Nurturing a Cohesive Company Culture at Harbourfront Wealth Management
When it comes to achieving big goals and fostering growth, the power of a positive company culture can’t be underestimated.
Since founding Harbourfront Wealth Management in 2013, our executive team has worked hard to create an environment in which employees and advisors can thrive.
By emphasizing transparency, personal connections, fun activities, and charitable initiatives, Harbourfront Wealth has successfully formed a culture that resonates with employees, at all levels. In the end, when employees are happy and motivated, there’s no telling how far an organization can go.
Setting a Personal and Transparent Tone
Since founding Harbourfront and steering it as CEO, I’ve tried to maintain an informal approach to leadership. I’m not overly fond of the stereotypical image of a distant and aloof CEO, issuing orders from the corner office.
Instead, I strive to build personal connections with my employees, emphasizing humility and approachability at every opportunity. My experience has taught me that this attitude can create a sense of transparency within the organization. When a leader embraces an open and personal style of leadership, I believe it sets the tone for a positive and inclusive working environment—for everyone.
Team Culture
At Harbourfront, our goal has been to lead the way in opening up investment opportunities to investors—and also to have fun doing it.
We nurture this culture of fun through regular conferences, events, and contests that promote camaraderie and foster a sense of excitement among employees. This emphasis on entertainment and enjoyment has helped maintain a vibrant and engaging workplace environment.
In this spirit, we routinely gather at offsite strategic planning sessions, our Annual General Meeting, as well as our internal firm conference, the annual Leaders Forum, bringing team members from 28 branches across Canada together.
With a group of highly entrepreneurial business owners as advisors in our independent firm, this time for collaboration helps forge strong bonds and, ultimately, helps grow our business. Immediately preceding the Leaders Forum is our annual Chairman’s Club, in which our top performing teams gather to celebrate their significant achievements of the year. Among the most popular events are exciting team-building activities, like driving supercars on a track in
Nevada.
The value of doing well and having a good time has always been an integral part of our company culture.
Emphasizing Community Involvement
We also place a premium on community involvement and social responsibility. Through our charitable foundation, the Harbourfront Gives Foundation, we have raised close to half a million dollars and supported over 65 charities.
Our commitment to giving back doesn’t just benefit our fellow Canadians in need of help, it also contributes to the company culture. I’ve found that encouraging employees to participate in charitable activities results in deeper pride and greater purpose, making all of us feel connected to a larger cause.
In the end, when our charitable initiatives achieve success, it proves to every team member that each and every philanthropic campaign can make a tremendous difference in the lives of our neighbours and the world around us.
Innovation and Independence
Although our financial sector initiatives are sweeping in scope, we always start with an attention to detail and a focus on innovation. We stay in tune with what our clients need, and always ask ourselves what we can do to open up greater opportunities for investors.
The recent Ipsos survey we commissioned is an example of this approach. The poll documented a fact that may be surprising, that 60 percent of Canadians are not familiar with private investments, the type of non-traditional assets that large institutions have long used for pension funds and other large clients.
This confirmed what we already instinctively knew—that there is an incredible hunger for what we provide, and a need for more opportunities for Canadians who want more financial independence. This inspires us to redouble our efforts, confident that we are making a difference in the lives of real people.
At the end of the day, I’m incredibly proud of the culture we’ve created at Harbourfront. I think it’s just more evidence that we're doing something great.
When I spend time with our people, and I see their happiness and motivation—that's really gratifying for me. It validates that we are accomplishing the vision I had when we opened our doors—to bring innovation and innovative products to the investment landscape—and that we need to continue to build on our success.
Disclaimer
I, Danny Popescu, have prepared this commentary to give you my thoughts on various investment alternatives and considerations which may be relevant to your portfolio. This commentary reflects my opinions alone and may not reflect the views of Harbourfront Wealth Management. In expressing these opinions, I bring my best judgment and professional experience from the perspective of someone who surveys a broad range of investments. Therefore, this should be viewed as a reflection of my informed opinions rather than analyses produced by Harbourfront Wealth Management Inc.