Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives
This excerpt is from The Pursuit of Absolute Engagement: Intentionally Design a Business That Supports the Life You (Really) Want to Live by Julie Littlechild. The book link is www.absoluteengagement.com/book
To pursue Absolute Engagement is to be intentional about structuring your business in a way that supports meaningful growth. At the same time, it’s about ensuring that you have the capacity, energy and passion to stay focused on your goals for the long haul. So Absolute Engagement is about your business, your life and the connection between the two.
Absolute Engagement
I describe Absolute Engagement as an ongoing pursuit—not to wear you out before you even begin but as a recognition that big changes don’t happen overnight. Your priorities may shift over time. It’s a bit like saying that happiness is an ongoing pursuit—the factors that contribute to happiness may evolve over time but the goal remains the same. You never stop trying to achieve it.
In action, Absolute Engagement is born of an alignment of your personal vision, your business vision and both the client and team experience. When those things are fully aligned, you transform your business from one that’s growing to one characterized by both profound meaning and significant momentum.
The hypothesis
Initially I created the concept of Absolute Engagement as an observer, by watching the approaches of the most successful advisors I met. More specifically, I focused on individuals who had not only built large businesses, but who seemed to have achieved momentum or flow, moving from success to success. They seemed genuinely happier and more fulfilled.
That observation led me to my hypothesis. There is a group of advisors who have structured their businesses in a way that fully aligns the vision they have for their lives with the vision they have for their businesses. The result is that they’re laser-focused, grow faster and are more fulfilled. They weren’t just engaged, but absolutely engaged. I saw this in action, but I wanted some evidence as to what these advisors did differently.
To understand the drivers of Absolute Engagement I conducted a series of interviews, each of which lasted over two hours. From there I conducted an in-depth, quantitative study among 600 financial advisors who each took the time to describe how they approached both their businesses and their lives. Based on that data, I was able to isolate a group of advisors—about 15 percent of the total—whom I would describe as Absolutely Engaged.
They were Absolutely Engaged because they had designed their businesses in three very specific ways. The impact of the approach they took was staggering, not only on their businesses but their lives.
15 percent of advisors are Absolutely Engaged.
By Julie Littlechild, read the full article here.
