Episode 230 – Embracing Forward-Thinking Strategies and Big Picture Vision

Episode Transcription

This is the Ultimate Advisor Podcast, the podcast for financial advisors who want to create a thriving, successful and scalable practice. Each week we’ll uncover the ways that you can improve your referrals your team, your marketing, and your business operations, helping you to level up your advising practice, bring in more assets and create the advising practice that you’ve dreamed of. You’ll be joined by our hosts Bryan Sweet, who is moving fast towards a billion dollars in assets under management, Brittany Anderson, the driving force for advisors looking to improve their operations and company culture, and Draye Redfern who can help you systematize and automate your practices marketing to effortlessly attract new clients. So what do you say? Let’s jump into another amazing episode of The Ultimate Advisor Podcast.

Brittany Anderson 1:07

Hello, Brittany Anderson here. Welcome to the ultimate advisor podcast. I’ve got Draye Redfern with me, I’ve got Bryan Sweet here with me, as always, we’re gonna dive into the top advisors are forward thinking and big picture focused. So I thought that the perfect person to talk about big pictures to talk about thinking forward is none other than himself, Mr. Bryan Sweet. Brian, I would love for you to talk a little bit about your role as a visionary, and how you tend to see that trait not only within yourself, but in a lot of the guys that you’re close with your study group, guys, people that you really connect with in the industry that also produce really exponential results. So I’d love for you to kick us off today.

Bryan Sweet 1:58

Well, sounds great, Brittany, and thank you for for that. Yeah, I think the visionary role is is one first of all that I think every firm needs to have. So I’ll just talk kind of general things. And then I’ll get into some specifics with some of the traits of people that I like to associate with. So I think first of all, if you don’t have a visionary or really know where you’re going, any path will get you there. So I think every firm needs a visionary that can guide the direction of the firm. And I think one of the key things is you just need to make sure your team knows what that vision is, and that they buy into the why of that vision. So one of the things we’ve done in the office, and we’ve talked about before, is we’ve created a vivid vision, which is our three year vision of the future. And it’s written out, it’s got colored pictures describes in great detail, what that looks like. And one of the issues that happens with visions is if you don’t constantly keep it front of mind, you can stray and end up doing things that aren’t part of the things that you actually need to do to get to where you want to go. So one of the keys is, once you create a document like that, and ours is a very multiple page document, if yours can simply be the front page of a yellow pad. But the key is to read it daily and make sure your team reads it daily. And it’s amazing, once you kind of have that to memory, that all of the things that you need for help to get there just seem to pop up because your mind is looking for that stuff. And it just jumps out at you. And you know, right when you need that magic potion, it seems to be there just amazed at how often that actually happens when you are constantly aware of different things. You know, as far as my study group and forward thinking, one of the traits that I’ve found that successful advisors have is they are always looking for what’s the next vision or what’s the next iteration of my firm. And one of the things that we do in our study group is we talk a lot about that at our different meetings and, you know, where do you want to be and why do you want to be there? And I think it’s just really critical to always know the why. And I think if you kind of pay attention, and you talk to or you ask a lot of questions of, of some of the top advisors in your firms, or that you’re aware of, and you ask them the importance of being a visionary or thinking about the future, they’ll tell you that’s really critical. And I think the other thing that you also need to be aware of when you’re forward thinking is things will change. So you’ve got a picture of what it looks like. But you’ve got to be able to kind of go with the flow, if you will. So if you need to take a left turn, you need to, you know, be able to feel comfortable about change, and so does your team. And because the only thing I know of that’s constant is change. And one of the terms that I’ve really gotten comfortable liking is the term is called being comfortable with uncomfortable, because things do change an awful lot. So they get us started. Anything else that you’d like me to comment on that? Brittany?

Brittany Anderson 5:35

No, I think that’s good. And I’m so glad that you brought up the concept of the vivid vision because, from my perspective, I want to honor some of our listeners who I know are in the operations or the second in command type role. And when you know, Brian, as you’re talking and sharing and, and kind of talking about that constant forward thinking and having that that vision outlined and trusting the journey a little bit, being able to maneuver from an operations or a second in command standpoint, it can be really, really tough to constantly work with somebody who is a forward thinker. And the reason for that is because they’re looking forward, they’re, they’re on to the next thing. So you have a major milestone you hit in the company, you have a big goal that you hit, or you have some team accomplishment together, forward thinkers often take like half of a millisecond to honor that, that accomplishment. And then they’re on to the next thing, right, they’re on to the next thing, and they’re excited about whatever else is in their path or part of the journey. So part of your role, if you’re listening from the operations, and even as a financial advisor, or as a primary in the company, is it’s, it’s awesome to be forward thinking, it’s great to be a big picture person, but to have somebody on your team who can kind of reel that in a little bit, and celebrate, right? Honor those moments that you make those big accomplishments and get your team excited, because they oftentimes need that celebration, and they need that moment of pause. So not everybody on your team is going to be as much of a forward thinker, as the top advisors are. So just taking that and really reeling it in and making sure that you pause for a moment to celebrate those big wins. That’s what helps you build your culture. So Draye, you know, you and I, I’ve got to bring you into this because you and I’ve had the absolute pleasure through different connect connections that Brian has made, through different advisors that we’ve had the pleasure of working with, is we’ve really been able to see the traits of these top advisors and see what differentiates them, because differentiation is such a popular conversation these days. So Draye, I think that I would love for you to talk a little bit on what you’ve seen in our industry, when it comes to being forward thinking and just not ever being complacent not being stationary in their efforts. I’d love for you to elaborate there.

Draye Redfern 8:03

So there’s a lot of things there actually, and working with a bunch of advisors over the last handful of years, the commonality, I think that you see as not being an advisor, but knowing the advisor mindset and seeing how they work and working with them. And these sorts of things that many advisors are growth oriented, but they have such a strong focus on like downside risk protection, because that’s what they have to do on a daily basis. And that also sort of stems into that the way in which they operate their business at the same time. And so forward thinking is good and being big picture focus is good. But you’re exactly right. Bernie, there has to be like a component of that advisor in which the implementation of that forward thinking actually occurs. But not getting too stuck in the weeds on what if this happens, and what if that happens? And what if that happens? What if this happens because we could What if ourselves to death, there’s a quote that I love, and it says you can’t be free without uncertainty.

Brittany Anderson 9:00

Hey, Brittany here, stopping and pausing for a moment to talk about something that we’ve had so many of you inquire about and that is our ultimate advisor, mastermind. Now, I’m going to start by saying if you are not a growth minded individual, if you are not somebody who’s focused on taking your business to the next level, if you’re not focused on engaging your team, and helping them to help you in turn, level up the business, the service model, how you provide that wow experience to clients. If those things are not your focus, just fast forward right now, because the ultimate advisor mastermind would not then be for you. However, if you are looking to take your business to the next level, if you want to experience exponential growth and feel supported along the way, if you want to start working smarter and not harder, if you want to help your team members to work within the God given talents that they were provided, and use those skill sets in a way they haven’t yet to help support you in your business, to help them realize their biggest goals, their biggest dreams. If you want creative approaches to marketing, I know that can be an intimidating word. But we’re not talking here about the fancy Facebook stuff, or, you know, the latest and greatest, but rather looking at how you can market what you do, how you can express how you’re different, and how you can truly differentiate yourself in a crowded market space. If those are problems you’re looking to solve, then you absolutely want to go check out ultimate advisor mastermind.com, to learn more about how we can help you on your path and journey to growth.

Draye Redfern 11:00

And the reality is that when it comes to growing a business, or really doing anything with success in life, there’s a certain amount of uncertainty that goes along with it. And so forward thinking and being that visionary is absolutely integral in order to build that, that business that you’re looking for. But obviously, that comes with uncertainty. So that’s one thing I want to like at least bring up, at least initially, is it don’t like a lot of people have great visions, and they’re excited about it. But they get slightly derailed because of the what if what if, what if, what if, or someday I’ll you know, someday Island, they end up end up on Sunday Island, and they never actually get to their goals. So the next thing I think it’s worth mentioning there is a lot of the forward thinking advisors embody a concept that Zig Ziglar coined a long time ago, is B do have is that they step into that role of being that visionary of being that person, they become that person, and then they do the things that that person would do they lead, you know, maybe it’s better leadership styles, maybe that’s onboarding, the second and command to help, you know, tighten up operations and efficiencies, doing the things that an elite advisor would do. And then obviously, if you’d be it, you do it, you have it. But I feel like there’s a certain amount of visors that get sort of stuck in those middle or that first or second one that sort of maybe hinder some of those, maybe success on the back end when it comes to having it. But you know, before we sort of throw it back to you, Britain, I think there’s also another quote that I love from Oliver Wendell Holmes. And it says that once a mind has been expanded, it can never return to its former state. And so by being around other people, like Brian mentioned in study groups, and continually being forward thinking, you’re expanding your mind, and when you expand your mind, and that sort of way, you can’t go back to having a smaller mind, you can’t go back to thinking smaller like you did previously, you’re thinking bigger, and you’re taking actions to make bigger moves to think bigger in the bigger picture. And to have more words, more forward thinking in your operations and practices. So there’s a lot there to unpack. But I think that like the idea of actually being forward thinking, and the execution of that are very closely tied. And if you can be it, do it and have it, I think that’s where we’re gonna see a lot of our advisors really get a lot more success that they’re looking for.

Brittany Anderson 13:17

I think it was interesting Draye, because we did not talk ahead of time, about the beat, you have concept, right. Ziglar quote. So interestingly enough, absolute financial, on the bottom of our staff meeting agenda that we have approximately once a month, that actually stated right there b Do you have, and it’s that constant reminder. So I think that just brings up kind of a good point here. And that, you know, when you’re looking at especially the characteristic within this 12 week series is all built around the characteristics of top advisors. So when you’re dealing with being forward thinking when you are big picture focus, having something to remind you of the reason that you’re doing that, right, having something that reminds you constantly of why you’re striving for more and kind of why you are the way you are, I think that is so important. And then by sharing that with your team, it really kind of drives your point home because it gets everybody on board. You know, Brian talks a little bit again about that that vivid vision and making sure that you have that in black and white in print, so that you can share that so that everybody knows the common mission that they’re going towards. So before I kind of tie this all together and wrap this up, Brian Draye, anything else that you guys would like to add? Just along the lines of being forward thinking and being big picture focused?

Bryan Sweet 14:37

Really, you made me think of one really important thing, and that’s the importance of planning. And one of the things that we do for clients on a regular basis has helped them plan to meet their goals, dreams objectives, and schedule things out and help them get there. And I think it’s just critical that you also Do that for yourself in your own business. And that’s really part of being a forward thinker is thinking about the future? And what do I need to do today, tomorrow, the next day for that future to become reality, and then being very conscious of doing it in a long term basis. So, you know, when you when you set goals, you know, you typically set them a year or several years out, and then, you know, you could create some B hag, big, hairy, audacious goals, and then they seem really almost insurmountable. But if you then take it and scale it back to, well, what do I need to do on a weekly basis, in order for me to accomplish that big goal, a lot of years down the road, it’s a much easier, smaller, very doable, opportunity. And if you just consistently do those small tasks, ultimately, you know, your B hag is going to be achievable. But if you never plan and you never think about what that is, and why that’s important to myself in my firm, it, I can guarantee you, it’ll never happen. So those would be my additional comments, Brittany.

Brittany Anderson 16:21

And that, I think that leads us into a really great wrap up because the thing that I want to share that I want to share throughout this series, at least a couple key takeaways out of each session. And what you just talked about there, Brian, with having that that final, big picture in sight, always it really allows you to have a target to aim at. So without that you’re missing direction. And I’ve used this analogy before, but a lot of times when you miss direction like that you don’t have that vision to work towards. You’re like an arrow without a target, right? You’re like an arrow just shooting out into space, with nothing really to aim at. That’s not very efficient, that’s not effective. So as a wrap up today, I think it’s really important that if you have not done this already, to mirror the characteristics of top advisors in being forward thinking being big picture focus is number one, to create a vivid vision. I believe we’ve mentioned this before, but check out Cameron Harold’s book called vivid vision that is the map or roadmap per se that we use to create ours, great resource, great reference spells it out for you and makes it pretty easy. So that would be my first my first recommendation to you to our audience members. The second one would be to again, have somebody on your team that can help you to pause and celebrate the wins. Just assign that to somebody have them in charge of it so that you can get that team culture really ramped up. And then lastly, I think Brian and Draye You both touched on this, it was getting comfortable with the uncertainty. Brian, you said being comfortable being on comfortable. So I think that is something that you absolutely need to embrace. That’s a concept you know, write it down. You can’t be free without being uncertain or you can’t be free without uncertainty. And you’ve got to be comfortable being uncomfortable. That is a motto to live by. That is absolutely the mindset of some of the top advisors from across the country that we’ve dealt with. So that being said, we are going to wrap up today’s session. Have a great day.

Draye Redfern 18:26

Hey there Draye Redfern here. And before you go, we just wanted to say thank you for listening to this week’s episode of The Ultimate advisor podcast. If you enjoy this episode, then please subscribe to the show on iTunes, Google Play stitcher or Spotify. And if you would like to access more of the show notes additional resources in our free premium content, then please visit ultimate advisor podcast.com. We look forward to seeing you in the next episode of The Ultimate advisor podcast. We’ll see you there.