Leadership is not connected to a role or title. Leadership is about inspiring everyone around us to be the best version of themselves by setting an example that we follow every day.
Tell us a little bit about your current projects. What exciting milestone would you like to share with our readers? (Don’t hesitate to delve into your achievements, they will inspire the audience)
Will Richardson: Our team has been particularly focused on impacting our community this year. We raised $250k in 2020 for a variety of food banks around the country. In 2021 so far, we have continued to support food banks and other causes that help people stay housed and get back into the workforce. In addition to that, we are endowing two scholarships, one at the University of Mississippi (Will’s alma mater) and one at Florida State University in honor of Will’s mentor Buck Clements. Each scholarship will provide full tuition, room, and board for students who come from low-income communities with incredible odds stacked against them. We are excited to use the skills we have as financial planners to give strategically and to help others give.
Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Will Richardson: Tom Lipscomb has been a mentor of mine for the past 11 years. Tom has inspired me and thousands of others to think bigger, be more generous and communicate more effectively with our clients. I met Tom in 2010. Since, our business has grown 10 fold. Tom taught me how to provide value to the most sophisticated clients and how to frame a message in a way that is compelling to the clients we serve. Ever since meeting him, I enjoy my work more and am inspired by what he calls “Highly Incentivized Deliberate Practice.” With that concept in mind, we work to get a bit better today at telling the story and advocating on behalf of our clients than we were yesterday,
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons you learned from that?
Will Richardson: I love this question! When I first started, I went to meet with a prospect and brought the wrong file with me. Back then, we had paper files and I managed to bring the file of a client with essentially the same name but different spelling. I discovered this when I asked him how (insert spouse name here) was doing. He said, “I don’t know who that is, I’m divorced.” I told him I brought the wrong file, apologized, and asked if we could reschedule. We did. When I got back in front of him a couple of meetings later to recommend he implement a strategy I asked him if he wanted to proceed. He said gruffly “okay.”
I was so excited he was ready to move forward, I didn’t know what to do. “Have him sign” I thought. Then, reaching into my pocket, I realized I forgot my pen. I told him, and he laughed. We got one from the receptionist.
Since then, I realized that the lesson there is none of us are perfect. When people see we are flawed human beings like everyone else, it attracts them to us. Being competent and imperfect is where I’ve wanted to be ever since. When we embrace who we are, our message resonates. I know I am someone who does a great job, and also makes mistakes. When I do make mistakes, I own them, correct them, and move on. I’ve found that enhances my professional relationships–being human.
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Will Richardson: Great question. We have all needed more creativity and resilience than probably ever before. To me, resilience is finding new ways to think about a problem when the old ways no longer work. The entire world got a rest in March of 2020. We didn’t know if working from home would be effective for us. We found, interestingly, that working from home has allowed us to be more productive. It took time and resilience and we are glad we were able to get creative and work differently, no longer tied to a physical location.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the competition?
Will Richardson: When I think about what makes us unique, it is three things:
- We do everything we can to simplify our client’s lives and make it easy for them to work with us, avoiding complexity and what my mentor Tom calls “left turns” wherever we can.
- We meet people where they are and help them make progress one step at a time as opposed to overwhelming them with dozens of things to think about.
- We enhance the planning they are already doing. We built strategies around what is already working as opposed to starting over.
What do you consider are your strengths when dealing with staff workers, colleagues, senior management, and customers?
Will Richardson: In terms of our team, the biggest strength I think I have is in empowering people to do their work. First, we figure out how everyone’s brain works. Then we make sure the right people are doing the right work. Then, I get out of the way. Also, I am good at not creating unnecessary busywork. I’m always looking for ways to eliminate things that aren’t necessary and find a better way, a way where our clients and our team are best served. With clients, I believe my greatest strength is making the most out of our time together by thoroughly preparing in advance.
How important do you think it is for a leader to be mindful of his own brand?
Will Richardson: I believe it is very important. A personal brand is a way for us to say who we are, what we care about, and who we serve. By getting our brand right as CEO, we are creating a culture that represents that same brand.
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How would you define “leadership”?
Will Richardson: Leadership is not connected to a role or title. Leadership is about inspiring everyone around us to be the best version of themselves by setting an example that we follow every day.
What advice would you give to our younger readers that want to become entrepreneurs?
Will Richardson: You have what it takes to be an entrepreneur if that is what you want. It comes with taking risks upfront. Risk that your business can fail. What happens over time though, is the risk you took early on, gives you far more stability than any job ever could. The best part about being an entrepreneur is that you are paid for the value you bring as opposed to being paid by the hour. Game-changing opportunity to have a big impact.
What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Will Richardson: At some point not that long ago, I realized that no one has it figured out. Not people older than me, not me, not people younger than me. The key is to get yourself to act in the face of uncertainty. Taking chances is something I will never regret and I believe that will be true to you as well. Let’s make the most of the opportunities we have and crush them into tiny pieces!
This interview was originally published ValiantCEO.