A Different Perspective

By Tina Zawila

Steve and I were both out of the office in early October attending our annual Centrepoint Alliance Partner Summit for Financial Planners and Accountants.  This conference is held overseas in a different location each year.  Every year the quality of the speakers and technical content is outstanding, enabling us to continually improve our professional skills and knowledge to best serve our clients.

I’ve often been asked “Why is an Australian conference held overseas and why do you invest the time and money to go?”  Aside from the technical content, there are a number of other invaluable learning’s gained from these conferences that may not be obvious at first.

• ·         A different time zone – minimises distractions during the conference.  Delegates are often less likely to have to take phone calls or answer emails and messages allowing them to focus on the content and network with other delegates.  

• ·         A different economy/political landscape – as Financial Advisors learning about the strengths and weaknesses of different economies and political environments enhances our ability to analyse and assess our own economy and government policies.

• ·         A different currency – aside from sharpening our ability to do conversions in our heads, the value of currency and the cost of living provides an insight into another financial system.

• ·         A different culture – witnessing different ways of life, living standards and the attitudes of the people to their governments/rulers provides us with perspective on the Australian lifestyle.

Another important associated benefit is the ability to review and assess our own professional and personal development, and our business’ performance and position, with the benefit of distance and a different perspective. 

We often talk to our clients about Working IN versus Working ON your business.  These conferences are our opportunity to work ON our own business and take our own advice.

Finally, travel teaches you patience and to acknowledge what you can and can’t control! 

If you are looking for a different perspective on your business or career, take some time out to talk to our professional team at Sothertons on 4972 1300.