I thought this might be useful to fellow XPX members who lead advisory firms or are thinking about how to develop the next generation of advisors: https://digital.ffi.org/editions/advisor-development-that-lasts-aligning-culture-coaching-and-collaboration/. This recent FFI Practitioner article looks at what makes coaching and advisor development actually stick.
My central argument is that coaching often underdelivers when it is treated as something to hand off to an outside coach rather than as part of a broader developmental system. Advisor growth also depends on opportunities to exercise judgment, sponsorship from senior colleagues, real-world feedback, clear expectations, and a culture that supports increasing responsibility.
The article offers a practical framework for thinking about whether the conditions surrounding an advisor are actually supporting development. I’d be interested in how others in the XPX community are approaching this, particularly as firms think about developing people who can eventually take on more complex client and leadership responsibilities.
