All elite advisors have ambition, according to Oechsli Institute research. Thinking big and committing to what Jim Collins, author of Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't, refers to as “big hairy audacious goals” is at the heart of high-performers in every field. This creates their critical path upon which all other traits exist.

This is the discipline that’s required to get results. Like ambition, discipline is another trait that elite advisors have. Productive people will go beyond their comfort zone and do what needs to be done regardless of how they feel or the pull of outside distractions.

High achievers are life-long learners; they are knowledge workers. In today’s robo world of do-it-yourself advice, this is an essential trait for advisors to possess. One of the top five criteria affluent clients equate with a successful in-office meeting with their advisor is that they learn something.

Assuming a critical path has been established with the stretch goals, I don’t believe this doesn’t deserve its own spot on the list.

Life is full of speed bumps, problems that arise as we travel on our critical path towards our goal. Top performers and super-productive people work hard to take preventive measures to circumvent potential problems, anticipate problems they can’t avoid, and prepare a solution and solve unexpected problems without getting totally derailed from their productive behavior.

This trait has already been covered above.

This is more of a subset of showing consistency and anticipating and solving problems. That said, it’s true that top performers will enlist whatever assistance that’s necessary in progressing down their critical path. The days of a financial advisor having the wherewithal to handle all of the complex aspects of today’s affluent on their own are long gone; collaboration with other experts is required. And to meet their service expectations, collaboration with team members is also required.