It seems that self-sabotage is a hot topic. Since sharing the post called 5 Ways Successful Advisors Sabotage Their Own Growth this week, we’ve had more feedback than we’ve seen in some time. The reality is that it’s easy to write about how we all get in our own way. But there’s a bigger story behind that post. This is the personal story of what we’ve learned about those who’ve broken through and about what we decided to do with that information.

On Breaking Through

It’s true that almost every day I talk to advisors who are successful, by any traditional standards, but who feel stuck, or unsure or unfocused. They knew how to grow, but they aren’t entirely sure what they're trying to create. If I’m honest, I’ve experienced that myself. The result? The fulfillment flatline. For me, knowing that the flatline exists isn't enough. I wanted to understand how to move beyond it - or avoid it all together. And so began a long journey to study the advisors who had beaten the flatline. What I discovered is that feeling stuck isn’t inevitable. In our research, a small group of 15% of advisors emerged. They not only generate more revenue, but report better health, lower stress and higher energy. They run businesses that reflect an uncommon mix of something that’s wildly successful and profoundly fulfilling. These advisors approach their clients, their teams and themselves differently from most, but in very specific ways. If I’m honest, I wanted their success to be about some specific tactic they’d used, so we could all do the same. I even thought it would be helpful to find out that it was a personality trait - something they were born with - so the rest of us could just give up and be satisfied with what we had. But I found something different. Not something easy, but something more hopeful. This 15% didn’t start with a business vision, but a clear and compelling personal vision. From there, they intentionally aligned their client and team experience to support that vision. And they were equally intentional about themselves, creating space to recharge and drive creativity. They created alignment between personal, client and team engagement. And the result was extraordinary momentum.

What Happened Next

I saw the impact of focusing on alignment with the 15% and by applying the principals in my own business and life. We called the 15% the Absolutely Engaged and I have, quite literally, built my entire business around the ideas they represent. It began with the book, but the feedback was clear that more active guidance was needed to support real action. That led us to create the Absolute Engagement Experience, the source of the epiphanies I referred to in Tuesday's post and something completely unique. If any of this resonates with where you're at in your business (or your life)... and if you're ready to do something about it... we’d love you to talk to you about the Experience. Because no one ever ‘drifted’ to extraordinary. You'll craft a compelling personal vision for the next phase of your business and then bring that to life. We'll grab you by the hand (metaphorically of course) and guide you every step of the way.

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Thanks for stopping by,

Julie

P.S. If you'd like to learn more or attend one of our on-going informational webinars about the program, just reach out to Reema at rbaber@absoluteengagement.com.