I believe I have a superstar team in my firm. This didn’t happen by chance. It’s important to remain open to the possibility and potential of everyone on our team to see where they would fit best, even if it’s not the job they were originally hired to do.
I remember hiring someone who initially thought she wanted to be on the sales side of our business, yet we found later that it wasn’t the best fit for her. It didn’t mean she wasn’t a valuable team member though.
I talked often with her to understand her and her strengths better, and then a service position opened up. One of the greatest things we ever did was move her from a sales into a service role. She is an absolute rock star working with clients. She’s been with my firm almost the whole way, so more than15 years. She’s really the foundation of what we do.
I talk to a lot of financial advisors about their frustrations of hiring somebody for a specific role and then finding out that person isn’t a fit for that role. It’s important to understand all of your team members’ strengths and to be flexible with what position they have on your team. You may find, by changing someone’s position to one that plays to their strengths, they’ll enjoy their job more, which everyone in the office can feel — including clients.
Layne Brown is a 17-year MDRT member. He’s also a Court of the Table member. For more, watch him in “Building a superstar team.”
For more ideas to build a superstar team
- Watch “Hiring good people to develop a great team” (MDRT member-exclusive content)
- Read “The hiring edge”
Thanks