The COO Roundtable: Episode 59

With “The Sabbatical Episode,” Matt welcomed two highly respected RIA professionals to tackle a topic not often discussed in our industry: mental health.  Allison Felix, a two-time guest to the podcast, is Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Cassaday & Co.  Erika Yelle is Chief Compliance Officer at Coldstream Wealth Management.  Both guests have been with their firms for over two decades and have held various positions and witnessed incredible growth at both RIAs.  Cassaday & Co. is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, has 86 employees and currently manages just under $5 billion of AUM.  Coldstream Wealth Management employs approximately 160 employees, manages just under $7 billion of client assets, and has 7 office locations in the Pacific Northwest.  Matt, Allison, and Erika have an honest conversation around the internal pressures we tend to place on ourselves to always be available, the fear of setting an Out of Office reply, our industry’s slow movement away from Gordon Gekko’s comment in the ‘80s that “lunch is for wimps,” as well as:

• Their respective firms’ policies around sabbaticals
• How employees who are so integral to the day-to-day operations of their firms can plan for an extended time away
• The benefits sabbaticals have not only to employees, but the broader organization
• Tips for “re-entry” after time away so as not to be too overwhelmed

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You can read the full transcript here.