So many advisors feel alone, are afraid to admit it, and do not know what to do about it. It is a people focused job, true, you get to interact with your clients (and is why your meetings last too long), but so few have people to talk to about being an advisor. So what can you do?
Here are 10 ideas that can help you feel a little less isolated.
Source: Matt Halloran, president and CEO, Top Advisor Coaching
1. Join a study group
It is a great way for you to connect with other like-minded advisors who want to learn and get together. You will have the chance to learn what they are doing to be successful and commiserate with them when you have shared the same mistakes. These can be organized by your broker-dealer, they can be product specific, or they can be in your community.
2. Join a group on LinkedIn
Joining a group on LinkedIn can allow you to express your opinions, take the pulse of a specific community/product/philosophy that you are passionate about, and allow you to set up personal connections with like-minded people you would not normally get a chance to meet.
3. Get out of the office
So many of us just go to the office, sit there doing our work for hours upon end and then go home. Take a break during the day. Connect with your favorite wholesaler and go out to lunch (make them pay, which they will), and talk shop. Ask them what other advisors are doing in your area that has been successful. Wholesalers love talking about this.
4. Get some exercise during the day
For some reason, we all have been taught that we need to exercise before the sun comes up. There have been studies that show it is not the best time to work out. Taking a break during the day and getting your heart rate up can make you feel less isolated and give you an afternoon boost to combat that afternoon lull.
5. Volunteer to sit on a board
This is not for prospecting. This is to feed your soul. Find a local organization, charity, religious group or community issue you would like to change and get involved. The board will welcome your financial services experience because many local organizations and charities do not have a financial business mind.
6. Take a risk
Take a personal risk. Run an adventure race, go rock climbing, go hiking, skydive, or take pilot lessons. It might make you a greater insurance risk, but you will feel alive and feed that need we all have to take risks.
7. Surround yourself with highly educated people
Have you ever wanted to learn something just to learn it? Take a class at your local university or community college. Learn how to take better pictures, weave baskets, spin pottery, or cook your favorite kind of food. They might not be educated in the way you are, but hanging out with people who are experts at what they do can open your mind to look at your career and process differently.
8. Become a mentor
Take someone under your wing. Remember how you always wanted someone who was patient, kind, and wise when you started? Become what you wished you had when you just got in the business.
9. Write
Our industry always needs ideas, opinions, and things that work. You can also write for your local business publication. They always need copy. This will allow you to engage with your local community and your financial planning community.
10. Get a coach
There is a segment of every call I have with my clients that is them connecting with someone who understands what their life is like. This is why it is so important to have a coach who will not shy away from this issue and has worked with many advisors and been through many years of working with people like you. Find an experienced coach that can talk to you at the frequency you need, pay them, and get off that island.
