Leading Change

Choosing what to change always seems to be so easy. But making change happen is much more difficult. The solutions are there. We often know exactly what we need to do. The practice management routines have been defined by consultants, published in books, taught in workshops. And even when the problems are so complex, and the answers are not found in a three ring binder, we can use our intellect, our analytic skills and logic to determine what needs to change. There is always some "root cause" lurking behind all of the symptoms we experience. Symptoms if you will, of something more deeply rooted within the system. But still, knowing what to do is the easy part. Leading the change and inspiring others to follow is the hard part.  

Research has shown that individuals who are effective leaders operate at a higher level of maturity. These leaders are rare.  The research in this area has shown that only 10% of adults ever reach this level of maturity, regardless of how long they live. A friend of mine here in Athens, Karl Kuhnert Ph.D., is a Professor at UGA and has dedicated much of his work to Leader Development. He and his colleague Keith Eigle Ph.D. are among a group of academics who are leading the way to a better understanding of how leaders develop and what differentiates effective leaders from the rest. In some academic circles this has been referred to as "Authentic Leadership". Their company The Leaders Lyceum has developed programs that facilitate and accelerate the development of leaders.

The link below is from the recent TEDx in Atlanta (TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design) where Keith Eigle addressed a group of some of the "world's leading thinkers and doers". In this video clip you'll see Keith give a brief overview of what it takes to become an effective leader. The kind of leader who can make change happen. As you will learn from Keith's talk, whether you are trying to affect change at your firm, with your team, or with your clients, the change starts with you.

As for me, I feel inspired by all this new learning. It has driven me to ponder new questions for how I can better serve the the Wealth Management community. I hear in Keith's words something worth exploring further. My colleagues and I have been the thought leaders who have helped to shape much of what we see as the Wealth Management industry today. There is hardly an organization that we have not touched in some way through training or consulting. But yet as we have helped to prepare the professionals with the knowledge, skills and practice management components needed to be effective advisors, it seems that those necessary elements are not in themselves completely sufficient.

So this year I resolve to change that. I pledge to continue my learning and study and I ask you to help me in this endeavor. I will keep you posted here on my learning and findings, and I hope to draw on you as well to share with me what you know to be true. Challenge my ideas. Share your perspectives. Together as a community we will shape the future of the business of advice.

So with this Blog posting I welcome in 2010, and an embark on a new quest, the quest for the "Authentic Advisor".

Watch Keith's video at this link. I highly recommend it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPPuc_UXXk