“My leadership style is one of transparency and partnership and that is consistent with the firm’s culture, so I think it’s expected of me as well.’’
“But I want to hear their feedback, get to know the team and I believe that we have a shared vision, but to the extent that I can use my perspective to bring some further detail to the vision, I will do that. I know our goal is to grow the firm but to do so organically through making sure that we are telling people about the great work we are doing and that we are doing it so well that clients are also telling the story for us,” she said.
One of the trends in the industry over the years, Anderson said, is the accessibility of information that has led to clients being increasingly better informed. “And that is leading them to be more hands on and give them a much more powerful seat at the table, which is terrific,” she said.
“I think it’s changing the tone of how we all in the industry need to operate. It needs to be more of a collaborative relationship with clients, focusing on educating them, helping them to communicate within their families and navigate some of the more complicated issues that come up,’’ she said.
Anderson pointed out that one of the things she has been hearing a lot about in the industry, and particularly when she was doing her due diligence about this new position, is there are a lot of entrance into the wealth management space from the institutional investing world.
But what’s interesting is to see what they do with it going forward … how they grow, whether it’s organic or whether it’s through an acquisition trend because I think we already have been seeing a lot of that -- sales of firms and how that will impact culture and how it will lead people to think about size and breath of services. I think that will be interesting to see how that unfolds,’’ she said.
In addition, Anderson said the entrepreneurial opportunity of small and mid-sized firms is one that she believes will be an interesting one to see, particularly for more experienced advisors who know their client base and who want to exercise more independence in how they are operating day-to-day.
“I think that’s an interesting thing to watch and it is one of the most exciting elements for me,’’ she said.
Chilton’s commitment to stay independent and to grow not principally through acquisition was one of the things that Anderson said attracted her to the firm. She also was impressed with Chilton’s philosophy on hiring.
“One of the things that really struck me in the beginning was Richard’s attitude personally. The only thing he cares about is getting the best person in any role,’’ she said “That’s all he wants to do and if you do that, by definition, the demographics of the firm will be reflective of the broader community, and that’s what I have observed,’’ she said.