A once-fallen industry veteran warns about the consequences that accrue when managers put their own interest ahead of the client.
Covering a wide range of subjects, Meir, who now runs a strategy and leadership consulting practice, discussed with Jeff Sanford his life prior to and after Portus blew up taking down the entire company and a whole lot of investors with it.
The lessons learned about life itself aren't too different from the one's Wolf of Wall Street anti-hero Jordan Belfort tells whenever he's asked to speak about his past misdeeds, but they're helpful nonetheless.
The first is self-awareness. Until you understand exactly what your true values are, you'll always be driven by other things such as fear and greed. Get a mentor to help you with this.
Secondly, learn to serve with pure intentions. Many advisors provide good customer service as a means to an end: fees. Meir says your motivation to serve must come from within.
Meir's third lesson is quite possibly his most important. Get rid of all the extraneous stuff in your life by simplifying. His motto: simple, focus, heart.
Fourthly, and definitely the most appropriate tip given Meir's particular journey, is don't cheat. Harvard professor Clayton Christensen's much-discussed article in the Harvard Business Review, How Will You Measure Your Life? describes three questions that he asks university students on the last day of class. One of them: How can I be sure I’ll stay out of jail? truly speaks to what might have been had Meir dwelled on this earlier in his career.
The last lesson, Meir points out, in order to avoid the type of dilemma he faced, is to approach life with moral humility. Only then can we make better choices.
So true.
The lessons learned about life itself aren't too different from the one's Wolf of Wall Street anti-hero Jordan Belfort tells whenever he's asked to speak about his past misdeeds, but they're helpful nonetheless.
The first is self-awareness. Until you understand exactly what your true values are, you'll always be driven by other things such as fear and greed. Get a mentor to help you with this.
Secondly, learn to serve with pure intentions. Many advisors provide good customer service as a means to an end: fees. Meir says your motivation to serve must come from within.
Meir's third lesson is quite possibly his most important. Get rid of all the extraneous stuff in your life by simplifying. His motto: simple, focus, heart.
Fourthly, and definitely the most appropriate tip given Meir's particular journey, is don't cheat. Harvard professor Clayton Christensen's much-discussed article in the Harvard Business Review, How Will You Measure Your Life? describes three questions that he asks university students on the last day of class. One of them: How can I be sure I’ll stay out of jail? truly speaks to what might have been had Meir dwelled on this earlier in his career.
The last lesson, Meir points out, in order to avoid the type of dilemma he faced, is to approach life with moral humility. Only then can we make better choices.
So true.
