I love this company. I came here from a completely different industry 5 years ago. I was drawn by the owner’s story in a Harvard Business Review article. I still think it’s a great company, on the balance. What I wish the leaders would understand is that AI is an amplifier. If you feed it noise (e.g. “bad” data, unclear business logic / rules), it will amplify chaos. If you feed it good stuff like a piece of beautifully crafted music (e.g. well designed process with “good” data and clear rules), it can turn it into concert. How do you get the “good” stuff? Through your SMEs, through SMEs working closely together, TRUSTING each other, by respectfully challenging each other. It’s hard work. There’s no switch, no buttons you can press. You won’t get there by trusting outsiders, trusting people who agree with you at all times, trusting copilot AI slop, that’s how organizations walk off a cliff. It’s the same old boring things. Cleaner diet, exercise, good habits that determine good health outcomes. Don’t be tempted by the weight loss pills (eg GLP1), because not only are you NOT going to get what you want sustainably. There are a TON of unknown side effects that you will pay a hefty price for. Excellent output requires excellent inputs and excellent process. Right now, the market is up, and we have tolerance for trying out GLP1. What happens when the market is down? Still, I love this firm and its people, and I focus on the little I have control over. There is hope yet
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Outsiders who have a common goal that aligns with EDJ culture that made us unique from wall street parasites = Good
Outsiders from greedy wall street firms in which the individual has a track record of failure and using slash and burn tactics to maximize profits = bad
Not that hard to understand where OP was coming from.
I want to clarify what “outsiders” mean - people who don’t have ownership in Edward jones. Are outsiders good people? Yes. Can they be trusted? Yes, to a point. Do I trust EY, Bain, Accenture, etc. have the best interest of Edward jones for the next 100 years? Not immediately. They have different incentives. Yes, I was an outsider. Fair point. My main point was it’s important to work together, but SME knowledge is irreplaceable.
@OP “You won’t get there by trusting outsiders…” ummm weren’t you were an “outsider” 5 years ago? What is it with this company and the mistrust of the outside world you have to exhibit in order to be welcome there?
Put that in your CES survey.