As a woman you bring amazing strengths and talents to an industry mired in egos and less-than-ethical behavior. You have succeeded by adapting to the more traditional business model even when the process and methods felt totally unnatural to you as a woman.

For some, you were destined for the role as a financial advisor from an early age.  Supported by parents and others who encouraged your independence and fed your confidence, NO wasn’t an option. For others you simply fell into the business, sometimes by default. It was a job, income and an opportunity, but then you saw the impact you could have on the lives of others and a fire was lit in your soul. You knew this was where you wanted to be, doing what you wanted to do.

Regardless of your scenario, the road was never easy as you traversed the industry road blocks, gender biases, and even self-imposed limitations. You have spent years juggling the demands of family and the unspoken pressure from an industry that struggled to accept your value and ability. But you were committed to your purpose even when your energy waned and your optimism was shattered by compliance and challenging markets. At times, you were driven only by your sense of loyalty to your clients; it was their appreciation of your work that kept you afloat.

Let’s face it— for most women, your business has been fueled solely by discipline, hard work and your sheer determination to succeed, yet underneath it all you knew there had to be a better, more effective way to succeed.

You knew it didn’t have to be so challenging, so painful, but straying from the traditional methods often attracted unwanted attention and less than positive feedback. In most cases, it was safer to stay under the radar rather than to stir up attention with new and creative ideas.

But times have changed; women have proven their worth in the financial services industry. Firms are scrambling to hire more female advisors, not because they are filling court- mandated quotas, but because they recognize the value (and revenues) female advisors can bring to the business.

As women, we must recognize this shift and use this new position in order to make positive changes, not just simply to enhance our path to success, but to transform a stodgy industry stuck in the mud.

We must stop trying to prove our worth (been there, done that) and begin rebuilding using our unique strengths as women to re-design how business is done on Wall Street.

I have spent more than 10 years coaching female advisors and, to me, the path to success for women is quite simple. When you build your business, process, and marketing strategy around your strengths as a woman, amazing things happen. Your passion and enthusiasm for what you do is immediately rekindled. You will begin to see that what you thought was possible, what you dreamed you could accomplish is right there at your fingertips. This shift will not only transform your business and life but will also re- inspire your clients, engage and empower more women, and help you connect with the generations that follow simply by providing a new, more personal and authentic approach to doing business your way.

I realize not every female advisor has the time or resources to get the personal coaching they need to transform their business, but you can begin the process by following the 6 Steps to Success, HERE (page 32). These 6 Steps have been extremely instrumental in helping many women advisors rediscover their true value as an advisor, recognize their ability as a woman in business, and provide a new path to success for women in finance.

About SAYRA

This article was orginally published by SAYRA Magazine in the FALL / WINTER 2015 VOL.1 NO.4 from Lebenthal Holdings, LLC.

Sayra Magazine, the “Voice of Female Financial Advisors,” is brought to you by Lebenthal Holdings, LLC. It is distributed quarterly to approximately 90,000 female advisors who control more than $3 trillion in client assets.

With this demographic in mind, CEO and President, Alexandra Lebenthal developed and engineered the first magazine ever for them. Sayra contains articles that will help advisors build their business, service their clients, and offer strategies on how to balance life and work. Interviews and profiles of successful female advisors as well as well-known industry and corporate leaders are featured.

The publication is named after Sayra Lebenthal who co-founded Lebenthal in 1925 with her husband, Louis Lebenthal and who remained active in the firm for 67 years.