I love what I do! I couldn’t always say that, but now I know my calling was to be a financial advisor. In the early years, everything was a struggle. I remember it so well. Now that I have many years under my belt, I can see my “why” so clearly. So, why am I shifting now from being an advisor to a consultant who helps other women find their own success in financial services?
That’s a really good question! Let’s face it, financial services is still extremely male dominated. The longer I’ve been in the industry, the more I’ve seen the greater need for more female advisors. Consumers want to work with an advisor who looks like them or really understands them. With the shift in household decision making to involve more and more females, we need to step up as an industry. Advisors need to serve consumers as someone they can really connect with. We need to help consumers navigate their financial journey as someone who understands them. It’s time to shift to a larger female advisor population in order to serve a growing female decision-maker population, and man do we have work to do!
The good news for me is that I don’t need to give up my own “why.” I’m still a practicing financial advisor, but now I get to also encourage other female advisors along their journey in this industry. I’ve found a way to add a few more hats to my life, and now my “why” includes helping others find their success as advisors too. Here are five of the many we can wear to help others:
· Mentor Hat – I’ve been fortunate enough to have a multitude of incredible mentors in my career. It’s my turn to give back. The mentor relationships that I have been privileged to experience typically have been simple and were only called upon when the mentee needed a little guidance and encouragement. I have been a mentee and a mentor, and both have blessed me greatly. If you find yourself in the category of “more experienced,” perhaps you should consider adding this hat to your own wardrobe too. We need more mentors if we are going to move the needle on growing more female advisors in this industry. If you’re in need of a mentor, let’s schedule some time to chat about it. It’s important to find a good match, so maybe I have someone in my network who would work well with you.
· Sounding Board Hat – Along with being a mentor, I often find myself acting as a sounding board for other female advisors. Along with experience comes wisdom and knowledge of how to handle certain situations diplomatically and delicately. The art of listening and guiding is a skill that can be learned and shared. Once again, if you find yourself in the “more experienced” category, and you have mastered the art of listening, then be available to those who need your ear and your experience.
Encourager Hat – I personally don’t believe you can ever have too much encouragement in life. In a world filled with negativity and heavy news, we need to surround ourselves with encouragers and those who lift us up. We need to find people who see our potential before we even see it in ourselves. Ladies, it’s time for a collective LIFT! We need to encourage others now more than ever. This is a tough industry to break into for anyone and even harder for females. Find someone who needs you to lift them up today!
· Advocate Hat – Standing strong and boldly for the collective female advisor population is, at times, a heavy lift. Being an advocate simply means being a person who publicly supports and recommends change for a cause or purpose. You may not feel you have a loud enough voice to put on this hat individually, but collectively we can advocate together. I’ve even created a program called The Sisterhood of Success to build small groups and grow this mindset together. For those of you who do have a loud voice, use it for the good of this cause to grow the number of female financial advisors. The need is great, and the career is perfectly suited for women!
· Coach Hat – Pulling all of these together and putting on your coaching hat is when the real fun begins. You have the privilege of being a mentor, a sounding board, an encourager, and an advocate! Being a coach has been an incredible gift to me. It gives me a chance to share my experience and brainstorm with a newcomer who has incredible energy and drive to succeed in this industry. It allows me to help someone reach their full potential and determine what might be holding them back. It helps add another female advisor achieve great success!
As you can see, my new “why” includes coaching and encouraging new female advisors and helping them find purpose, satisfaction, and success in financial services. I’ve made the decision to put on all of these hats with a portion of my time so I can share my experience and knowledge with the next generation of advisors. You can choose to wear one or more of these hats as well. My media kit includes more information about what we might be able to do together in order to achieve our goals together.
I have no doubt that collectively we can move the needle on the number of females who choose and continue in this industry. I will leave you with this great quote from Tom Landry, “A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, who has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be who you always knew you could be.” Let’s do this ladies!