As promised, in last week’s article please find Part 2 of the AP Way.
16. BE A LIFELONG LEARNER
Transforming behaviour focuses on personal growth. Seek out and take advantage of every opportunity to gain more knowledge, to increase your skills, and to become a greater expert. Be resourceful about learning and sharing best practices.
17. EMBRACE CHANGE
What got us here is not the same as what will get us to the next level. Get outside your comfort zone, rather than stubbornly hanging on to old ways of doing things. Be excited by the possibilities that change and growth bring. If it is not broken, break it.
18. BE CURIOUS
In the search for the best solutions, challenge and question what you don’t understand. Don’t accept anything at “face value” if it doesn’t make sense to you. Be curious, ask thoughtful questions, and listen intently to the answers. Dig deeper to go beyond the expected. Ask the extra question.
19. BE AUTHENTIC
Authentic behaviour focuses on character development, being real and transparent. Lose the mask and let people in to see your real self.
20. TAKE OWNERSHIP
Take personal responsibility for making things happen. It’s never someone else’s job or someone else’s fault. Be resourceful and show initiative. If you see it, own it, and make sure it gets done.
21. CREATE A GREAT IMPRESSION
Every conversation, phone call, email, letter, and even voice mail, sets a tone and creates an impression. Pay attention to every interaction and be sure you’re setting a tone that’s friendly, warm, and helpful.
22. COMMUNICATE TO BE UNDERSTOOD
Know your audience. Write and speak in a way that they can understand. Avoid using internal lingo, acronyms, and industry jargon. Use the simplest possible explanations.
23. WORK SMART
Be organised and plan your work for maximum efficiency. Have all the tools necessary before starting your work. Look ahead and be thoughtful about your schedule. Have a game plan for your calls, your tasks, and your workday. Know the priorities and work on them first.
24. BE POSITIVE
You have the power to choose your attitude. Choose to be joyful, optimistic, and enthusiastic. See the good in others. Your attitude is contagious. Spread optimism and positive energy.
25. BE EASY TO WORK WITH
Find ways to make working with you/us easier by avoiding below the line/defensive behaviours. Provide simple and complete instructions. When in doubt, do more rather than pushing the work back to them. Streamline our processes. Simplify everything. Be ridiculously helpful.
26. INVEST IN RELATIONSHIPS
Relate to know your clients and co-workers on a more personal level. Talk more and email less. Understand what makes others tick and what’s important to them. Strong relationships enable us to more successfully work through difficult issues and challenging times.
27. COLLABORATE
Share information and work together in an achieving manner. Collaborate internally and with our clients and partners to find better solutions. Collaboration generates better ideas than does working alone. Be inclusive.
28. USE BEST PRACTICES
Follow our operating procedures to ensure consistency, compliancy and high performance. When you see opportunities for process improvement, recommend them so that new and better standards can be established for the benefit of everyone.
29. KEEP THINGS FUN
While our passion for excellence is real, remember that the world has bigger problems than the daily challenges that make up our work. Stuff happens. Keep perspective. Don’t take things personally or take yourself too seriously. Laugh every day.
30. WE ARE NOT FOR SALE
Alman Partners is a multi-generational firm, and we are not for sale. Our clients and team members are like family and we plan to work together for the long-term.
Stephen Lowry (CFP® Professional, DFP, AIF®) is a representative of Alman Partners Pty Ltd, Australian Financial Services Licence No: 222107.