Whether the discussion is about training, coaching, or consulting on roles and responsibilities, the topic of behavioral style – that is, sameness and differences – often gets missed.

It’s taboo in many cultures to admit you might want to have a life outside of your work, so a lot of people keep it to themselves because they don’t want to be seen as weak, or uncommitted.

I love questions like this one – the chance to think creatively and brainstorm “what could be” without the stress of having to do something right now. I have some suggestions to start thinking about what you could do when you have more latitude and less financial responsibility.

In many situations, my clients will tell us they hear “crickets” when they ask for feedback. In large forums many people are simply uncomfortable bringing things up.

No coach is going to be able to work well with your team unless you are very clear about expected outcomes. What will success look like in working with the coach?

This week’s column is devoted to brushing up on what you know you need to do well — and making sure you are actually doing it!

I work on facilitation and teambuilding quite a bit with teams of all sizes, so I am always either coming up with my own new ideas for engaging options or scouring the market to learn what others are doing.

The person has to be open to listen, learn and see how their behavior is not serving them and why they need a new approach. They have to want to figure out how to change and they have to be desirous of trying something new.

If you want to get someone’s attention and influence their thinking to gain traction with your idea, you need to get into their shoes enough to present a case they can understand and relate to!

The most important thing when it comes to managing your time, priorities and life is to get your priorities straight in the first place. It can be helpful to think in categories: work, family, spiritual, health, charitable inclinations and so on.

A manager’s role is to build upon their employees’ strengths, help them see how they can improve in areas where they are already strong, and make shifts in areas that aren’t working as well for them.

When one is running their own business, it can be easy to try something, and if it works, then great; if it doesn’t, then you simply move on to the next thing.

How to overcome obstacles when your firm is growing too fast and bringing in too much business?

I just completed a coaching call with an advisor I have worked with for many years. In his honor, I will profile a bit of the journey we’ve had together to illustrate how every advisor (yes, every single one) can learn how to sell effectively and do so in a comfortable manner.

Is it possible to run a firm with someone you don’t like?

Now that our merger is taking place and we have a clear set of steps to take, six people who were not involved in the decision-making process are pushing back on everything.

I’ve been through several excellent management training courses and seminars during my 25+-year career serving the advisory profession. But I always walk away with the feeling that I’m too nice.

How can we ensure cultural fit when bringing on a junior advisor to help with succession planning?

Using time in all the best ways possible should be a lifelong goal and something you want to encourage your clients to think about too.

I cannot get away from the feeling of guilt that I am sacrificing time with my children to run this business.

This week’s column shares some ideas around the importance of a unique learning environment and gives you some insight for your professionals to improve their skills and reach higher levels of excellence.

“Sometimes I don’t even know why I am invited to the meeting, and even after it ends I don’t know why I was there!”

I want to hear from you whether it is wrong to believe that numbers matter most and not everyone should try to be a psychologist with their clients.

Here are seven ways to be great at sales for those who don’t consider themselves “salesy.”

I’m running a large firm, but one of my weaker members is my son.

As the year starts off in full force, I am already getting multiple requests to work with managers and help them develop their leadership skills.

I’m going to ask about a hot topic but also a touchy one: diversity.

What if I like running my practice the way we are right now?

I’ll share my top 10 areas of focus where I see advisors receive the highest gain for achieving success and potential ideas for you and your team this coming year.

Our support team – assistants, ops and general relationship-management support – does not share in the overall comp of the firm.

How do we best go about a celebration and do planning so our team doesn’t think we are all about what’s next?

What is the best way to go into performance-review discussions so team members share their experiences and are not worried about their futures?

I enjoy my work under normal circumstances, and I appreciate my clients. But this year faking happiness over material things isn’t in my DNA.

What are some of the more unique gifts or events advisors are doing for clients?

How do I instill strong management skills in my next-level management team?

I’ll share some important insights gleaned from many decades of working in the advisory profession and being both an insider and an outsider.

Is there a graceful way to explain to clients I’m not the person making these decisions, and that I understand the impact, without betraying my firm and aligning fully with clients?

Here are my seven keys to emerging as a leader.

What’s hard for me is how often my wealthy clients don’t want to spend at all.

I have a client who is 79 years old. He is on his third marriage to a woman who is 40 years old.

One of the most frustrating things I encounter in working with prospects for our advisory firm is the lack of response.

We have been given the mandate to show our capabilities by growing our books of business to “earn the right” to work with clients.

I’m finding it hard to reconcile this.

Let me share some reminders about what needs to be in place for team members to thrive and stay inspired.

I lost my dad, Alfred Munro Flaxington, this past weekend.

Why is it so hard to gain the confidence with my existing clients that I have with prospects and raise their fees?

A marketing firm is helping us rewrite our copy on the website and producing some marketing materials. But the question coming up from my team is, “How do we turn this into an elevator pitch?

I’ll share some of the insights my team has gathered in 2023.

I’m having a hard time helping the senior advisor see that I have insights and ideas.

It would seem I would wake up every day excited and ready to greet the day. But instead, I find I am dragging myself out of bed dreading what’s to come.