[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":112},["ShallowReactive",2],{"global":3,"article-how-to-incentivize-your-team-to-drive-growth-the-wire":24},{"title":4,"slug":4,"phone":5,"email":8,"company_name":9,"address":10,"social_media":14,"subscription_label":23},"global",{"number":6,"href":7},"480.245.5094","tel:+14802455094","info@advisorgrowthllc.com","Advisor Growth Strategies",{"label":11,"href":12,"embed":13},"3225 N Central Ave Suite 100\u003Cbr>Phoenix, AZ 85012","https://goo.gl/maps/AKR7R4EPd2Mn7J8k7","",[15,19],{"account":16,"href":17,"aria":18},"envelope","mailto:info@advisorgrowthllc.com","email info@advisorgrowthllc.com",{"account":20,"href":21,"aria":22},"linkedin","https://www.linkedin.com/company/advisor-growth-strategies-llc/","LinkedIn icon opens new window","Stay Current on Industry Trends",{"id":25,"date":26,"date_gmt":26,"guid":27,"modified":26,"modified_gmt":26,"slug":29,"status":30,"type":31,"link":32,"title":33,"template":13,"meta":35,"the-wire-categories":37,"the-wire-archive-categories":39,"class_list":40,"acf":46,"_links":58,"_embedded":86},2830,"2026-09-14T15:50:49",{"rendered":28},"https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/?post_type=the-wire&p=2830","how-to-incentivize-your-team-to-drive-growth","publish","the-wire","https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/the-wire/how-to-incentivize-your-team-to-drive-growth/",{"rendered":34},"How to Incentivize Your Team to Drive Growth",{"_acf_changed":36},false,[38],6,[],[41,31,42,43,44,45],"post-2830","type-the-wire","status-publish","hentry","the-wire-categories-growth-strategies",{"seo":47,"custom_post":52},{"page_title":48,"page_description":13,"page_keywords":13,"additional_settings":36,"social_meta":49},"How to Incentivize Your Team to Drive Growth ",{"og_meta":50},{"title":13,"description":13,"image":51},"https://dld7fz6mejerl.cloudfront.net/logo/logo.jpg",{"title":34,"time":13,"excerpt":53,"internal_content":54,"link":57},"\u003Cp>Aligning incentives is only the starting point; the firms that sustain growth build their plans around what each contributor is personally trying to optimize for, then link those individual goals back to the objectives of the business.\u003C/p>\n",{"content_type":55,"date":13,"article_content":56,"pdf_embed":36},"Article","\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>\u003Cem>How do I incentivize my team to drive growth\u003C/em>\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>It’s one of the most common questions we get at AGS. Go to any conference and several speakers will point out the fact that the average RIA is growing at 0% or less when you exclude the market. Positive net-of-market flows are the lifeblood of any RIA. Without them, a firm enters a managed decline relying on dwindling cash flow until client outflows eventually capsize the business. To make matters worse, buyers in the RIA space are placing greater emphasis on AUM flows. At best, a struggling firm may receive a below-market offer; at worst, potential acquirers walk away entirely, knowing their investment committees won’t approve a deal with deteriorating net flows. This reduces or eliminates one of the only lifeboats of a struggling RIA with little to no succession plan.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 style=\"margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: .3em;\">The Underlying Philosophy\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>Whether a firm is preparing for a sale or building for the next 100 years, sustained growth is essential to maximizing long-term value. That leads us back to the initial question of how to incentivize your team.  This article is less about the specific tactics of compensation design and more about the underlying philosophy that should guide how a plan is built from the ground up. \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Traditional wisdom says that you need to “align incentives,” which is code for the team makes more when the firm makes more. My favorite quote is by Charlie Munger who said, “Show me the incentive and I’ll show you the outcome.” While the above wisdom is true, it only scratches the surface when it comes to dealing with the modern contributor at an RIA. By modern contributor, I mean millennials and Gen Z. Owners are often trying to get the team to buy into their vision for the firm, but the truth is they may not care about your vision. Sure, they want the firm to succeed but only to the extent it aligns with their personal goals. They will only do more to the extent it serves them. Another surface-level line of thinking is that all contributors are motivated by the same thing: money. While compensation matters, many team members begin optimizing for other priorities—flexibility, impact, or growth—once their financial needs reach a certain threshold. \u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 style=\"margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: .3em;\">Unlocking Greater Output\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>The key to unlocking greater output starts with understanding each team member’s personal goals and aspirations. The RIA industry often talks about advisors in two camps, hunters and farmers. Owners need to understand who on their team are farmers and who on their team, if any, are hunters. Once a firm takes an honest assessment of their team’s strengths, capabilities, and desires they can begin to craft an effective incentive plan. Increasing the payout or bonus pool will do nothing for contributors who are not trying to maximize their income equation or who by nature hate sales. You may find that one colleague wants to optimize flexibility at work to spend more time with their kids, or another who cares more about personal fulfillment in working with clients. Yes, many will be motivated by money, there are always personal underlying goals. Once you understand each contributor’s individual priorities you can help them craft the vision for their career at the firm.  \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Career pathing is a crucial and often overlooked part of a firm’s strategic plan. Contributors expect a well-defined career track or will leave for a firm that shows them one. Once you craft that vision the trick is to link their goals back to the goals of the business. While it’s not practical to design a completely unique compensation plan for every team member, you can tailor incentives, goals, and lifestyle benefits to better align their personal priorities with the firm’s strategic objectives. With this alignment in place, the goals of the individual and the firm are in sync—driving focus, accountability, and meaningful progress.  \u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>At AGS, we partner with RIAs to design compensation strategies that not only reflect each firm’s unique objectives but also engage and motivate their teams. AGS designs dozens of plans annually, we welcome the opportunity to collaborate on a plan that supports your people and propels your business forward. \u003C/p>\n",{"label":13,"aria":13,"file_type":13,"href":13,"file":36},{"self":59,"collection":65,"about":68,"wp:attachment":71,"wp:term":74,"curies":82},[60],{"href":61,"targetHints":62},"https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/wp-json/wp/v2/the-wire/2830",{"allow":63},[64],"GET",[66],{"href":67},"https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/wp-json/wp/v2/the-wire",[69],{"href":70},"https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/wp-json/wp/v2/types/the-wire",[72],{"href":73},"https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media?parent=2830",[75,79],{"taxonomy":76,"embeddable":77,"href":78},"the-wire-categories",true,"https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/wp-json/wp/v2/the-wire-categories?post=2830",{"taxonomy":80,"embeddable":77,"href":81},"the-wire-archive-categories","https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/wp-json/wp/v2/the-wire-archive-categories?post=2830",[83],{"name":84,"href":85,"templated":77},"wp","https://api.w.org/{rel}",{"wp:term":87},[88,111],[89],{"id":38,"link":90,"name":91,"slug":92,"taxonomy":76,"acf":93,"_links":94},"https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/the-wire-categories/growth-strategies/","Growth Strategies","growth-strategies",[],{"self":95,"collection":100,"about":103,"wp:post_type":106,"curies":109},[96],{"href":97,"targetHints":98},"https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/wp-json/wp/v2/the-wire-categories/6",{"allow":99},[64],[101],{"href":102},"https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/wp-json/wp/v2/the-wire-categories",[104],{"href":105},"https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/wp-json/wp/v2/taxonomies/the-wire-categories",[107],{"href":108},"https://api2.advisorgrowthllc.com/wp-json/wp/v2/the-wire?the-wire-categories=6",[110],{"name":84,"href":85,"templated":77},[],1789401145619]