B.C. Advisor Neil Menzies Adopts A Unique Succession Planning Role

 

 

Here is an excerpt from the September edition of the Advocis Forum Magazine. In the article by Craig Harris, our client Neil Menzies mentions the work that we provide for Arbutus Financial.

Please click here to read the entire article; B.C. Advisor Neil Menzies Adopts A Unique Succession Planning Role

First up on Menzies’ checklist was bringing in new talent. Manulife’s associate advisor program offers recruiting and coaching services to select, train and support young advisors, while also ensuring integration with and mentoring from senior advisors.

For Menzies, the program, which was built with input from professional coach Simon Reilly, has been critical in overcoming one of the key hurdles in succession planning: finding the right kind of advisor. Reilly was instrumental in developing the use of behavioural assessments across all team members.

“I think the use of behavioural assessments has really helped us in the selection and training process,” he comments. “This has shown huge dividends in terms of aligning individuals with their skill sets. It has also allowed us to identify high-performing individuals and reassess our gut feeling about the people we may have thought were a good fit.”

Finding that fit is such a challenge in the financial advisory profession because the skill set is so diverse, Menzies observes. “Obviously, you need sales skills and the right kind of personality. But that has to be coupled with technical knowledge, especially as client expectations get higher. It is a difficult mix and a rare combination of characteristics.”