Everyone is familiar with French author Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, right? Full disclosure, I wasn’t either. I learned his name when I looked up his well-known quote “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting lately in my new role at Compass. Life has an interesting way of bringing past events into focus. This saying rings true when I think about my journey to where I am today. It also holds true when I think about the work we do at Compass and the culture we do our best to uphold.
As most of you know, our founder Kurt Pearson successfully retired this year. In my time at Compass I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a good number of our clients, but for those I have not met, here is a little history on what led me to Compass and how I came to know a great friend and mentor named Kurt Pearson.
I’ve spent approximately 17 years as a football coach at the high school and college level, the majority at the college level. Fortunately, I’ve been a part of some great cultures and teams. Unfortunately, I have also experienced some not so great cultures and teams. So goes it in the coaching world.
Along the way I learned coaching done right is a people business. It’s relational, not transactional. Successful coaching is all about creating deep relationships, building trust and helping people achieve goals. Goals not just in sport, but more importantly in life!
I learned the most important part of any organization is the culture. It’s the heartbeat of the team, the true north when adversity hits. I realized I have a strong passion for helping people in meaningful ways, especially when it comes to finance. I learned the importance of surrounding yourself with high quality people. Remember when your parents used to say you are who you hang out with? It’s true. Finally, I realized how rewarding it is to see others achieve success and know I played a small part in helping them along their journey.
When I made the move into financial advising it was crucial I find a place which aligned with my values and what I learned coaching. I felt my skillset and experience would translate well to financial advising, but what employer would recognize this? I believed it was still “coaching,” but in a different vehicle. I brushed up on my prior business experience, obtained my securities and insurance licenses, and was glad I completed my master’s degree in organizational leadership with an emphasis in business.
The great challenge was not to find a job as a financial advisor, but to find the “right job.” What makes a job special and worthwhile is the clients, co-workers, and the culture. My challenge was to find a team who believed in the same values I did, who put a premium on culture,people, and helping others in a meaningful way.
Talking with other firms, I kept hearing good things about Compass and Kurt. Culture was a common word used in describing Compass. This intrigued me. I proactively reached out to Kurt and fortunately, he agreed to meet. Getting to know Kurt I found a kindred spirit when it came to culture, value of person, and a relational approach to advising. I found great alignment with Kurt, the Compass team, and what I valued most.
Ultimately, Kurt offered me a job, and the rest is history. Hard to believe how time flies. I’ve been at Compass going on 6 years in November. Starting as an advisor, then an owner, and now the CEO. It’s been a tremendous experience working with Kurt. I’m so grateful for the time spent and the time we continue to spend. It’s also amazing working with our entire Compass team, who I’m very thankful for. I have learned much from them over the years, and we continue to grow together. We are family.
As I reflect, the phrase “The more things change, the more they stay the same” kept coming to mind. It describes my career change and how the core beliefs, values, and lessons learned stayed the same in a new career. It describes how Kurt’s retirement is a change at Compass, yet our values, culture, and way of doing business remain the same. My hope is our clients also feel this sentiment.
Looking forward our future is bright. We have a wonderful dedicated team, and I couldn’t be more excited to be continuing this journey with our team and you, our valued clients.
As Kurt sails into retirement I want to say thank you to Kurt. Thank you for believing in yourself and starting Compass Financial. Thank you for striving to create something bigger than yourself, which outlived your career. Thank you for putting people first and creating a culture which draws in people of a similar mindset like myself. Thank you for giving me an opportunity. Thank you for being a friend and mentor to so many fortunate people including myself.
Finally, if you are reading this you are very important to us. Thank you for your business and your trust in Compass. We look forward to continuing to serve you in the many years to come. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Have a wonderful Summer!