ABC & Me, We, Thee

Happy Masters Week to all who celebrate!

A few weeks ago, I read the book Life is in the Transitions by Bruce Feiler. I bought this book looking for insights on how people can best deal with what he referred to as ‘lifequakes’. Lifequakes are large disruptions that cause us to rethink our life stories (e.g. moving into retirement, career changes, etc.) - these are valuable insights both as a leader and as an advisor. Overall, it is a good book, but it is twice as long as it needed to be. Here are the two primary insights that I believe are relevant to add to your Mental Models and grow as a leader/advisor.

These insights are impactful both in building an engaging office culture and client experience.

1. People need to feel Agency, Belonging, and Cause (ABC) in their work and their lives. Not just one or two of them, but all three to experience peak motivation and fulfillment.

ABC

• Agency: Autonomy, freedom, creativity, mastery; the belief that you can impact the world around you.
• Belonging: Relationships, community, friends, family; the people that surround and nurture you.
• Cause: A calling, a mission, a direction, a purpose; a transcendent commitment beyond yourself that makes your life worthwhile.

The ABCs direct your culture - Do I experience each of these in my work, and how do I ensure that everyone in the firm experiences the ABCs through what I say and what I do?

2. Leaders need to think of their work through the lens of "Me, We, Thee”. This model allows them to frame their words and work in a manner where everyone can experience value for themselves (Me), the office (We), and their clients (Thee). Work and messaging need to be viewed through all three lenses, not just one or two, to be maximally impactful for all those we lead and serve:

Me, We, Thee

• Our ‘Me’ Story: The one where I am the hero, the doer, the creator; I can exercise agency and, in return, feel fulfilled.
• Our ‘We’ Story: The one in which we’re part of a community, a family, a team; we belong to a group and, in turn, feel needed.
• Our ’Thee’ Story: The one in which we’re serving others; we give of ourselves to others and by extension, feel part of something larger.

As a leadership team, how do each of us feel Agency, Belonging, and Cause in our work every day? In the recruiting process, how do we help the right candidates feel Agency, Belonging, and Cause in their opportunity with NM? With our advisors, how do we facilitate a culture of Agency, Belonging, and Cause with your firm and NM?

As a leader, how do I view my work through the Me, We, and Thee framework to ensure impact both in what I say and what I do for the office?

As an advisor, how do you create this same experience with your prospects and clients?

Attached are examples of how you might structure an impactful exercise for you and your leadership team, or with an advisor's team/ensemble focused on client experience, utilizing this model:

Open the ABC Leadership Team Exercise (FPP Tools)

Open the Client Experience Workshop (FPP Tools)

Coincidentally, I read Johnny Wright’s book right after this one. While it wasn’t explicitly stated, what I felt reading his book Recruiting to Retain was an embodiment of these principles in action - His is a book I definitely recommend you and your leadership team read and study if you haven’t already!

Recruiting to Retain by Johnny Wright (Amazon)

Let me know if you’d like help working through these concepts with your team, I’m happy to have a conversation to help you structure your thoughts or, if you’d prefer, I would be honored to facilitate a team workshop to help you get to the core of how you can use these principles to drive your office forward!

Think Differently,

Steve