Perfect time for a fresh start

Autumn and finally being back to school. I really loved this time of year. I loved the new notebooks, pencils, school clothes and even the thought of getting back to work. For me, it still seems like even more of a fresh start than January 1. Those in the Jewish faith are familiar with this concept and celebrate the New Year at this time of year. It is a time for reflection and making a fresh start.

As financial advisors, even though it is starting to get busy again, it is the perfect time to do just that – have a look at where you are so far in 2010 and create an action plan to make the most of the remaining months of the year. Here are the 5 key steps to take for your fall review:

Set aside uninterrupted quiet time – a few hours or even a whole day away from the office or in a quiet spot. If you have a team, it is great to get everyone involved in this process. For our coaching clients, The Personal Coach will often facilitate a team planning day called the Strategic Team AdvantEdge where we…

Review your results so far for 2010. Have you reached your goals in key areas like new clients and revenues? What have your main accomplishments been so far for the year? If you also set some personal goals, how are you doing with those?

Review current challenges. What has been getting in the way if you have not been achieving your results? Is there something holding you back? Even things like a messy office or unresolved communication issues on the team can get in the way of reaching your full potential.

Re-calculate your goals for the remainder of the year. Based on what you have achieved to date and a realistic assessment of what is in your pipeline, what do you need to do to meet your goals for the next four months? Do you need to adjust your goal if it is clear you will not meet the original target? Or if you have had a great year do you want to coast or set a new stretch goal for yourself? Do you or your team members still have outstanding developmental goals for the year such as courses or continuing education credits?

Create your action plan for the next 4 months. What are the key actions that will help you reach your desired goals? Put the top priorities in your calendar first. We often find if advisors are falling short on their revenue goals, they are often not allocating enough time to new business development and seeing clients.

We often get so busy in our day-to-day business that we forget to take the time to take stock and make the necessary adjustments. Fall is the perfect time to do this to make the last quarter of the year your best quarter!

April-Lynn Levitt is a Calgary-based coach with The Personal Coach. She provides one-on-one customized coaching to financial advisors.

April-Lynn Levitt

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