Creating Consistency Without Creating Clones

When you start developing other people to deliver advisory, there's a temptation to teach them to do it exactly the way you do it. Use these questions. Follow this structure. Say it like this. Run the meeting this way. And having a framework is useful. In fact, if advisory is going to be delivered across a team, there absolutely needs to be a consistent standard. But consistency doesn't mean everybody has to be the same. In this episode of Advisory Secrets, I talk about why building an advisory team isn't about creating lots of little versions of you. Different people bring different strengths. One person might be brilliant at asking questions. Someone else might naturally put clients at ease. Another may be particularly good at spotting patterns in the numbers, while somebody else can take something complicated and explain it incredibly simply. Those differences aren't a problem to be trained out of them. They're part of what makes a team valuable. The aim is to give people a strong framework to work within — clear standards, a consistent approach and an understanding of what a good advisory conversation should achieve — while still allowing them to develop their own style. Because advisory conversations shouldn't feel scripted. You might go into a meeting with a set of questions you want to explore, but then the client says something unexpected. That's where curiosity comes in. You listen. You ask another question. And suddenly the most valuable part of the conversation is something you couldn't possibly have planned beforehand. That's advisory. So yes, create consistency. But don't confuse consistency with uniformity. We want clients to receive a consistently high standard of advisory, whoever they're speaking to. But we also want our team members to sound like themselves. Because people are usually more confident, more curious and more engaging when they're not trying to imitate somebody else. Takeaways Building an advisory team doesn't mean creating several versions of the lead advisor. Consistency and uniformity are not the same thing. Your firm can have a consistent advisory framework while allowing people to develop their own style. Different team members will bring different strengths — and that's an advantage. Advisory conversations need enough structure to create consistency, but enough flexibility to follow where the conversation goes. Some of the best advisory questions aren't planned — they come from listening and curiosity. People are generally more confident when they're allowed to communicate naturally rather than trying to copy someone else's approach. The aim is a consistent client experience, not identical advisors. And here's the question I'd leave you with: Are you developing your team to become capable advisors — or are you trying to teach them to become you? Because your team doesn't need to be full of people who think and communicate exactly like you do. It needs people who can bring their own strengths to a shared standard of advisory. Find Out More If you'd like to develop a consistent approach to advisory across your team without creating clones, visit APX Training. You can also join our free Advisory Teams Facebook community. And for longer-form conversations around advisory, search for Advisory Conversations with Tim Seymour and Deb Halliday on your usual podcast platform.