In the 13th episode of The COO Roundtable, Matt welcomes Kristi de Grys of Merriman Wealth Management and Larry Miles of AdvicePeriod. After spending almost two decades in the aerospace industry, Kristi de Grys brings an outside (and strongly analytical) perspective and occupies a role not yet seen on The COO Roundtable—that of the Chief Investment Officer/COO. Similarly, Larry brings the perspective of a “recovering history and English major” to his role of providing strategic leadership for growth and profitability. With the goal of highlighting the importance of values & culture when it comes to the management of a firm, Matt, Kristi, & Larry sit down to discuss how a COO can make the firm’s values the basis for its processes, how to build the right culture for your firm, and more, including:
- The benefits of hiring a diverse set of team members from both within and without the industry
- How intentionality is key when building a distinct culture at your firm
- How a COO can maintain an outsider’s perspective in order to continually challenge the status quo
- Larry’s experience being both a principal and a practice management author
- Kristi’s three levels of communication within a firm
- The importance of professional management, and the COO specifically, for RIAs in acquisition mode
- Where Kristi and Larry turn to for peer-level best practices and education
Check out Larry’s book, It’s That Simple: How to Build the Professional Service Firm of the Future, here.
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