Impactful Joint Work

In past conversations, we’ve invested time in the art and science of learning, and the importance of learners being deliberate and proactive in their own development. We’ve talked about the science, as studied by Anders Ericsson, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and others, as well as the art of using tools such as After Action Reports to self-diagnose issues and opportunities.

Two issues I’ve frequently observed, and you may be experiencing, drive today’s topic:

• New advisors’ reliance on Joint Work for selling over learning, and
• GDDs becoming frustrated with leadership because they feel more time is being invested in JW than working to grow their business.

In Driving FPP #5, we introduced After Action Reports as a way for advisors to be self-critical of their work, in an effort to identify what’s working well, as well as opportunities for improvement. I built a modified version of this After Action tool for advisors to use in collaboration with their JW partners to make their work together most impactful for growth (attached below).

Open the Joint Work Learning (FPP Tools)

The Joint Work tool is very simple, but also very impactful when used consistently. It is only a few questions:

• Pre-Meeting:
  • Why am I doing JW on this case?
  • What is my learning goal for this meeting?
• Post-Meeting:
  • What was my biggest learning from the meeting?
  • What should I change in my process?
  • What additional knowledge do I need?
  • What follow-up questions do I have?

Benefit for the advisor asking for JW:

• They take a moment to understand if they really need JW on the case, or if they are just scared of a case that they really can handle.
• They go into the meeting with a focused and prepared mind on their biggest opportunity for development.
• Immediately after, they identify what they learned and how to implement their learnings in their own process.

Benefit for the JW partner/GDD:

• They will do their best work in the area the advisor is seeking the most knowledge/skill development.
• They will be able to do a more purposeful debrief of the meeting and better pass on their wisdom to the advisor.
• They will have a better ability to help the advisor become self-sufficient so they can continue focusing on building their own business.

I’ve found this to be extremely impactful when used consistently, and I know you can too.

Let’s schedule time to talk through how you can make tools like this part of the development process for your leaders and advisors!

Wishing you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday; we all have a tremendous amount for which to be thankful!

Think Differently,

Steve