Dealing with Your Less Experienced Team Members

Dear Bev,

Are we the only place where the soon-to-retire advisors struggle to communicate with the newer staff members? We are not as tech-savvy or are marketing-savvy as they are, but they could learn a lot from our experience too. They seem too cocky to me, and I don’t know how to get through. Any suggestions?

Frank F.

Dear Frank,

Are you sure it is only the newer advisors that are hard to reach? Do you think they may experience the same issue getting through to the older, more-experienced advisors? I hear a great deal about multi-generational issues. We’re living in times when three or four generations can work side by side, and life-expectancy projections say that we may have a time where there are five. That means that an advisor could be working with colleagues who could be their great-great-grandchildren! This is a very real issue for this industry as well as many others.

There are some obvious differences among the generations, as you point out in your note to me – technology being the biggest one. Communication styles and approaches could also differ, though it’s harder to chalk that all up to age.

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