From expertise to impact

Ask 10 asset managers about the secret to their success, and you'll probably get the same answer 10 times: research, knowledge, analysis. That makes sense because in the dynamic and competitive world of finance, expertise makes all the difference.

But it also creates vulnerability because most of that expertise is tucked away in the minds of portfolio managers and analysts.

How do you keep these experts in your organization and manage them effectively? Plenty of asset managers select those with the most subject-matter expertise as manager. But that step can often be too big, with negative consequences for productivity, job satisfaction, and talent retention.

Meet the managing expert

Imagine finding the perfect combination of an investment expert and a manager within your own organization. Let's call them a managing expert, a professional with subject-matter authority and the people skills to take their colleagues to the next level. What would it mean for the organization if every team had that kind of engaging leader, who actively contributes to employee growth and job satisfaction and the organization's success?

From expertise to influence

You don't become a managing expert overnight. Investment experts who want to become successful managers have to reinvent themselves. Their subject-matter expertise has brought them to where they are today. But to effectively lead a team, they need to tap into an entirely different source. Leadership isn't so much about what you know or what you can do, it's about what you do and how you come across to others. How do you ensure that people in your team can develop to their full potential and work well together, how do you handle conflict, and how do you convert your expertise into influence and impact for the organization?

The program

Managing Expert is a personal transformation program that prepares investment professionals for a managerial role.The program can also be useful for fledgling managers who want to increase their influence and effectiveness and senior professionals who want to develop into mentors or coaches for younger colleagues. The program covers topics like coach-like leadership, personal leadership, interpersonal communication, conversational intelligence, giving and receiving feedback, listening, delegating, facilitating, letting go, diversity, vulnerability, empathy, power and influence, and many more.

Structure and duration

The program takes 9 to 12 months and is fully tailored to the personal needs and themes of the coachee. In the first phase, we'll map out development goals: who do you want to be, where are you now, how do you need to change, and are you prepared to do what it takes? We'll also look at the business case for change: what are the benefits for you, the people around you, and the organization? After this phase, the coachee will have clarity about their goals and the focus and motivation needed for successful transformation.

The coachee will then follow an action plan to work on their developmental goals in a 6 to 9 month growth cycle. Every three weeks, we'll discuss the difficult situations they've encountered in practice and explore the personal patterns that play a role: what do you do when things get tense, what happens in contact with the other person, and what are ways of dealing with this more effectively? After each session, the coachee will adjust the action plan, return to practice, experience, reflect, and work with the coach on the next step in their transformation into a managing expert.

‍About the coach

Marcel van de Hoef (1978) helps financial experts and their organizations develop leadership in communication and behavior. He’s a member of the Dutch Order of Professional Coaches (NOBCO) and follows the guidelines outlined in the International Code of Ethics. Marcel is a certified executive coach (Stakeholder Centered Coaching) and a post-Bachelor certified trainer specialized in conversation, interview, and listening techniques. Beyond Expertise is a CRKBO-registered training institute.

Do you want to work on your professional development? Are you struggling with difficult situations? Or are you about to take a big step in your career?

In addition to long-term programs, I also offer short development pathways that cover topics like:

• Communication
• Conflicts
• Culture change
• Leadership
• Management
• Perfectionism
• Personal development
• Changes
• Meaning

Interested? I'm happy to grab a virtual cup of coffee to explore the possibilities.

Are you facing a complicated choice or struggling with a difficult situation at work?

Let's chat! I'll listen, challenge you and ask questions to help you gain more clarity in no time.

This service is primarily aimed at knowledge-driven financial organizations looking to offer an in-company monthly "consultation hour" to their employees, either on location or online.

I'm happy to grab a virtual cup of coffee to explore the possibilities.

Having conversations is an essential part of any financial professional's job. Whether it's mapping out the client's needs or gaining more insight into the strategy of a company you want to invest in, interview-style conversations are often the best way to achieve your goals.

But how do you ensure that those conversations actually lead to something? Which techniques should you use to get the other person talking? And how do you get to the heart of the matter?

After this training, you'll have more control over the course of conversations where you take on the interviewer role. You'll be more aware of your own behavior, your pitfalls as an interviewer, and how you come across to the other person. You'll be able to "read" a conversation better and master listening, questioning and intervention techniques that will help you guide the course of the conversation. Having conversations will suddenly be more fun and more productive.

Topics & competencies

This training course zooms in on the most important skills you need to hold a good conversation. We'll use interview and influencing techniques from journalism, PR and other fields, and take a deep dive into the Socratic method, which teaches you to be more in control and to listen more attentively.

We'll also focus on what's happening on the other side of the table. How do interviewees prepare for a challenging interview? Which techniques do they use to give strong responses to the most difficult questions? Interviewers who put themselves in their counterpart's perspective are better able to anticipate the other person's moves and will have more tools to ask targeted questions at different levels.

"If you want employees to learn to use questions more effectively and become more aware of their own communication and listening skills, I can definitely recommend Marcel and his training." (Kempen & Co.)

Target group

The training course was specifically developed for portfolio managers and financial analysts but can benefit any professional who regularly finds themselves in the interviewer's chair and wants to learn to listen and ask questions better. The techniques covered in the training course can also be useful for people who often act as "challengers" in team meetings. The training course is aimed at both junior and senior professionals with a university degree or higher professional education.

Duration & location

The training course includes approximately 12 contact hours per participant, spread across three days (see program and method), and is held on site with the client or at an external training location. There is no "homework", and outside work is limited to providing case material and reading short theory passages.

Program, working method and group composition

The training course includes three meetings:

1. Personal intake: this is designed to raise your awareness of your behavior in conversations and clarify your learning goals. You'll share what you’ve encountered in practice and take away tips on how to better handle those situations. (duration: ~1.5 hours)

2. Workshop: this is a combination of theory and practical discussions between participants. You’ll learn not only by doing, but also by observing your colleagues and giving and receiving feedback. Each participant brings in their own case studies, so the exercises are focused on their professional practice as much as possible. We'll use video to discuss the exercises, for which your personal learning goals serve as a starting point. (duration: full day, ~7 hours)

3. Return day: after the workshop, you'll return to your daily practice, where you'll hopefully benefit from what you've learned. The return day is designed to iron out any last wrinkles. During the return day, you'll be able to practice with an experienced training actor. This can be useful if you want to be more effective in conversations with difficult personalities, for instance. (duration: half day, ~3.5 hours)

The workshop groups are usually 4 to 6 people. Participants with the same background and/or learning goals are grouped together whenever possible. 

Options

The training course is mainly offered "in-company" and is available in Dutch or English. The program is fully adapted to the participants' individual learning needs and the specific traits of their organization.

Conditions

The General Terms and Conditions of Beyond Expertise/N2P apply to this product.

About the trainer

Marcel van de Hoef (1978) helps financial experts and their organizations develop leadership in communication and behavior. He started his career as a journalist more than 20 years ago, working for Bloomberg, AP and other news agencies, and took on various management roles in the financial media and communication sector. In addition to his work as a coach, he has spent the past 10 years as an independent communication expert, interviewing investors and entrepreneurs.

Marcel is a member of the Dutch Order of Professional Coaches (NOBCO) and a post-Bachelor certified trainer. His practice Beyond Expertise is a CRKBO-registered training institute, which means that VAT exemption is possible for training courses for individuals and organizations that are unable to reclaim sales tax.