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by Colleen Kowalski on March 2, 2022
Power Sessions offer the Exit Planning Summit attendees the opportunity to hear presenters challenge the status quo and offer new ideas to professional advisors. In the past, exit planning was seen as a transactional service: an advisor helping an owner sell their business. Our community of advisors, industry experts, and business owners have challenged that idea and have since grown exit planning, and advisory practices in general, to a more transformational experience.
These Power Sessions are similar to TED Talks and provide the audience with a thought-provoking, inspiring, and motivational experience. They transform the way we think and provide actionable education and insights.
Summit attendees will hear from experts who represent Experiences, People, and Innovation. Three elements are needed to be a top advisor in the exit planning space.
One of these experts is Joe Slatter, who will speak to the People category.
Meet Joe Slatter
Joe Slatter’s mission is helping individuals, organizations and communities accelerate toward better, however they define it. A musician at heart, he believes teams, organizations, and communities can significantly improve outcomes by establishing common sense and listening to each other.
Joe has lived in six countries and worked extensively with cross-functional and highly distributed teams. This experience led to the creation of the Better Practice methodology, the underlying framework for RFN Advisory Group’s ‘Decision Dynamics’ and ‘Leadership Accelerator’ Sprints. When we are intentional about how we figure out what matters together, make decisions and act together with teams and organizations, they accelerate toward their next level of success. This builds durable enterprise value and growth.
About Joe’s Power Session
Have you ever noticed that little voice in your head doing analysis, solving problems, and preparing your sage advice while your client is talking? Maybe it’s a colleague or spouse who’s sharing a point of view and you’re waiting for a break in the action to share your bit of wisdom that will make it all better.
We all probably do it to some extent and that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. If we want to get more information in less time, we might consider setting our judgments aside and fully engaging curiosity for a little bit. Take a lesson from Kaldi, the goatherd who discovered coffee.
In this session, Summit attendees will:
- Gain an appreciation for the value in suspending judgment and engaging curiosity
- Learn techniques to help prepare for good listening
- Learn techniques to help manage your listening
How does innovative thinking impact a business owner or professional advisor?
Joe: Innovative thinking creates space for significantly better possibilities to emerge, whether that translates for a particular business owner or advisor into more, faster, simpler, easier, happier, and more satisfying.
What is the key takeaway you want Summit attendees to gain from your session?
Joe: I want attendees to learn that asking open-ended questions, encouraging stories, and listening well is the most responsible and high-value first step for any advisor.
How would you define a successful leader?
Joe: A successful leader is someone who leads oneself and others to succeed in an organization that requires creating and supporting an environment that allows others to grow, lead, and be successful together with others.
What mindset shift do advisors need to have to suspend judgment?
Joe: Advisors must learn that during a discovery they are not there to solve a problem and can’t possibly have a solution yet.
How does curiosity positively impact a business?
Joe: I think too many businesses operate in avoidance mode. They have their teams focus on what they don’t want so they can avoid it. Curiosity, on the other hand, draws people forward toward something of interest and creates space for new ways of thinking and acting to emerge. The focus is on interesting things that might propel us forward. Action follows attention. Would you rather have people focused on what you want, or what you don’t want?
Good conversations involve both sharing and listening. What tips do you have for people who currently only excel at one of these?
Joe: First: Decide you want to get better at the other one. Practice, discuss your practice with your colleagues, share what you’ve learned, and repeat. Second: Look for opportunities to pair up with an advisor who excels at the other on a discovery engagement and pay attention to what they do during this phase.
Other than your session, what are you most looking forward to at this year’s Exit Planning Summit?
Joe: I went to college in Flagstaff and lived in the Phoenix area for a few years as a young man. I’m looking forward to experiencing the Sonoran Desert again and spending time together in the same actual space with some old (and new) friends.
The 2022 Exit Planning Summit
We are excited to welcome hundreds of Certified Exit Planning Advisors Sunday, May 1 – Tuesday, May 3, 2022, to Scottsdale, Arizona for a conference where top advisors, their teams, and business owners come to build deep relationships, share unique experiences, and uncover innovative solutions for their business.
The Exit Planning Summit is the coming together of the CEPA Community. The best CEPAs from around the world collaborate with their supporting partners and colleagues that are all helping business owners to create more significant companies. CEPAs will develop new or further current relationships, learn best practices, and advance themselves as advisors. Advisors will leave the Exit Planning Summit not only galvanized to accelerate their practice but with the tools and connections to do so.
Learn more about the Exit Planning Summit and register to reserve your spot today!
Register for the Exit Planning Summit!
