For agency leaders tasked with building high-performing advisory teams, the challenge isn't just finding talent — it's nurturing it. To do that, leaders must understand what truly separates the top performers from everyone else and how this can be replicated across the team.

Over a 16-year career in financial services, Kristian James, CA, MBA, has worked with all kinds of advisors. He’s given a lot of thought to what unites top performers, and believes it comes down to five specific characteristics.

"As a leader, you need to be clear around who is a high performer and why. Reflect on what's really driving their success and consider what is required for all advisors to operate at this level," said James, who currently leads a team of 45 advisors.

Below are five indicators James believes separate high performers from the rest.

1. Purpose-driven passion

The most fundamental element to success is having passion. It’s the base on which everything else is built, James said. The most successful advisors are those who are passionate about their work.

"It's really noticeable that those who are successful have true passion," he said.

Passion is apparent in top advisors when it comes to what they are trying to achieve. Passionate advisors want their expertise in financial services to make positive changes in the world.

"They want to see people thrive,” he said. “They want to see that their clients are better off” because of their consultation and recommended products.

This isn't manufactured enthusiasm — it's an authentic drive that becomes self-sustaining. And often it will become infectious, bringing out more effort from other team members, which is one reason the value of a high performer exceeds their individual contribution.

2. Deep client knowledge

Beyond surface-level interactions, high performers invest in genuine relationship building. They listen to clients talk about themselves. They’re interested not only in knowing information like a client’s life stage, but also other insights such as a client’s interests, or their fears.

"They're truly engaged with them,” James said. "They ask questions to help clients realize the need, and then they can come in and provide the solution for them."

3. Product knowledge

High performers have expert product knowledge. This is a cornerstone of success because it builds confidence — both for the advisor and the client. When an Advisor deeply understands the features, benefits, and limitations of what they're offering, they can address the client’s specific needs and concerns.

“This expertise fosters trust, enabling more authentic and powerful conversations,” James said.

It also allows the advisor to handle any questions and differentiate their product from competitors. Ultimately, strong product knowledge can transform a generic interaction to one that is more relevant to the client, making the customer feel understood and valued.

4. Consistent activity

High achievers have consistent activity and strong processes.

"They are active, wake up early, focus, get on with the day and get out there," James said. "They'll often plan the day: what they're going to do in the morning, lunchtime, afternoon and evening. They weave in non-work as well. For example, how they’ll bring their family in.”

This holistic approach to activity fosters success because it creates a sense of urgency while automatically prioritizing the most important items. High performers know there is always more to do, so they have to be selective about where they direct their time. This rightly includes all the areas outside of their profession that follow the Whole Person concept.

A robust to-do list cannot be tackled with willpower alone. Well-developed processes assist high performers in their efforts to get things done and realize their passion. They can execute fast because they know the necessary steps to complete any number of tasks.

"Those who have strong processes know how to use the tools, and they use them religiously," James said. "They capture information on their prospects, they know the status of each and they follow up."

5. Numbers mastery

Finally, top performers have a deep appreciation of the numbers it takes to be successful.

"They know their numbers and business inside and out, and they know that X leads to Y," James said. "They know it's a numbers game. X calls means X number of appointments, which means X conversions. They have a target for each, and they focus on the inputs that will drive each of those metrics that then lead to an output at the end."

Where leaders come in

Leaders who have advisors that embody all five traits don’t need to do much other than remove obstacles. But advisors may lack one or more traits, either acutely or chronically, that impact their performance.

"An advisor may be fantastic because they're fully engaged with the client, but their processes might not be great," James. Similarly, "If someone has great processes but doesn't care enough for the client or their needs, over a longer term, that doesn't work out either."

It’s these advisors who benefit most from strong leadership. Some characteristics, like process adherence, are highly coachable. A number of drills can help advisors build the muscle memory to perform these skills to a high level.

“They have potential,” James said. “It's a matter for a coach to be able to identify that potential, identify the gaps and help them.”

Four of the five traits of successful advisors are skill-based and stackable, meaning that embodying one of those traits should make it easier to pick up the other three. Methodical process, for instance, is required for consistent activity, and naturally creates deep client knowledge and numbers mastery.

The outlier in the bunch is passion. It can exist independently of the other four, or it can be absent while the others are present. In both cases, a lack of passion eventually, if not immediately, creates significant challenges for financial advisors.

“More often than not, it's will,” James said. “They may well be capable, but the role's just not right for them.”

By selecting and training advisors with the five pillars of outstanding performance in mind, agency leaders can more effectively identify high-potential advisors and target development efforts where they'll have the greatest impact.

"You need both skill and will,” he said. “Skill, you can work on through coaching, and will is that intrinsic part. When you've got both of them working symbiotically, that's when you've got a real high performer."

Contact: Kristian James, kristian.j@generatekiwisaver.co.nz