Profiles in Ameriprise Leadership: Brian Mora

Every quarter, we are highlighting Ameriprise leaders who are working hard for the financial advisors of Dynamic Directions. First up is Brian Mora, an Ameriprise Field Vice President in Jacksonville, FL. Brian has been with Ameriprise for 14 years, earning the Ameriprise Outstanding Leader Award in 2013 and 2014, his CFP® certification in 2007 and being nominated for the Ameriprise Community Impact Award in 2013.
What’s your philosophy of leadership?
My leadership philosophy is “meet advisors where they are.” What I mean by this is that I don’t attempt to coach or lead advisors in a cookie-cutter way where everyone gets the same advice, resources or support at the exact same time. I try to assess what an advisor truly needs at that time and align my support around that need.
What resources do you have that advisors can use?
I think the single most valuable resource I provide to advisors is the talented human capital that is my Leadership Team. The areas of expertise that they possess combined with the sincere care and desire to help advisors grow their business is truly the difference maker for myself and my team in helping our advisors versus others in the industry.
What’s one piece of advice you can give advisors?
I think the most important piece of advice I can share with advisors is to ensure they know that their future success is largely dependent not upon their own individual excellence but based upon how strong of a team they build and how well they lead that team. Developing their leadership skills should be priority #1 into the future.
How have you seen D2 help advisors?
I’ve seen D2 help advisors in multiple ways, but the three biggest items I’ve seen them have an impact with are (a) advisors developing an exceptional menu of services and world-class client service model, (b) implementing a practical marketing plan that has led to major growth rates and (c) arming advisors with the leadership skills they need to build and lead a great team.
Why do you think coaching is helpful for advisors?
I think every advisor can benefit from coaching because it is very difficult for any one person to perfectly determine on their own: (1) the priority order of their goals, (2) the tactics needed to achieve their goals, (3) the methods for tracking those goals and (4) how to hold themselves and other accountable. Moreover, it’s often hard to anticipate ALL of the challenges and problems that might occur and/or how to get things back on track when one of those challenges presents themselves. I think the single biggest value coaching provides is the unbiased, unemotional third-party opinion (often times second opinion) on how to achieve a particular goal and/or solve a particular problem.
What makes you different than other leaders?
I think the thing that makes me different than other leaders is my commitment and my team’s commitment to follow through. It should be table stakes to be a leader but far too often leaders make commitments and don’t follow through. I pride myself on the systems I utilize to ensure that we follow through on each commitment we make to an advisor.
What are some of your interests outside work?
I’m interested in a number of things outside of work but my primary interests are spending time with my family (my sons Greyson (3.5) and Sterling (8 months) are occupying the majority of my time these days). I’m an incredibly active person with my two biggest passions being triathlons and yoga.
What else do you want advisors to know about you?
I would want advisors to remember to keep the focus on the big picture. Oftentimes, given the incredible amount of change we face in the industry, advisors will get emotionally off-track and forget that they get to make an exceptional living doing something truly noble while building relationships with hundreds of families who have entrusted them with their most important financial goals. That’s a pretty special club to be in.
Thanks, Brian, for everything you do. You can find out more about Brian here, or reach him at 606-335-8844 or brian.j.mora@ampf.com.