Is Your Extroverted Darth Leadership Style Sabotaging Your Business?

March 30, 2012 by Simon · Leave a Comment

(20th Century Fox)

When you’re an extroverted behavioral style and your teammates are introverted behavioral styles, a common mistake the extroverted style will make is thinking that the introverted style can adapt to an extroverted behavioral style… they can’t.

Having said this, the extroverted behavioral style has to adapt to an introverted behavioral / communication style in order to communicate, lead and motivate them.

If one doesn’t, then the extroverted behavioral style is going to appear as a very extroverted, patriarchal and arrogant style to the introverted behavioral style and what the introvert will do is just shut down.

Hence, the harder the extrovert pushes the less likely the introvert is to respond to their style of communication.

So what your teammates need is a leader that catches them doing things right which segues off the One Minute Manager.

Compliment them on the way they answer the phone or the way they prepared a file, as examples.

The way to improve performance is to let your teammates know in advance that you plan to have a review meeting with them in 10 days to 2 weeks’ time.

Remember, they’re more introverted in their communication style and they do not want to be put on the spot.

Let them know that you’re going to do a review meeting with them and that you’re going to talk about what’s working, what needs to improve and you want their input.

Again, on the spot is not going to work and it won’t create a lot of rapport; it will create a disconnect.

So, back to letting them know that you want to have a review meeting with them in 10 days to 2 weeks’ time …

Let them know that you’re going to talk with them about what’s working well, what needs to improve and what help they need from the company in order to make improvements to go to the next level.

For best results after you talk with them about having a review meeting with them in 10 days to 2 weeks’ time, send them the following questions so that they have them in writing. This enables them to prepare in advance of the review meeting in 10 days to 2 weeks’ time. The questions are:

What do you like best about your job?
What do you feel happiest about in respect to the accomplishments that the company has made in the last 90 days?
What do you like best about the improvements that you have made to your job in the last 90 days?
What improvements do you believe the company can make going forward?
What improvements do you believe that you can make going forward?
What help do you need from the company to help you to do a better job?
What are the action steps that you can take?

It will set the stage on how to prepare for a quarterly review meeting.

When you’re doing the meeting you let them answer each question first.

You can surely lead the meeting but you ask them, what do you believe is working well?

Let them answer the question.

Give them the time to answer.

I highly recommend that you use a voice recorder for this meeting and then have someone typeset the minutes which is going to integrate what the team has learned through the process and it’s also going to document the action steps.

One thing you’re going to have to understand here is you’re going to need patience. An extroverted behavioral style can appear to be quite impatient and you’re going to feel like you need to hurry this process along and, if you do, the bottom line is the introverted behavioral style is going to feel like a thing and they are just going to shut down.

They’re just going to be workers and they are not going to necessarily contribute.

They’re going to feel like, why should they, because they’re not heard.

This whole process is to allow them to feel like they’re included so that they can get heard.

On a day-to-day basis, start the first meeting of the day by asking them what their priorities are for the day.

Allow them the time to answer.

Remember, the extroverted behavioral style has a mind that has a Pentium 12 that is going to think in a microsecond; allow the introverted behavioral style time to think and contribute.

Once they’ve contributed, then say, hey, I’ve got some ideas I’d like to share about how we can re-prioritize the day to best suit our clients’ needs.

Now it becomes a collaborative approach.

This strategy works a lot better than walking in and saying, do this, do this, do this, do this… Again, the introverted behavioral style is just going to feel like a thing and they’re not going to respond to you. Worst case scenarios: they’re either going to start to sabotage their work because they don’t feel acknowledged so they will attract recognition in a negative way, or eventually they will just quit.

Filed under: Communication & Team Building
Tagged: Financial Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Coaching

Financial Advisor Coaching Is About The Joy That Follows

March 9, 2012 by Simon · Leave a Comment

Enthusiasm and joy are contagious. Give someone the bug.

I recently had an experience during a client call and that was feeling the joy of a client’s experience as a result of them being fully engaged in the coaching work that we’re doing.

His success is not only because of the type of person he is but also because he engaged in the coaching process at an entirely new level.

He brought his heart and soul into it and it shows.

The difference between the clients that get results from coaching and those that don’t are, the clients that get results are committed and the clients that don’t are only interested.

Interest versus commitment shows up in every area of one’s personal and business life.

Those that are committed follow through and do whatever it takes.

But this isn’t about the coaching; this is about the joy that follows.

Catch the bug. Pass it along.

Filed under: Vision & Planning
Tagged: Financial Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Coaching

Announcing Leading Advisor’s 11 New Coaching Web Site Pages

February 27, 2012 by Simon · Leave a Comment

Here is a milestone that we have been working on since last summer. If you don’t get the words right in your business plan and web site, you might build the wrong business.

Our new coaching web site pages with related videos help financial advisors to discover the Inspirational Clear Your Roadblocks™ Coaching Program and the Scientific One Page Business Plan™ Coaching Programs that we offer.

Here is an overview of the pages and the links:

Coaching Landing Page

Clear Your Roadblocks™ Coaching Program

One Page Business Plan™ Coaching Program

Filed under: Uncategorized
Tagged: Financial Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Coaching, Leading Advisor

Reflecting Back My Client’s Thoughts During Market Turmoil

September 22, 2011 by Simon · Leave a Comment

Here is a copy of an e-mail to one of my clients after our call on September 22, 2011.

Dear Joe Advisor,

Thank you for today’s coaching call.

Please remember to realize that you are the vessel through which all communications flows, one cannot be of service feeling guilt for things that are beyond their control and it is best to focus on what one can control and create, remember your Value Proposition, all the value ads that you bring to the table, that you are doing your best and that at the end of the day, the client has free will to choose what they want to do or they can accept this excellent advise from you;

“At the time of the market turmoil in Sept 08, some said the wrong thing to do was to stay put, this turned out to be the right thing to do.”

Thanks for the opportunity to be of service.

Simon

Filed under: Advisor Stories
Tagged: Financial Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Coaching

Do We Ask For Coaching Testimonials To Make Us Look Good?

August 22, 2011 by Simon · Leave a Comment

I was following through on our Tips To Speed Up Your Client Testimonial Process and the following thought came to mind as I was writing to ask a client for their permission to share their words with perspective clients that we are speaking with.

Asking our clients for testimonials is more about Declaring and Dedicating the progress that they have made and the value that they have received than making us look good.

So following through on our Tips To Speed Up Your Client Testimonial Process here is what we are doing in real time …

Hi Louisa,

I hope that all is well with you.

I’m following up on the two questions that I asked you; what did you like best about the coaching and what did you receive that you didn’t expect … with the intention of declaring and dedicating the progress that you have made and to offer your words to prospective clients that we are talking with.

At the same time, ask you to engage your best clients in the same way by asking them the same questions to enhance your inspiration.

May I have permission to share your words with prospective clients that we are speaking with?

Kind regards,

Simon

Here are Louisa’s words;

“I like being accountable to somebody. I know that our work has helped definitely to refocus me and I believe in the process and I’m in alignment with everything you say. I am very committed to leading a value-based life and having a business that’s based on my values. I know that I built a business that way before and I’ve gotten off track so it’s really bringing me back to center. It has been very worthwhile. Everybody could use your help.”

Louisa Zerbe
Edward Jones
Qualicum Beach, BC

Filed under: Testimonials
Tagged: Financial Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Coaching

You Are Not A Bloody Financial Advisor Juke Box!

July 6, 2011 by Simon · Leave a Comment

I jokingly told one of my clients that they are “Not A Bloody Financial Advisor Juke Box!”

This was after my client was explaining that they were not feeling well over the past week while they were working on three large cases at the same time.

I asked them when they were going to get some free time and my client remembered that they had the upcoming weekend free … except for a family reunion … that would be fun … until the subject came up around money and that their family would all want to talk about their investments that they have with my client.

I suggested that my client announce to their family in a jovial way early on at the reunion that “this was a financial advice free zone” at the family reunion and that they all knew the office number and that they would be happy to talk about investments at the office.

Filed under: Advisor Stories, Financial Advisor Stories
Tagged: Financial Advisor Coach, Financial Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Coaching

Leading Advisor Distinctions

March 29, 2011 by Simon · Leave a Comment

The following distinctions in this blog are an adventure. These distinctions are to help you see and experience subtleties of language — we call these distinctions. Please use it to increase your own awareness and the awareness of your friends and clients.

Please don’t take everything in this blog literally. Rather, simply try on the distinctions and see which ones fit. Please ignore what does not work for you.

Regarding usage of these distinctions, the first of the two words or terms is generally the better, stronger, more useful one. Usually, nothing is “wrong” with the second word or term; it is simply weaker or less inclusive.

Offer expertise versus prospecting
Take a genuine interest versus building rapport
Set a target to sell twice the quota amount versus selling to meet quota
Seek to serve versus using sales techniques
Seek to educate versus attempting to sell during the appointment
Be graceful and very professional versus being pushy
Expand the potential customer’s vision, expectations and goals versus touting just features and benefits
Feel motivated by how many lives you make better, sale or not versus getting pumped up to sell
Develop 20% of your customers to refer lots of business versus relying on leads from promotion
Generate interest continually versus marketing and prospecting in cycles

These distinctions were inspired by the Distinctions for a Richer Life, developed by Thomas J. Leonard, Linda Talley and Coach U, Inc.

Free One Page Business Plan Webinars May 11^th & 26^th – Register Now!

Announcing Leading Advisor’s One Page Business Plan^(TM) Free Webinars and the One Page Business Plan^(TM) Webinars!

“If you don’t get the words right, you might build the wrong business and may never get the numbers right.”

The dates for the One Page Business Plan^(TM) Free Webinars are:

Wednesday, May 11^that 11:15am EDT
Thursday, May 26^th at 12:30pm EDT

Who should attend?

Do you have too many scattered ideas?
Do you need to focus on a few?
Do you need to jumpstart your business right now?
Do you have no time or interest in writing a 50 page business plan?
Do you need to determine if you’re focusing on the right things?
Do you need an effective blueprint to keep yourself and team focused?

Then consider a fresh, simple approach to business planning that will enable you to focus on what is important…the One Page Business Plan^(TM) – a powerful tool for building and managing a business. It’s short, it’s concise, and it delivers results quickly and effectively. There can be no question as to where your business is headed when it is in writing, especially when you have the key essentials about growing your business clearly specified on a single page.

Is this another ho-hum course on business planning like the ten others you have attended – no way! I know how to capture the essence of any business in just a few minutes using the innovative key word and short phrase techniques using the One Page Business Plan^(TM).

To Register for the One Page Business Plan^(TM) Free Webinar:

Call Laura at 250 248-6012 / 1 877 248-6012 or e-mail Laura at lreilly@leadingadvisor.com and you will receive your GoTo Meeting Webinar Link, Phone Number and Access Code.

Wednesday, May 11^that 11:15am EDT
Thursday, May 26^th at 12:30pm EDT

Filed under: Uncategorized
Tagged: Financial Advisor Coaching, Investment Advisor Coaching, simon reilly