I get the pleasure of spending quality time with really great advisory firms.

Planning Led Firms.

Independent Broker Dealers.

Asset Managers.

Family Offices & Multi-Family Offices.

Alts Heavy Firms.

Advisor Platforms & Networks.

Private Equity Owned, Publicly Owned,Bootstrapped.

And everything in between.

All of them – facing all sorts of challenges.

What is the distinct difference between them?

Some are running out of the burning building, while others are running into the building.

Who will be successful and realize personal and professional success?

I’m sure you know the answer.

The advisory firms whose leadership are running into the fire are going to do more because they are focused on something much more important than the tyranny of the urgent.

They are willing to trade temporary discomfort for long-term progress.

It’s very easy for us to let fatigue, disillusionment, disagreement, or an outside party (custodian, tech provider, etc.) be the reason we don’t gain ground. It’s always easier to blame someone else; take your ball and go home.

I know you have things that are top of mind to remedy, problems to solve, and conflicts to address.

The best way to make progress is to face the challenges at hand, is to tackle them head-on. A core process not working? Write down each step, figure out where it’s breaking and manage it to completion. A key person not performing? Get eye to eye and be honest about what you’re experiencing. A technology not working as expected? Get dogged and figure out why. Don’t put off something critical without a clear plan to address it as soon as you can.

When you see the fire, gather your courage, take a deep breath and lead.