Culture FIT in all its glory.

Culture has been a buzzword for quite some time. I have written articles a couple of articles (“The Right Cultural Fit” and “The Key to Creating a Great Company Culture”) over the past year focused on this concept. Culture is a very important factor because it is in essence the qualitative part of the company, the people agent so to speak, whatever name you give it, it is the things that make it have the “feel” (or as my thirteen-year-old tells me “The vibe”) that people are looking at to determine if there is a fit.

When we look at this through a Financial Advisory practice lens, many of the above factors still hold true. You are looking at four major factors: The Firm, The Team, and The Manager and YOU.

The Firm

The corporate culture of any firm permeates through, and it affects everyone from the top officer to the entry level position. It is often found that even if you have an amazing team and a great manager advocating for you, you will feel the CULTURAL impact from the firm’s culture whether it is positive or negative. It affects the performance and motivation of the individual, the team, or the practice.

The Team

A good team can have a big impact on the successfulness of the financial advisor and their practice. They can affect how client relationships are handled or not handled. It is like glue that helps to keep things in line and together. It is the support system for the advisors and the clients. Additionally, clients will notice if team chemistry is off as most will have interacted with the various members for years. On a positive note, they will recognize it when the team members like working together and have a good synergy.

The Manager

I have been on many calls with financial advisors where they list one of their push factors is the manager. A good manager can be hard to come by and if they are also in production, it can be very challenging for them to insulate and advocate for the financial advisors in the office. I have also had a call where people love their managers and wish they could take them with them but that should not be the reason to stay. As we have seen, this year with different mergers, acquisitions etc. roles can be eliminated and changed very quickly. The managers’ involvement with the team/office/branch is very important. I have talked with placements when we do our check-ins, and they share with us completely different experiences based on being in different locations. Which leads me to my final piece of the puzzle YOU.

YOU

The firm, the team and the manager are all crucial pieces to the puzzle but there is also YOU. When you go through your due diligence process there is you and how you will respond to different people, things, and experiences. This is why when asked by different firms, people, and reporters which firm is best. My response is there is not a best firm, there is only the best choice for the advisor. There are some advisors that the wire house option is the best place and there are some advisors where the independent channel is best. This is why we like to share the fact that we work with a portfolio of firms, and we work to find the best fit for our financial advisors and teams by going through our process. If this article resonates with you, please respond below, message me, or share it.

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