practice, consider having each party answer some of the following questions to see where you both stand.

When problems arise with colleagues at a firm, it's best to tread carefully and thoughtfully.

The right custodian will be more of a partner than a vendor. Here are some things to consider when making your selection.