Opening a second office to retain a staff member
When a senior staff member said she needed to move from Bundaberg to Brisbane, Leanne Barbara Bull, Dip FP, CFP, simply said, “No problem, we’ll open an office in Brisbane.”...
Tag Archives: staffing
4 ways to reward employees with non-cash compensation
The more engaged people are on your team, the higher their productivity is and the better the culture is all around. We have very high expectations and demand a lot,...
Working well with an assistant
It’s a typical morning workday, and Tam Kim Fang is preparing breakfast for her assistant. The two will start the day by eating together and chatting about the day ahead....
Boosting office morale by giving back to others
When giving back to the community, especially in difficult times, is part of your office culture, it uplifts those you work with as well as those you’re helping. While one person...
Realizing that not every staff member knows what you think they do
One of my staff members is a little younger, and I’ve learned that they don’t always teach you some of the basics in college. We sent out 100 mailings, and every...
Steps to recharge burned-out teams
Even in the best of times, creating and maintaining a high-functioning team is work. When the team is burned out, the task is infinitely harder. But it can be done. Step...
Adjustments to prevent staff turnover
When things go smoothly for a long time, it’s easy to lose sight of how you got to that point of stability. Stuart J. Birkel, CSA, LACP, had spent more than...
Establishing a weekly flex day after seeing work-from-home effectiveness
Team members working at home pretty much every day — other than one team member and myself — gave us a new sense of how much work can not only...
How I’m keeping staff engaged while business recovers
Everyone can feel stressed during a crisis, and that includes your staff. How can you make sure your team stays positive and focused? During a Zoom call on April 28,...
Learning to better understand your staff and how they communicate
We hired a new person for admin in the office. She just joined us, and I’m used to my old way of functioning with my existing staff where I just...
Being flexible and leading by example during a stressful time
I have a small staff, and one of the biggest things I’ve always been an advocate of is being flexible. Now my assistant is at home trying to homeschool a...
Learning not to micromanage
With my team members, I was showing exactly what I wanted done and doing the hands-on training to a level that it was taking away from my time. Then I...
Creating a drama-free office
Ten years ago, Danielle J. Genier, CFP, CLU, had a staff member who loved to gossip. It created tension in the office, and the now-20-year MDRT member from Timmins, Ontario,...
Empower your team to make decisions with three simple letters
When Douglas John Bennett, Dip PFS, had the opportunity to spend five weeks out of the office speaking at three conferences in New Zealand and Australia, he had two thoughts: Sounds...
Time to redefine time
Diane L. McCurdy, EPC, CFP, had a senior administrative staff member who was incredibly organized and upbeat but couldn’t seem to get to work on time. There was always an...
