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In this episode of the Human-centric Investing Podcast, hosts John and Julie are joined by Jon Kuttin, a highly successful financial advisor and leader in the industry. They discuss the importance of transitioning from being a financial professional to becoming a leader in order to drive practice development and achieve significant growth.

Jon highlights that there are two levels of growing a business: self-leadership and leading others. Many financial advisors excel at managing themselves and their tasks, but struggle with leading and developing a team. He emphasizes that the transition to becoming a leader is crucial for advisors who want to move beyond a certain revenue level and create substantial growth in their practice.

Jon believes that developing leadership skills is essential for leveraging human capital effectively. He explains that a leader is someone who can influence others to do things they couldn’t do without their guidance. However, he acknowledges that advisors may face challenges when making this transition, such as feeling more like an HR manager than a financial advisor.

To overcome these challenges, Jon advises advisors to focus on developing themselves as leaders before helping others achieve their goals. He encourages advisors to prioritize their team’s career growth, as they are often the most significant expense for most practices. By investing in human capital and developing leadership skills, advisors can achieve significant growth and take their practice to the next level.

One key aspect of developing leadership skills is establishing a clear vision, mission, and values for the organization. Reinforcing these principles regularly can help them resonate with the team and create a common language and culture of effective communication. Implementing systems and using frameworks like the five levels of leadership can facilitate this communication and provide a structure for understanding leadership skills.

The five levels of leadership provide a useful framework for understanding the progression of leadership skills. From completing tasks to developing high-level leaders, each level represents a different level of leadership capability. To develop leaders within the organization, it is essential to have a strong vision, mission, and values that are ingrained in the organization’s DNA. Implementing systems and processes specifically designed to develop leaders can also support this development.

Jon also addresses behaviors that may hold people back from becoming leaders, such as control freak tendencies. He explains that successful leaders reach a level of comfort and surround themselves with people who make their lives easier, rather than helping them grow. Leadership requires patience and the development of skills that can take years to master.

Overall, Jon emphasizes the importance of investing in human capital and developing leaders through a clear vision, mission, values, and effective communication. He encourages advisors to persist and overcome the challenges they may face on their journey to becoming leaders, as the rewards are worth it.

In addition to discussing leadership, the episode also provides insights into the speaker’s personal interests. He shares his perspective on the best age, reflecting on the innocence and limitless possibilities of childhood. He also discusses his hobbies, including binge-watching TV shows and movies, particularly on platforms like Netflix and Hulu. Additionally, he reveals that he is a “fish person,” as he has a pond with koi fish in his backyard. He humorously recounts his attempt to keep pet deer off his property, expressing his defeat in trying to prevent them from eating his plants.

The episode concludes with information about the speaker’s independent practice and coaching and training organization. Listeners are encouraged to visit the websites for more information.

In conclusion, the episode provides valuable insights into the importance of leadership in driving practice development and achieving significant growth. It highlights the challenges advisors may face in making this transition and provides guidance on developing leadership skills and investing in human capital.

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Connect with Jon Kuttin, Joseph Greco and Consulting Group: