Many financial planners want to be good at what they do.
Some, however, feel a deeper pull – the desire to become truly great at financial planning.
Over the past few years, I’ve found myself reflecting on what really separates the two.
What is it that distinguishes those who become exceptional?
It seems to me that it begins with the want to. Do you genuinely want to deliver great financial planning?
Once the answer is “yes”, you are already on your way.
Because greatness, as I see it, is not a destination but a path. And it is far more of an inner game than an outer one.
It is the shifts in how you think, see, and show up that ultimately create excellence on the outside.
Financial planners and advisers on the path to greatness:
1. Know their own life is the best example to clients
Are you living the life you want or at least moving clearly in that direction? Are you a living example of what is possible for your clients?
Being your own best client is one of the most powerful ways to deliver great financial planning, because it means you are coming from authenticity.
2. Are client-centred
Most advisers are product-centred or problem-and-solution-centred. Being client-centred means your client – their success, well-being, quality of life, and peace of mind – is your primary concern. You cannot fake this. People can feel where you are really coming from.
3. Focus on serving, not selling
The most powerful way to grow your financial planning practice is to serve people so deeply that they naturally ask, ‘So, how do we work together?’
4. Get coaching
We all have blind spots. These are areas where we lack clarity, have a skills gap, or hold mistaken thinking that keeps us from realising more of our potential. Without strong coaching, the chances are you will keep repeating the same limiting patterns of thought and behaviour.
5. Are not driven by money
It is great to make money. But being driven by it is unhealthy and often leads to burnout because of the pressure and stress it creates.
6. Are continually learning, growing, and evolving
When we commit to continuous learning, we feel more alive and more engaged. Your own evolution is one of the best ways to keep your client relationships fresh, relevant, and inspiring.
7. Make looking after themselves a priority
To show up consistently as the best version of ourselves, we need to keep sharpening the saw. That means paying attention to and nurturing our spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Click here for more on this subject.
8. Are clear on who they can help (and who they can’t)
It takes clarity and courage to commit to working only with ideal clients. Yet when you do, it transforms both your work and your business.
10. Are not afraid to call their clients out
Powerful financial planners and advisers are not people pleasers, nor are they subservient to their clients. As a trusted adviser, they are willing, with permission, to challenge their clients when doing so is in the client’s best interests.
11. Focus on their genius and delegate the rest
Many practitioners struggle to let go of routine tasks and can spend years doing work that drains them. You can only deliver great financial planning by focusing on what you do best and allowing others to handle the rest.
12. Are completely unattached to outcomes
It may seem counter-intuitive to be unattached to outcomes. Yet the alternative is what most people do: try to control life. And that often pushes what you want even further away.
13. Are willing to listen to and follow their intuition
Listening to and acting on your intuition is one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself and your life. The more you trust it, the better both your career and your life tend to become.
14. Love the process of getting clients
Many practitioners experience winning new clients as the hard part of the job. Yet learning to love the hard parts is exactly what puts you on the path to greatness.
15. Bounce back quickly
We all experience setbacks because they are an unavoidable part of life. But becoming more resilient, and taking things less seriously and less personally, is part of our growth. Check out Joe Bailey’s brilliant book, ‘Thriving in the eye of the hurricane‘.
16. Are not afraid of making mistakes
Fear of making mistakes, or of looking foolish, stops many people from reaching their next level. My coach once said to me that to get really good, you must be willing to look bad more often.
17. Do not unhealthily compare themselves to others
The ego is always looking sideways and making negative comparisons. Be inspired by others but stay grounded in who you are and where you are on your own path.
18. Own their mistakes and put them right
Mistakes are inevitable. What matters is having the maturity to admit them, take responsibility, and put things right.
19. Understand that wealth is not confined to money
In the wealth management profession, many people think wealth means financial wealth alone. True wealth just as much includes well-being, quality of life, and peace of mind.
20. Love themselves unconditionally
The most powerful force in the universe is love. Not love in a personal sense, but love as a way of being. Loving yourself, including your imperfections, is essential if you want to experience greatness.
My request is that you give these more than a cursory glance, because that alone will not do much for you.
Instead, reflect on these signs and ask yourself:
1. Where am I on the path?
2. What resonates with me?
3. What am I willing to do next?
You may not agree with every point, and that is fine. Use this list as a starting point for creating your own.
PS. Read about the power of believing you can make a difference. Click here.
