Striver Podcast: Recent Episodes
Alisdair Barr
Join Alisdair Barr, CEO and Founder of Striver to break down the best practices, timely topics and creative solutions to business problems in Financial Advice. Are you an Adviser, Practice Manager, Product Provider or Client? Hear from subject-matter experts from across the industry and beyond to hear how they STRIVE for the answers.
In this episode of the Striver Podcast, I sit down with Julia Newbold – founder of the Stella Network – to discuss how financial advice can reach more Australians and reflect the clients it serves. We cover practical ways advisers and firms can service clients across every demographic, the relaunch of the Stella Network, and the power of networks to drive change and growth in the profession. If you’re interested in expanding your impact and seeing how diversity, collaboration and fresh thinking can transform advice delivery, you’ll want to tune in.
How do we make quality financial advice accessible to more Australians? In our latest Striver Podcast, we sit down with Rachel White from Vanguard to explore both local and global solutions — from fresh industry approaches to international innovations — that could help solve this urgent challenge.
Introducing the 'New Class of Advisors' that promises to enhance accessibility to financial advice amid upcoming legislative changes.
I speak to Ben Marshan from Marshan Consulting about the impact of new legislative proposals, including the introduction of a "new class of advisor" and how this could reshape accessibility, affordability, and career pathways in financial planning. We discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the profession—how businesses can better serve under-advised clients, the role of new advisors in bridging the generational wealth gap, and how firms can leverage these changes to grow sustainably. If you're interested in the future of financial advice and what it means for both clients and industry professionals, this episode is a must-listen.
I asked Sharyn Baker, Head of Service and Operations at BT, “What does successful customer ‘service’ mean to you?”
In Sharon’s words, it means providing predictable, consistent and reliable service to both your internal and external customers. Hear how success is measured and how optimisation is driven by Net Promoter Score (NPS) data from the service frontline of BT Panorama, which celebrates 10 years of enabling quality financial advice to thrive with intuitive technology.
It may surprise you - that from the simplest of feedback, the biggest of improvements can be made. Listen now.
Iress, in collaboration with Deloitte Access Economics, has launched a landmark report on the future of financial advice in Australia. Hear from Marcus Field, Head of Growth and Partnerships at Iress as we unpack the seven megatrends set to usher in a new era of opportunity for advice and highlight the strategic choices that advisers, business owners and industry stakeholders need to make to come out on top
We often think about efficiency in business to be focused around process and software but what about individual effectiveness. My chat with Vanessa Bennett highlighted some ways to find 25% more effectiveness and at the same time manage burn out. I really enjoyed this chat....
Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency. How do you get on the bandwagon to get results? Looking at current processes and easy wins is sometimes the best way to get on the efficiency wagon (or a bus, which is generally faster!). I spoke with Conrad Travers from Tangelo Advice Consulting, who has practical ideas of easy-wins to leverage your existing processes before you add any more 'efficiency software to your business. More importantly, we talk about the measurable impact of these changes! Hope you enjoy the chat...
Practical Tips Worksheet
Phone call first, instant gratification and keeping it simple. This is what we expect from most experiences in our lives. But our attention spans are getting shorter and our digital habits are changing so how will that shape the next generation of apps? Speaking with Peter Worn from the Finura Group challenged some of the processes that we have and where we can get in our own way. Some interesting ideas here...and ones you may already have thought of yourself.
The beauty of technology is that it can be data-driven at every decision point. How can this apply to the very personable advice industry? I speak to Paul Feeney, Founder and CEO at Otivo, to tick off items from the wish-list of every at-capacity adviser.
In an evolving landscape, brand is crucial at every phase of your business lifecycle. In this thought-provoking episode, Joshua Grace, Customer Office Group Executive at Colonial First State, explores how a robust and distinctive brand can help you attract your ideal clients, establish the right client expectations, enhance your profitability and fuel sustainable growth.
How will financial advice from a Super Fund change the game? To answer this question, Alisdair talks to Renae Anderson, Select Advice Manager, about UniSuper's 3-year strategy to increase their adviser talent pipeline, deliver advice to members moving into retirement and making advice more accessible to more Australians. More players in the advice game means more financial 'wins' for more Australians. Hear how that's going to impact advisers, super fund members and the playing field for the profession going forward
Segmentation is vital for advice practices, impacting financials, cost-to-serve, and fee consistency. How are top firms managing segment identification and potential client off-boarding? Jackie Clark, National Manager Education at Colonial First State, joins us again to provide practical tips for getting started without excessive time or financial investment. Tune into this week's episode and drive success through segmentation strategies.
Are client surveys a more powerful tool than we realise? This week, we unpack the full potential of a humble client survey. What's the best approach to them - ad hoc, formal, or a combination? With Jackie Clark, National Manager Education at Colonial First State, we reveal how surveys can fuel business innovation and anticipate future client needs. Apart from the validation, let's unlock the potential of client surveys in transforming your business.
Are client surveys a more powerful tool than we realise? This week, we unpack the full potential of a humble client survey. What's the best approach to them - ad hoc, formal, or a combination? With Jackie Clark, National Manager Education at Colonial First State, we reveal how surveys can fuel business innovation and anticipate future client needs. Apart from the validation, let's unlock the potential of client surveys in transforming your business.
Now that generative AI has been released into the world, how do we (re)define ethics and privacy? ChatGPT and similar apps continue to dominate the headlines as its application widens. For educators and universities, it redefines the definition of plagiarism. For professional services, it creates a dilemma of ethics. I spoke to Cris Parker from the Ethics Centre to discuss how privacy is redefined for the advice profession.
This week, I spoke to Jackie Clark, National Education Manager at Colonial First State on the KEY metrics to evaluate if your business has the capacity to grow or grind to a halt if new clients come along. Find out what she has seen from businesses that have found success, and how you can do the same.
ChatGPT, an app with 57 million users as of January 2023, is a hot-topic on everyone's lips. It has changed the way we view education, entertainment and work. We love playing with it at Striver but what will it mean in our business? Our everyday lives?
I spoke to our good friend Dr. Magali Azema-Barac PhD, and subject matter expert on Artificial Intelligence, about the application of the app and how it has changed the way we live. Whether you see this app as novel edutainment or a virtual assistant for peak productivity, let's get you up to speed on how it works...P.S. - Check out Magali's blog here https://lnkd.in/gUtet-HC
Can you articulate your purpose simply and does it flow through to your systems and process in your business and then ultimately to your team and clients? The landscape looking promising with client opportunities, and we believe the employment market will become easier, we speak to Andy Marshall about what are some of the key areas he talks to businesses about to make sure they are ready to make the most off opportunities as they arise...
More often than not, education is one of the biggest costs for your client if they have children or grandchildren. Imagine - the return on investment from all those Birthday and Christmas gifts invested into their education rather than filling up the toy box...
That is definitely one of my favorite conversations!
Magali share this 100% AI generated podcast with me a couple of weeks ago and I have not stopped thinking about it https://open.spotify.com/episode/28IaUZqRpjeoHHepqgG12U?si=jx9al-BCR4CiBVcaE3F3cg
Magali has a PHD in Artificial intelligence and in this podcast we unpack what is happening here and just explore the tip of the iceberg of this new world and who controls it.
Check out Magali's blog here https://www.linkedin.com/in/magali-azema-barac-phd-cfa-34202a3/
We are having the same conversation multiple times a day with clients who are struggling to find great talent for their firms but there are some simple ways to improve your chances. We speak with Scott Bunny about the talent war cycles and how we can significantly improve the success in this short supply period...
Does a technology-enabled firm create better relationships with clients and staff? We speak to Angus Woods from Adviser Ratings who are investing heavily in the future of advice and believe that relationships are the key, I hope you enjoy.....
With recent global events, the demand for assurance and confidence through financial advice has spiked simultaneously as the number of accountants and financial planners decline. Given the talent pipeline is dwindling for these professions, I discuss with Paul Barrett, Chief Executive Officer at Next Generation Advisory, the ways advice can compete for talent in this booming profession.
Growing any profession with the next generation of talent has always taken a significant investment - both in the people themselves and as a collective profession. What are transferable skills that your profession needs? How can we identify these skills in this next generation? Is there a formula or a 'secret sauce' that we can use? I unpack all these questions with Daryl Stout, Senior Consultant Recruitment at Insignia in this episode...
We judge all the services and products that we use not always by how good they are but by how they stack up to the benchmark expectations we have in all aspects of our lives, think online shopping, social media, doctors appointments and in-branch banking!
Discussing a tech-focused approach to UX and CX with Mark Akeroyd shed some interesting light on how people want to interact with you.....
Accessibility to advice becomes a global issue along with the talent shortage in the local advice market (and more broadly within professional services) so do you leverage technology to lift the burden? By adopting a hybrid advice and service model. Hybrid models are proving to be an efficient channel to deliver better well-being outcomes for both the recipients of, and the providers of financial advice. I spoke to Craig Keary, CEO Asia Pacific at Ignition, about the reasons why you need to be a hybrid adviser...
Imagine - you invest in hiring and training the best candidate, then they leave in 2 or 3 years time, lured by the promise of an arbitrary higher salary. So what now? It's always great to speak with Nick Sinclair from TOA, especially when we are entering the largest global resource shortage in history. We discuss what variables are worth focusing on to ensure you can make the best decisions, to build an enduring team around your business. As the war for talent heats up, these are the factors that are worth your focus...
The graduate talent market is about to enter its hottest season ever! Firms are touting 6 figure salaries, relocation allowances, massive superannuation payments and sign-on bonuses. What?! Yes, you read correctly - sign-on bonuses! But is this all smoke and mirrors? And can you and your firm compete for this talent? Yes. We catch-up with our rockstar community manager Mel (www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-nguyen) to step through what this cohort really wants...
I had a fun and frank chat with Yolanda Bettie about team dynamics, diverse perspectives and professional intimacy, yeah that's right !! And it all means more now than ever especially within high-performing teams that are growing, I know you will like this podcast...
We'd all love a crystal ball. Who wouldn't want to see into the future? I had a great chat with Craig Keary, CEO, Asia/Pacific at Ignition Advice to discuss some key themes around technology and its role in talent acquisition, alongside the key trends that we think will unfold in 2022. There have been unforeseen trends that are now forming part of how we do the business - but what's next? I hope you enjoy this episode...
We love this time of year but it can be overwhelming but you are almost there! We spoke to our good friend Sue Viskovic from Elixir Consulting about chilling out with a bucket of prawns over this festive season and coming in back in 2022 with a clear plan for success. Enjoy....
With the great resignation comes the other side of the coin which will be the great acquisition! Investing time in the team, building a learning culture, aligning purpose and meaning, what can you do to make sure you are on the right side of this equation, all this and more in this great chat with Clare Harding from Rainbird Group, I think you will enjoy this one....
Silly season is upon us again! Although in a different format to past years, it's still important to plan your lead up to, during and post Christmas and New Year break. I took time out of the usual conversation to join Justin Noble to speak about forming a realistic and practical roadmap to survive and thrive through the Silly Season. Let's navigate it with success this year...
Spending time with the smartest graduates before they enter the job search phase of their degree, is one of the best ways to secure the best talent in a talent-tight market. New entrants can be super productive contributors to a high-performing team so we spoke to Victoria Widjaja, current student at UNSW and our HR intern to get her side of the story. We hope you enjoy it...
We wanted to hear firsthand from an intern's experience in starting their first career job remotely, not having met their hiring manager or anyone else in the team. What the drivers are, how they stay motivated, and how through technology they contribute to a high-performing culture, Shevaun shared all that and more and is excited to go out for lunch in the city when she can but in the meantime is adding immense value....
This is our 100th episode of this podcast! With this being a significant milestone that also coincides with our recent 2nd birthday as Striver, we thought we would pick the brains of marketing guru, Rose Princi from Colonial First State. Let's explore innovative ways that you can use to celebrate these significant milestones with your community. Remember! Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift - and that's why it's important to celebrate the present!
Making education more accessible is one of our core beliefs here at Striver. But to take a practical look at the distribution of education, the cost of it will not go down any time soon. Today we spoke with Damian Otto from Futurity Investment Group about ways to make education more accessible and less of a burden to the communities that it can benefit. While the questions about the future of education and jobs of the future can be asked into a crystal ball, let's continue the conversation practically...
Technology has evolved beyond an enabler, since we are all using it more now than ever before. But let's take a step back to understand how it can be used to design the User Experience (UX) in your practice to deliver a delightful experience. I spoke to Mark Akeroyd from MLC Advice about creating a 'Minimum Viable Audience'. How to identify the jobs that they need done and being the 'hero' in the conversation with the leverage of technology. I hope you enjoy it!
Creating your ideal role is a dream that can be hard to make a reality in a growing professional services firm. The more you grow the more you are dragged away from the things you love. I sat down with Rayna from Real Business Matters to discuss how outsourcing the General Management of a firm temporarily in a growth spurt or in long-term planned absence can plug the gap. I hope you enjoy!
It's very exciting to speak with Craig Keary, CEO of Asia/Pac for Ignition Advice, on how advice can be made more accessible to more Australians. How to measure the positive impact and identify the lead indicators of impactful advice. Plus shout-outs to great contributors to the profession and a quick look at the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do!
With demand for new talent increasing and the supply decreasing, we create a perfect storm. That is what is happening across all cohorts of talent in Australia and there are several reasons why this is happening. We continue the necessary conversation of meeting future talent 'where they are' to make sure we can continue to grow the future of the profession. Let's discuss a real life example with Scott Bunny, our Partnership and Growth Lead, on how to buck this trend...
The labour market is set to get even tighter. We have seen the talent pool shrink by up to 80%. So what does that mean? And how can you buckle the trend? Flexibility is king! Those who can meet in the middle will win this talent war. I had a great chat with Whitney Wilson, Strivers Head of Recruitment to spitball some solutions that can help do just that...
The year that has been uncovered some exciting opportunities for both young professionals and professional services more broadly. Always great speaking with Angus Woods from the Adviser Ratings and in this episode we uncover the 2021 Advice Landscape Report - diving under the hood to see the data that can drive a real difference in the profession. I hope you enjoy it....
Super excited to record the first in-person podcast for some time! With our wonderful guest Vy Pham, we discuss community involvement, DE&I and some very unique communications learnings. As always - some inspiring gold nuggets of insight to take away so I hope you enjoy...
This is my favourite podcast to date… I sat down with Cris Parker, Head of the Ethics Alliance and Director of the Banking and Finance Oath, to explore the practical application of Ethics and Trust. Plus the interrelated relationship between the notions from within an organisation - believe me it can be done!
Content marketing can be overwhelming but it can be made simple and I was keen to chat with Campbell Phillips from MYOB about some ways to make sure you can get your value and tone of voice out to the people who you want to speak too, this was a fun chat....
I really enjoyed catching up with Racheal Ooi to discuss successfully growing award winning staff and how to use technology with a tireless focus on making your client feel important and delivering supreme customer service is a recipe for success, this was a great chat....
Hiring university grads - be it Millennials or Gen Z - normally comes with a standard flurry of questions. 'How patient are they?' 'How long will they stay?' 'Will they be loyal?' We took it upon ourselves to ask the hard questions and address the 'Elephant in the Room' with our very own rockstar Community Manager, Melanie to tell us how they really think...
Attracting, Engaging and Retaining great talent into forward thinking firms has been Striver's mantra since we started 8 years ago so when we find great tools to help firms really support their team to be the best they can and deliver high quality results we love to chat about it. This chat with Adam Hurwood from Altitude Advisers and Balanced Scoreboard is no exception, I hope you enjoy...
Speaking with Scott Bunny, head of partnership and growth at Striver, our clients have taught us many great lessons and of which, there have been plenty over the last 6 months. But now, we have a few of our own that we HAVE to share - plus things have been made a bit easier, check it out...
Our professional lives are exciting and there is a lot to learn, sometimes it is best to learn them our selves and sometimes others can help us avoid some pitfalls. Working through some of this with Scott Charlton and his book 'Your Professional Headspace' is valuable to peeople at allstages of their professional life.....
This week we chat to Heather Porter about some of the trends she is seeing in how people are consuming and ultimately engaging with content. We are all doing things a little differently these days so staying ahead of the curve and building awareness is still key, check out some simple ways to add value through education and video...
With all the movement and changes in Financial Planning, it was great to get a chance to dig a little under the numbers with Angus Woods from Adviser Ratings, we also got a chance to talk about smelling the roses.....
Helping make meaningful differences is the core of professional services; and the world we have found ourselves in, has highlighted the need for this more than ever. I had the chance to catch up with Annick Donat to discuss resilience, decision making and creating a sustainable profession, this was a great chat...for now and into the future.
In this podcast, I spoke to David Reed, from The Retirement Advice Centre. While discussing the journey of finding resilience, we discuss the ability to ask 'Why?' as one of the key things to look for when making great hiring decisions, especially with Millenials. (Oh) Plus great storytelling...I hope you enjoy it.
It's always a joy speaking with Cris Parker on all things Ethics related! We covered the topics of 'Zoom Gloom'; redesigning purpose; innovation through lockdown; moral fatigue; and - if you wait till the end - Rio Tinto and the unintended consequences. I hope you enjoy!
The Professional Year - clients love it, productivity increases and mentoring can be rewarding. When it comes to the professional advisers in your firm, the 'Grow Your Own' strategy can ensure the sustainability of (not only) your own firm, but the profession as a whole. We speak to Greg Cook, CEO of Eureka Whittaker Macnaught, and their Associate Adviser, Tim Manwaring.
Catching up with Brad Fox is always energetic and this time we covered off walking Kokoda with www.adventureexcellence.com, adult learning cycles, the psychology of change and the future of the advice profession. Time flys when you are having fun I hope you enjoy....
I had a great chat with Jonathan Hoyle from Stanford Brown about how they grow their own talent and on their philosophy on communication skills and the benefit of 'Tough Love' feedback. I hope you enjoy
We had a great opportunity to speak to Jonathan Elliot from Collins SBA who have won awards for the innovative work environment and a focus on understanding the human. There was also a focus on the holistic wealth management firm of the future, I hope you enjoy....
We have all been forced to change the way we do things temporarily but it would be madness to not combine our old good habits with our new good habits to create better good habits moving forward. In this podcast, I had a chat with Matthew Fenning from Advise Wise to find out what they are doing better...
In the short time we have all been isolated we have unlearnt some bad habits and learnt some new ones, but which ones will we keep when we go back to the new world (the old one has gone!). This was a great opportunity to explore Gerhard Diedericks recent article about the Entrepreneur's Economy https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/entrepreneurs-economy-coming-gerhard-diedericks
This week, we speak with Anna about how Universities have been delivering content and lectures digitally for longer than the recent pandemic. The best students think it is a better way to learn, so what could this mean for your business?
As businesses all scramble to work through the flexible and virtual, work setup is the current focus for business continuity. Then as we get used to the new normal, the tried and tested method of team building and collaboration will be put to the test. Virtual Team building will be a thing and I really enjoyed my chat with Luke Cook the founder of FUNLOCKA and how they are thinking about work place happiness moving forward. We hope you enjoy this podcast.
Back to school with the FASEA exam can be nerve racking, so we chat to Nancy Mikhail from Tafe NSW to uncover some great ideas to reduce the nerves and pass with flying colours….
The Professional Year Register hasn’t been swamped so where are all the new entrants to the profession? We have been placing many of them in great firms but if not the Professional Year then where .....
Times are changing and there isn’t an industry in the world that isn’t experiencing margin squeeze. We catch up with Sue Viskovic from Elixir Consulting to discuss how to approach the price increase conversation with clients. Check it out! Visit Striver.Careers
2020 has already started with a different level of activity than the last 6 years we have been running the business with a lot of our clients jumping into February ready to execute their business plans for 2020. This doesn't always work with university graduates who were looking for jobs in December and January, so how can you beat the stampede?
The way we want our clients to engage with us is not always the quickest and most on ours journey for our clients, what if we let our clients engage with us a different way? This week we explore this with Jonathan Shaw the CEO MoneySoft to find out how this could work
If your plan is to grow talent to be client facing in your business then growing talent into these roles can be far simpler and valuable to the over all business outcomes than you think, check out how.......
Growing your own talent into future super stars can be very rewarding but it does take time and developing people into super valuable contributors to your team can start right away in a variety of ways, check out some ideas.... Happy holidays!
This time of the year often ends up in burn out with clients wanting things done urgently, Christmas parties, kids school events and then of course business as usual. In this podcast I speak with Andrew George from Elixr Consulting to help discuss some tactics to stay sane this Silly season, enjoy..
Sometimes our resourcing decisions come with urgency due to unforeseen event, however poor people decisions can have a major impact on your firm to there are a couple of things that may quickly improve your decision making or avoid a bad outcome… Visit striver.careers
When you get that excellent client service experience personally does it make you reflect on your clients experience with you ? In this podcast I speak to Brad Dawson from Dawson Insurance and unpack a great experience I had recently and even cover the World Rally Championship Check out Brad’s podcast here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxGnu_5kPdGDVz-jmvcbA8Q
What do the Banking and Finance Oath and Master Chef have in common? We love chatting with Cris Parker from the Banking and Finance Oath at the Ethics Centre and discussing some other industry examples of where an Oath can have effect…
While the cost of living in Australia is amongst the highest in the world the salary expectations of university graduates is not the number one consideration when they are looking to start their career, in fact our research shows it is not even in the top 5, so what drives the career decisions or choices of our next generation….
Silly season is just around the corner and for many it can mean a heavy work load with a loaded social calendar. In the past it has been a period of ‘overwhelm’ for me. Keeping the core the Silly Season. Over the last 14 weeks we have been developing www.striver.careers and I have been as busy as ever, there were a few things I did to maintain the focus and energy......
Education standards and the Professional Year are front and centre of the conversation at the moment when talking about bringing new people into the profession, however there is some practical flexibility in how this can be done to broaden the talent pool in which you look for great people to become the assets of your business, here I talk you through them …..
Acting on gut feel can sometimes be warned against especially in hiring talent for your business but as long as all the checks and balances have been done it is the one thing that will determine the right fit. But when looking to hire a grad with no ‘relevant or related’ experience demonstration and examples of work ethic and exceptional customer service is what you should be looking for as lead indicators of great fit in your business.
Being flexible is one of the competitive advantages a small to medium professional firm has over the large corporate employers in the ability to attract, engage and retain great talent. In the lead up to university graduation season at the end of the calendar year what we don’t find is a bunch of the best talent completing their degrees and then looking for full time work. The best businesses and graduates have secured their future career relationships earlier, here’s how you can be part of the action…
We are seeing hot demand with graduate talent with Marketing and IT majors in financial services firms which is great. We believe this is where some of the jobs of the future lie, however, from a firm’s perspective is this the specialty of your firm? Or should you be looking closer at the problem you are trying to solve, here is what we mean …..
Like the lyrics to Tim Finn’s 1983 classic, today’s innovation and race to delightful customer experience focuses on the areas of frustrations and anxieties in the way we as consumers consume. The business that focus on removing this friction and improving the customer journey have a customer satisfaction advantage. Here are some more thoughts to think about the potential areas of friction on your professional services business…
In this podcast I discuss with our marketing intern, Kate Paterson, about the benefits of internships. We compare unpaid and paid internships, talk about Kate’s personal experience and highlight why she sees the need to add value to the firm as well as some key beneficial learnings for her own development.
Wow this was a good conversation! We spoke with Milo-Arne Wilkinson from the Eleven Executive Leadership Program about what is forgettable, where we focus our time and what if what we did could get a 9 times better outcome. Some great examples of both business and personal that I am sure you can all resonate, this is worth a listen…
I can’t stop banging our drum about this! Making poor hiring decisions in your professional services firm can HURT and the current state of the Financial Planning Profession in particular is causing people to focus on the WRONG things when hiring people, they are focusing on hiring for things that can be taught, not the things that will ensure good cultural fit and a better long term outcome! Here are some tips to dig deeper to find the right values when hiring for your firm
No one ever says ‘actually I have a heap of spare time’ and we probably will never say that but we are aware of what is the most important to us and sometimes that thing is right under our nose. We are all super busy and this is going to be a constant but here are some things I recently discovered to help me get some quality engagement with what is most important..
Now that’s a mouthful but this is a really interesting chat with Cris Parker from the Ethics Centre and Director of the Banking and Finance Oath, we covered Amazon, Google and Casinos but fired off some great food for thought. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did….. We have just launched all our podcasts on iTunes so you can subscribe directly and binge on some of our favorite podcasts over the years
Privately owned professional services firms needing to rely on their people and skill sets more now than ever before. Don’t get distracted by what is relevant or approved, instead focus on what will serve you and your clients, that's the most relevant. Here’s what we mean...
Margin squeeze in professional service is hitting us all and the lure of tech as a solution is becoming more and more overwhelming. In this podcast we explore some practical approaches to scoping out how to approach it with a focus on Client, Business and Technology, check it out.
This is my favourite podcast to date….. I sat down with Cris Parker from the the Ethics Alliance & The Banking and Finance Oath and explored the Banking and Finance Oath and more practically how Ethics and Trust interrelate and form inside an organisation, believe me it is fun!
We have podcasted this before but with our 3 most recent events complete it has become a lot cleared that the power of the authentic individual with a clear purpose can have a far bigger impact on attracting talent than any other component of becoming an employer of choice an construction of an employee value proposition.
We have had a rapid increase in change in the beginning of 2019 which will have major impact on the evolution of the professional services industries we operate in. Change won't go away but we can hire to fill the gaps and competencies in our firms with the new breed of millennial graduate, here are some ideas….
Keeping It Simple S@#$d is often the best advice as it is easy to over complicate things including key decisions in your firm. When it comes to making people decisions most often the ones that are made complicated or stray off course due to some external factors are the ones that end up costing us the most!
There has been a lot of conversation on the use of technology in professional services firms, the practical application of it on the other hand can be a bit harder to navigate. We got chatting with Ben Marshan from the FPA to discuss the research they did into some of the cutting edge applications that could support your firm, check it out!
With so much change and distraction in 2019, now we get some time to stop and reflect but also put some personal and business plans together for the year ahead. I hope these tips help!
We have had some of the best talent we've worked with, give us a consistently unique reason to picking one firm over the other. All of which are coincidentally closely related to changes in education standards. Check out what the reason was by listening to our podcast.
The majority of the global work force are going to soon be of the social generation, does a google search represent you and you firms culture the way you want it, here what your google search may show….
This is always a very busy time of year with a mad rush into the end of the calendar year, but what we know is that university graduates are looking to secure opportunities now and businesses tend to look to secure talent in the new year, there is a mismatch. Here are some keys to making sure your firm finds the best talent before they get snapped up…
Looking at the recent changes in the financial services profession as an opportunity is the best way to approach it and in this tech series podcast we speak to the CEO of CCUBE Nathan MacPhee about what he sees as the Chasm of Opportunity to escalate the professional recognition of an industry !
Artificial intelligence is all the buzz at the moment but in this podcast we speak to Joel Robbie the Founder of Nod, about how it can have practical application in your business.
We're with Kristel from Capacity Connection we explore when to do things in house, when to outsource and when to get the robots involved, some simple tips here to help you navigate this decision making…
Getting more millennial's engaged with their Superannuation has always been a challenge but in the social and digital world that we are living in technology is aiding this and helping advice firms engage with this generation. In this tech chat we speak with Alex Naylor, Head of Advice Solutions at Grow Super.
Succession plans are on the tips of many people’s tongues given pending changes to education standards and there are some great ways to get the planning underway or though to a great outcome. We explore some here...
With technology moving at such a pace and our businesses and processes becoming much more efficient, are we at risk of losing some of the ‘old skool’ value and missing some of those opportunities that we never used to miss because we are masters of our trade.
We have seen over the last few weeks how the flexibility in SME firms can be the winning edge when it comes to attracting and engaging the brightest and best talent in the final year of their studies. Large corporates can sometime struggle to compete here, so lets explore how this can be your competitive advantage….
The Professional Services Adviser of the future is in flux and there is no longer a ‘Traditional’ career path! So what are some of the potential options for the new wave and how will our businesses flourish with them driving the future?
Apparently Einstein didn’t really define INSANITY as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" but it makes sense right? I have found myself saying this many times in the past two weeks to both clients and graduates and here’s why…….
This week we sat down with a client who has a very high performing business and assessed each staff member to work out what the common gel was that made their team so great. This has now set out the ‘DNA’ of all new people they will bring into their business to ensure the success of future resources entering the business. Here is how this practical and simple activity worked…..
It sounds simple but am improvement in the human potential of individuals and teams can have a marked impacted on profitability but all too often it does not get the focus it deserves, why is that?
After our two most recent Speed Networking Events we spotted 3 interesting insights 1/ Businesses are really adopting a ‘grow your own’ strategy 2/ Our Alumni are becoming business leaders! 3/ How diversity is impacting the future of the profession
I have always noticed and especially around this time of year, when focusing on cultural and personality fit in your business, can improve your retention and return on investment and here's why.. I hope you enjoy!
As we wrapped up the intensive 4 days in San Francisco and Silicon Valley on the Implemented Portfolios Study Tour stopped to think about some of the key themes that came out of what we had seen in an environment where it is ok to be BOLD, HUNGRY and TAKE RISKS.
You know the song by Scott McKenzie! If you're going to San Francisco, Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair Well today we are off on Implemented Portfolios 2018 Thought Leaders Study Tour which is super exciting. There are a couple of benefits to this I see: 1/ we get time to step away from the business, look at best practice in process, technology and thought to bring back and apply and share! 2/ help our clients as Millennials ask us everyday – I really want to work in a firm that embraces and engages with cutting edge technology Here are some ideas…..
“Seek first to understand, then be understood” is the 5th habit in Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People which is a great book and well worth the read. However, after many recent conversations and experience with SEEK as a means to finding the perfect talent for your firm I thought it was a good opportunity to share with you some of the pros and cons of using online employment job boards ad how to make this strategy work for you…
“Train them and they might leave; don’t train them and they might stay” I spoke to Scott Charlton from SlipStream Coaching in regards to hiring millennial talent in professional services and he gave us his top 3 tips on maximising your return on investment…..
This week we started our Sydney Assessment Centres for our upcoming Speed Networking events and as always we have some fantastically candid conversations with millennials on how to dress for interviews. Like a Chameleon though it is about matching with the branding and culture of the firm they are interviewing for (although less is not best!)….
With flexibility being one of top things staff look for in an employer, the advent of shared and flexible working space could provide some cost effective and valuable alternatives. We spoke to the Founder of Flow Space in Western Australia, Sue Viskovic to find out what it is all about…
Quite often growth is a key plan for the year ahead and that can mean more resources. Timing of when the resources are needed and the time it takes to find them doesn't always match up so we recommend to Always Be Hiring (ABH). Hope you enjoy!
While we are all busy focusing on wrapping up what is on our desk before the summer break, it is also often in the back of our mind what is needed to achieve our goals for 2018 and some thing's (like resourcing for growth) take time so it's best to be on the front foot ..
Flexibility means different things to different people but if your firm really wants to engage and retain the best then how can it be adapted in your firm in a profitable way
In the day an age of sharing every possible milestone or daily event on a myriad of social mediums from SnapChat to Facebook to LinkedIn, it can raise a lot of questions when working through various hr processes but what does it say about you or your firm if you have been actively avoiding leaving a social trail?
Attracting, engaging and retaining the best talent can be a full time business. We get to see extraordinary professional services firms doing this every day and there seems to be a common thread
Awareness about mental health and stress and the effect it can have on the work place has been increasing. The conversation is a great thing and a topic I have been covering off with Debra McQuinn from Strategic Resources Network specially how a professional services firm can promote ‘wellness’ in the work place…
As technology integrates into professional services firms at an ever increasing rate, what skills are they replacing the need for? If they continue to take over core functions in your business where should you focus your attention for your next hire? We have a few ideas…..
Millennials are here to stay and will soon represent over 50% of the global workforce and growing, quickly !! We are seeing traditional careers like law and accounting and the big 4 employers in each reduce the amount of graduates in their intake and battle to be as attractive in the past. There is a new cool out there !?! OPPORTUNITY I say, what can you do to make sure we can continue to attract the best talent .... visit http://www.gradmentor.com.au/
As we commence our next series of Grad Mentor Speed Networking Events around the country we get asked the question, ‘What roles do the graduates typically do?’ and ‘How do we keep them engaged long term?’. In this podcast we explore a few of the recent success stories as well as reference our research on the subject….
We finish this podcast series based around a fantastic little parable called ‘The Go Giver’ by Bob Burg and John David Mann. The book had a significant influence on me and having this casual chat with Ian Lowe from http://www.eccoh.co/ who lives and breathes these concepts has been an absolute pleasure. The Law of Receptivity – The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving
Many conversations have started from the book The Go Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. One which I would like to discuss today which is the Law of Authenticity - takes a look at the negative impacts which ‘fake it till you make it’ can have on a persons life and the positives that Authencitiy can provide. In this series, I speak to Ian Lowe from http://www.eccoh.co/ who lives and breathes the concepts in this brilliant parable. The Law of Authenticity – The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself...
In this 3rd part to this series we discuss the 5 Laws in a book that I recommend to everyone called The Go Giver is a book by Bob Burg and John David Mann. In this series I speak to Ian Lowe from http://www.eccoh.co/ who lives and breathes the concepts in this brilliant parable The Law of Influence – Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first……
We have built on our original conversation with Ian Lowe from http://www.eccoh.co/ around a book that I can’t stop going back too - The Go Giver is a book by Bob Burg and John David Mann. I hope it resonates with you as it did with me. The Law of Compensation – Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them……
After finishing our 4 Grad Mentor Speed Networking Events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane plus our Accounting Event, we have arranged over 90 interviews between the next generation of advisers and small to medium financial services firms. We learnt some cool lessons which are catching on and it looks like the future will be bright. I hope you enjoy!
The Go Giver is a book by Bob Burg and John David Mann that I read around 10 years ago and one I refer to all the time and recommend to everyone I meet. I met Ian Lowe from Eccoh, who lives and breathes this parable. I had to share the conversations we had around this book which I hope you enjoy!
We recently interviewed 96 millennials face to face and there are three essential attributes that you should look for and we asked every one of these grads if they possess them.
We recently interviewed David Griffiths from Social Check about the 4 P's on how businesses can stay on top of reputation risk and what to look out for.