Resolutions

These were my resolutions for 2018…

By March I had forgotten about what was on the list. I fell short of the first one but not by much. I failed at the second one and would deem the alcohol and coffee ones a partial victory (the nature of my business involves some weeknights out, I’ve come to terms with it). I did manage to exercise three days a week and feel stronger this year than last year. I did link to a lot less content here on the blog and thought a lot more about what I wanted to draw attention to. The last one, it’s hard to tell whether or not I improved as much as I wanted to.

OK, 2019 resolutions…I’m incredibly intent on building the business right now, more so than on personal stuff lately. I have a big, fat round number of a goal for 2019 and I’m focused on it like a laser. I am SO not f***ing around next year…

So my three resolutions are all business-related:

Close the Loop – finish projects, say “no” definitively to things I don’t want to do, put an end to initiatives and efforts that haven’t led anywhere. I may have to slaughter a few sacred cows this year and have some uncomfortable conversations. I am vowing to do these things so that we can move forward and refocus resources / energy / time elsewhere.

Boss Up – I owe it to my employees, partners and co-workers to be tough when it’s necessary, to be more on top of the firm’s vendors and partners about their obligations to us and to lay down the law about aspects of our business where there might currently be a gray area. I’ve learned that people don’t want unlimited freedom in a work environment, especially young people. They actually crave feedback, guidance and structure. They want to know where they stand relative to expectations and have concrete goals and deadlines to hit. It’s my job to administer and set these things up. I need to get with the program on this stuff.

Promote – I want my people to feel like they’re on top of the world as a result of their association with the firm. I want my team to feel like a conquering army entering a city full of cheering, liberated fans and friends. We’re going to take more of the clients and assets that rightfully belong to us* in 2019. We’re going to save more investors from the industry and from themselves. But it’s not enough for the organization to win big, everyone within the organization must have the same feeling. I’m going to promote that feeling internally, with deeds, not words. We’re making our first new equity partners in 2019, rewarding long-time, loyal employees with stock in the company. That’s just the start…

What are your goals for 2019? Tell me all about it here.

* I refuse to back down from the belief that what we do for clients is better than just about any solution that currently exists anywhere else in the industry. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. And even if I am, we are making improvements to every aspect of our service every single week, constantly thinking about the next iteration, and the next, and the next. In some cases we are inspired by the things we learn from older, larger wealth management firms and in other cases we are struck by ideas of our own. So if I’m wrong today, it won’t be for long. And as such, we are significantly far away from our potential as an organization. As we add more talent and expand our capabilities, the ceiling is nowhere in sight. We’re coming for what’s ours.