It is commonly assumed that if you get support from your co-workers you will be happier and, therefore, more productive. But, what you may not realize is that if you are the one giving the support the same positive effect will occurs.

So first, read this article for more, then get up from your desk and share some positive encouragement with a co-worker. Not only will you feel better, you’ll probably put a smile on someone else face and you’ll both be more productive.

Check out Peak Advisor Alliance’s Ron Carson shares his experience on how technology has changed his financial advisory business and why advisors need to always be investing in technology.

By Ron Carson, CFP®, ChFC

Standard & Poor's just put the U.S. government on notice that if we don't get our act together, we'll lose our AAA credit rating. Predictably, the stock market tanked and a new measure of uncertainty has entered the landscape. How can you ensure that your business remains successful in this era of wild market swings and economic and geopolitical uncertainty?

Many advisors cease to be successful when times get difficult and I believe that is because they don't have a clear thought on what direction they're moving in.

Author Jim Collins writes that so often people want to take their business from good to great. The problem is with the transition. Most people think that good is good enough and when we achieve that level, we're usually not motivated to make a lot of changes, positive or otherwise. So good is simply the mortal enemy of great. We don't have great schools because we have good schools. We don't have great government because we have good government-well, maybe that's being too generous! We don't have great relationships because we have good relationships.

Many people, I believe, will confront, at the end of their lives, the horrifying truth that they had never achieved greatness in their life because they simply settled for good. And the other horrifying fact is that they had the ability to achieve greatness; they simply allowed their time to run out. That's why we constantly reiterate that the difference between those people that succeed and have a high quality of life and those people that don't, is that the successful people have a guiding light, that mission and that vision that allows them to stay focused. You see, the challenge is not the opportunity; the challenge is reacting to the right opportunity.

Collins also talks about greatness as being cumulative. That's why systemization is so important. You need to have a way of delivering consistency over time. You have to have disciplined people engaged in disciplined thought and take disciplined action cumulatively over the life of your business. Great systems combined with great people is an unbeatable combination. The moment you feel the need to manage someone, you probably have made a hiring mistake. Building a great company and finding and developing great people is not easy, but all of us at Peak Advisor Alliance stand ready to help you.

I also like what Collins said at an FPA Conference. He asked the audience how many of them had a "to-do list" and everybody's hand went up. Then he asked how many had a "stop-doing list." He said great companies make use of the "stop-doing list." Quit doing things you don't need to be doing and continuously ask yourself, "Do we need to do it anymore?" I have the belief that if it's not broken, break it. If you don't break it and re-invent yourself, your competition will.

Collins talked about his research and found that CEOs of great companies focus on activities that result from answering these two questions.

1) What are we passionate about?
2) What can we be the best in the world at?

Hey, this is simply reinforcement of my belief that the mission and the vision are the most important components of being successful. He also talked about those companies who are considered great and that stand for something. He found that what they stand for does not change over time. Mission and Vision sound familiar here? Those who build greatness are ambitious; first, for the cause, second, for the company, and then finally, for the client. They're never in it for themselves.

Discover what you were made to do and commit to doing it the best you can. Use your mission and vision as guiding lights. If you fall short of your potential or cut a corner in your life, you're probably the only person who will ever know that you didn't give it your best. The goal and what the mission and vision allow you to do, is to achieve your inner greatness and know you did your absolute best. And, to this end, you haven't failed until you quit trying.

Surprising, yes, but if you want faster results, then do just the opposite—slow down. Slow down by taking time to develop a strategy. Barreling ahead with nothing more than determination will kick up a lot of dust but, when the dust settles, you’ll just have rearranged the dust. Start with a plan, then become determined to implement. That’s the ticket to fast results. Read Slow Your Roll by Men’s Fitness.

In what area do you need to slow down so you can speed up your results?