“So, You Think You’re in Control?”

I remember thinking…
“Oh my! Here we go again!”

I’d started coaching the Managing Director.
I really liked him. And we were making unusual progress with reshaping the firm’s strategy.

But now we’d embarked on coaching the team.
Asking them to think about their part in shaping that different future. Their future.

And we were getting kickback. Some didn’t want to think about that stuff at all!
They knew they were good.
So, they just wanted to do their job. Productively. Excellently.
Then go home.

What’s wrong with that? Well, their future for a start!

Renowned leadership author Jim Collins captured it superbly with the term:
‘THE GENIUS WITH 1,000 HELPERS’.

Sadly, it’s the norm in most small businesses – in any sector.
That includes Financial Advice.

TODAY, IT LOOKS LIKE THIS

It’s where the Charismatic Visionary makes all the big decisions. Develops all the important relationships. Attends all the future-thinking conferences.
Then cascades all the supporting work – the non-relationship, non-strategic stuff – to ‘The Staff’.

It’s an autocratic, short-sighted mentality!

It paralyses the development of the potential for genius in every member of that team.
It renders the firm helpless and directionless on the exit of the Charismatic Visionary.

You can see it… when ‘The Genius’ believes they must lead and dominate team meetings.

You can see it… when ‘The Genius’ thinks they must start work before everyone else… and finish work at Silly O’Clock.

You can see it when each team member believes their job is just to do their job well. Nothing more.

You can see it… when ‘The Genius’ is frequently frustrated with team members… who “Just don’t get it!”

It’s what Jim Collins calls “Telling the Time… as opposed to Building the Clock”.

TOMORROW COULD BE SO DIFFERENT!

The antidote is ‘Inspiring Leadership’

It’s where The Genius sees that their primary role is no longer about generating revenue… it’s uncovering and magnifying the genius thinking in each team member.

It’s where The Genius SHUTS UP in team meetings, LISTENS to their team’s thinking… and finally hears that they see possibilities he/she had never thought of!

It’s where The Genius invests time in teaching the team “How to Lead Without Me”. And enjoys time – peacefully, joyfully (without glancing at their emails) – with those they love most.

It’s where The Genius stops ‘Telling the Time’… and starts ‘Building a Clock’ – that ticks and whirrs and chimes gloriously without them!

Of course, the question now is… Which of those two roles are YOU playing?

At Soul Millionaire we love to set aside (1-2-1, Pro Bono) time to really LISTEN to Financial Planning Leaders. Helping them to offload.

They tell us that we help them to think More Clearly, More Courageously, More Creatively.

(It’s called ‘Coaching’. And the results can be life-changing!)

You can book your private Listening Time – your 1-hour Discovery Conversation – right here.

No pressure. Just time to catch your breath. And think!