What’s Your Next Ambition?

Growth doesn’t just happen naturally but rather needs to be planned. You have to be intentional about what you want to build. So how do you determine the direction in which you should grow? And how do you ensure that you are growing with purpose, not just growing for growth's sake?

Measuring and anticipating your firm's productivity and capacity are critical tasks to ensure your firm remains profitable, even as it scales. So, how do you monitor these important metrics? And how do you apply what you learn about these metrics as you make mission-critical decisions?

Your strategic plan should serve as a guidepost that allows your firm to make the optimal decisions along your journey – even when a multitude of choices are presented. But it’s not a one-time event. You should be reviewing your plan as often as possible – checking benchmarks and timelines, and updating OKRs as circumstances warrant.

What does it take to build an enduring firm? Ultimately, the future success and sustainability of your business will be driven as much (if not more) by your ability to develop the next generation of leaders as it will be by your prowess as an advisor.

Thriving teams require capable leaders to foster cohesion, create accountability and ownership, and capitalize on the particular aptitudes of each team member. Yet, many of the qualities needed in a leader aren't honed during the career journeys that deliver them to this role. So how can you develop and hone those skills?

We've all had the misfortune of being part of "teams" that felt more like individuals loosely bound in name only. True teams require individual accountability but a shared vision, a sense of ownership but also an acknowledgement of interdependence. These are the teams that are most productive, dedicated, and happy. So how do you build teams like this at your own firm?

One of the biggest challenges for any thriving advisory firm is finding time to plan and use the tools with which you can directly impact the future value of your business today.

If building an enduring business – one that cares for future generations (of both clients and advisors) – is important to you, then now is the time to start planning. But what exactly does it take to build an enduring, sustainable wealth management business?

Not every merger or acquisition works. In fact, most opportunities (no matter how excited and engaged both parties may be) never make it across the finish line. But for the right firms with both a strong commitment and a willingness to scale, it can be a tremendous route to accelerated growth.

How will you maximize the value of the business you've spent your life building when it's time to step away? What steps do you need to take to ensure that your fiduciary commitment to your clients never falters – even after you’re gone?

All high-performing advisors will, at one time or another, embrace short-term ambitions that immediately elevate their practice or long-term ambitions that will define their work for years to come. High performers like you want to build an enduring firm, cultivate next-generation advisors and clients, increase profitability and grow enterprise value, monetize your life’s work, and ultimately leave a legacy for your clients, your team, and your family.