Risk and reward down under

November 11, 2020/in Culture, Training & education, Voyage to Vanguard 2020, career, colleagues, crew, develop, experience, firm, joined, joined vanguard, know, looking, opportunity, risk, role, sense, started, team, time, vanguard, working /by jortega

Risk and reward down under

In late 2019, after working in a multitude of roles across a variety of financial services organizations, I felt it was time for a change and started exploring my next career move. First and foremost, I wanted to join a firm that ‘made sense’: I had to buy into its purpose, conviction and how it benefited society – all these things were vitally important to me. When I started looking a little deeper into Vanguard, its history, direction and people’s experience of working with and within the firm, things started stacking up. The interview process cemented my interest and upon being offered my role, I was excited at the prospect of working with such a highly respected and regarded organization. So, I took the plunge and in February 2020, I joined Vanguard Investments Australia’s Enterprise Risk Management Team.

Upon starting, I was regularly told to “take the opportunity to get to know Vanguard”. I took some time to really appreciate what was being said. Onboarding at Vanguard is more than simply turning up, being shown your seat, receiving a laptop and being told to ‘get on with it’. People are delighted to have you on the team, want to get to know you and help you find your place. From day one, you’re a valued member of the ‘crew’ and with that established, you can take the opportunity to lay the groundwork to build working relationships that are instrumental to your own and the firm’s success. I’d liken it to being welcomed into a family that incorporates Vanguard’s Clients, Community and Crew. It just makes sense.

One thing I wasn’t prepared for were the many challenges that 2020 was going to throw our way. While I’m as anxious as the next person trying to navigate the ‘new normal’, I’ve also been grateful for both the support and opportunities that Vanguard has provided during these times. For example, a little more than a month into my new role, a request came through to assist with our business’s operations dealing with social distancing and unprecedented market turbulence. I answered the call, and while it took me out of my comfort zone, the experience paid-back tenfold as it provided me with real hands-on insight into how Vanguard works.

I completed my LUMA Human-Centered Design practitioner certification, a course that I had commenced within a month of joining Vanguard. Learning new ways of working are now more important than ever and being provided the opportunity to gain and develop such skills, while getting to know my new colleagues was fantastic. It was a great way to introduce myself and learn about the people I’d be working with going forward.

More recently, I’ve stepped into a leadership role, providing me with a chance to manage a team of my risk colleagues. Again, being provided with another opportunity to develop and showcase my skills has been welcomed. My managers and other specialists have been supportive throughout the experience, and I’ve gained an opportunity to learn, influence and deliver upon Vanguard’s mission both here in Australian and abroad.

Presently, like many of my colleagues, I’ve been working remotely at home, away from the office for many months now. The Vanguard family has helped me and everyone else adapt to these necessary changes with a host of resources, including the provision of the latest collaborative technologies, ensuring that that our home office setup is suitable, and regular formal and informal check-ins with crew. Everyone’s looking out for each other and doing the best they can to pull through this period together. It’s during such challenging times that the true character of a firm becomes apparent, and I for one am glad that I’ve joined Vanguard.

– Jason B.

If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our Data & Analytics and Information Technology & Security career opportunities.

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From teaching Kindergarteners to leading a team of financial advisors

September 30, 2020/in Financial, Training & education advice, career, clients, financial, financial advice, financial advisor, financial advisors, hard work, mission, personal, personal finance, social, social worker, social workers, taking care, vanguard, vanguard as a financial, vanguard as a financial advisor, video conference, work /by jortega

From teaching Kindergarteners to leading a team of financial advisors

If you ever want a challenge, volunteer to teach a class of five-year-olds. The time I spent teaching Kindergarten was simultaneously the most difficult and rewarding experience of my career. I learned that while I love children, teaching is not my calling. Aside from developing a deep sense of respect for the unrelenting hard work of teachers, I came to realize that many held significant student loans and did not understand investments or personal finance. The irony is that personal finance is not taught in school, but that is another issue for another day.

I come from a hardworking family of social workers. My mom is a nurse, my father is a mental health therapist, my sister is a teacher, and my wife is a social worker. My parents always told me not to go into their profession because, while they are passionate about helping others, they are often overworked and underpaid. As such, I made it my mission to learn everything I possibly could about personal finance and impart that knowledge to those who need it.

Anthony in the classroom with his Kindergarten students.

The world of financial advice
I spent my formative years in financial planning, working as a paraplanner for one of the largest independent registered investment advisors in the industry. The company primarily served the mass affluent market, which is made up of hardworking, middle income folks just like my parents. I learned a lot in this role and even obtained my CFP ® designation. I soon realized there was a clear disconnect between the value they were providing and the fee they were charging. I eventually left and went to work for a company that focused on financial advice for high net worth clients, but it ultimately was not the right culture fit nor did it offer much upward mobility. None of this felt right to me and I was thrilled when the opportunity arose to join Vanguard as a financial advisor.

Life at Vanguard
I had the experience, expertise, and drive to excel as a financial advisor, and Vanguard provided me with the opportunity I was searching for. Through our Personal Advisor Services business model, clients are paired with experienced financial advisors who work in tandem with clients to help them achieve their financial goals. Advisors are located in our three main U.S. sites (Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Arizona), and advice is provided to clients over the phone and via video conference. As in everything we do, Vanguard offers an incredible value combining our low-cost approach and high-quality products and the focus is always on the client. Our founder, John Bogle, said, “We believe that people matter and caring about human beings must be the soul of any organization worth its salt.” I can now say that I work for a firm where the value we provide far exceeds the cost of the service.

Good work does not go unnoticed
Taking care of clients is of the utmost importance to Vanguard, and of equal importance is taking care of their employees. Vanguard goes beyond simply offering competitive pay and benefits. They have established a meritocracy where hard work and high performance is recognized and rewarded.

I began my career at Vanguard as a financial advisor and performed well in that role. In less than two years, I interviewed for and was offered a management position leading a team of financial advisors. It is an understatement for me to say that I’ve never worked for a company with more driven, kind, and caring colleagues. My first day in leadership started with my team welcoming me with open arms, and since all meetings are currently held virtually via video conference, each of my peers uploaded a unique congratulatory background. If that wasn’t enough, in a true show of support and empathy, when our German Shepherd Dog, Maddox, had to undergo emergency surgery a few months ago, my colleagues sent a “get well” basket of treats for him along with a beautiful card.

Anthony’s dogs. Pictured centered is Maddox.

A mission realized
I am constantly impressed with Vanguard’s mission to “take a stand for all investors,” and how all of my colleagues live out that mission in their day-to-day as we serve our clients. I started my personal mission determined to provide high quality advice to those who need it most. I never thought there would be a company out there whose mission coalesced with mine. I often refer to Vanguard as a financial firm with a conscience, and I could not be more thankful to be part of our organization where the goal is to bring financial advice to millions.

Occasionally, I think back on my parent’s sentiment that I shouldn’t pursue a career in social work and I sometimes wonder whether I made the right choice. Then I speak with a client who I’ve helped retire comfortably, put their children through college, or achieve financial freedom and I know I am living my mission. Recently, I spoke with a client who is a social worker and she said, “You know, Anthony, you are a social worker…you’re a financial social worker who looks out for me and my financial well-being.” I guess the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree after all. I realize that there is a common thread between social workers and the people who work at Vanguard, we are all helping clients achieve their goals in life.

– Anthony B.

If you’re seeking an environment where you can make a difference and develop professionally, check out our Data & Analytics and Information Technology & Security career opportunities.

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National Intern Day 2020

July 30, 2020/in Culture, Day in the Life, Training & education Mid-level specialist able to connect, alex, camila, college to corporate, computer science, intern, interns, natasha, plan access, retirement plan, retirement plan access, rising junior, team, university of michigan, vanguard, vanguard retirement, vanguard retirement plan, vanguard retirement plan access, virtual intern, working /by kkilgarriff

National Intern Day 2020

College to Corporate internships looked different for students joining the crew at Vanguard this year– but the foundation remained the same. Whether it was teamwork, community outreach, or bonding with peers, interns were virtually welcomed into departments across the company, where they made lasting contributions. In this video, a few of our interns share insights from their experiences:

Camila: Hi everyone my name is Camila, I attend the University of Texas at El Paso. I am a College to Corporate Business Intern, and I am currently working with the Vanguard Retirement Plan Access Department this summer.

Alex: Hello everyone, my name is Alex I am a rising junior studying computer science engineering at the University of Michigan and I am a College to Corporate Application Development Intern, working with the Enterprise Advice division at Vanguard.

Natasha: Hi! My name is Natasha and I am C2C Investment Management intern this summer under the Transaction Cost Analysis team. I’m a rising junior at the University of Michigan, pursuing a dual degree in finance and computer science, with a minor in Music.

Camila: And I’m going to show you what a virtual intern does on a day-to-day basis. So since I am a virtual intern I am working remotely from my hometown and I basically made my kitchen into an office. This is my kitchen table.

Natasha: Welcome to my room converted into an office.

Alex: Due to the remote nature of our internship, we use Microsoft Team and Outlook mainly, to stay connected with each other.

Camila: I get to meet with leaders, I get to talk to my managers, really cool things that I didn’t know I was going to be able to do from home.

Natasha: I can still stay fully connected with rest of Vanguard. We have a lot of different events like game shows and community service.

Alex: Even though the internship is remote, the company has also done a great job to make sure we’re still able to network and connect with the other interns. Two weeks ago, we had a virtual team building session where we bonded with all the other interns remotely.

Camila: I have been able to participate in Vanguard events, and trainings, and so many things virtually.

Alex: Later today I have an intern project meeting around lunchtime, to update our technical leads on our progress. I am currently working on a project team with four other interns to develop an internal web application.

Natasha: For some of my project so far, I’ve been working mostly in the FX and Treasury Future space.

Camila: So for my project I am actually working in my department of Vanguard Retirement Plan Access. And I’m helping with the Sales Territory Map Analysis. As you can see I have a lot of meetings so I do my project work in between.

Alex: Vanguard also assigns each of us a buddy and a pod leader that acts as mentors, and we have regular meetings with them as well.

Natasha: As part of the internship, I get two buddies. One of them is on my team, and then the other one is in the rotational program. Having a buddy helps me to get acclimated to both the company as well as my team, and acts as a resource that I can just ask quick questions to.

Alex: Overall, the College to Corporate Internship gives us a view into how Vanguard uses technology to solve business problems, and to help people achieve their financial goals. Right now is also a very interesting time to work for Vanguard, because technology is a key strategic focus for the company. This provides ample opportunities for us to work on cool projects, which will be used by real customers and/or business functions.

Camila: My experience so far has been an amazing one. I have been able to connect with leadership, I’ve been able to connect with my interns that have really enhanced my experience here. I feel so fortunate to be a part of a company that really goes out of their way in making sure that their interns get an amazing virtual experience.

Natasha: As you can see, despite the virtual internship experience, everyone at Vanguard can still stay fully connected with each other. I hope you enjoy this little insight into a Vanguard intern’s life.

Alex: Thanks for watching.

Natasha: Don’t forget to follow @lifeatvanguard.

Camila: On Instagram and all other social media. Thank you.

Alex

Camila

Natasha

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Prioritizing professional development

May 13, 2020/in Training & education all crew, development, enjoying, feel, find, growth, learn, learning, linkedin, linkedin learning, offers, personal, professional, professional development, time, vanguard /by fanwar

Prioritizing professional development

At Vanguard, we place a large emphasis on the importance of professional development. Why? We want to ensure our crew and leaders feel empowered to learn and build expertise that will not only contribute to their personal growth, but to the growth of others as well. Although the majority of our crew find themselves working at home these days, many have continued to make time for their personal development. When we asked what they were focusing on and the resources they were exploring, here is what they had to say:

Ashley C.

LinkedIn Learning has been very helpful! The program offers plenty of tutorials where you can either learn something new or expand your existing skillset and become an expert on a topic of your choosing. Further, I have found myself reading several professional development books now that I have fewer distractions to keep me occupied.

Tracy C.

I too am taking advantage of LinkedIn Learning. I just started a Programming Online Foundations course. As an Information Technology (IT) recruiter, I know this will help me in further enhancing my business acumen.

Kim D.

An internal tool Vanguard offers that I have been enjoying is the FYI (For Your Improvement) Skills Suite. This resource has allowed me to take a deeper look at the competencies aligned to my role and suggests trainings for the areas in which I’d like to focus my development.

Jo S.

I am really enjoying podcasts at the moment. Some favorites include: Lewis Howes—The School of Greatness and The Learning Leader. For wellness, I’ve been tuning into Dr. Rangan Chartterjee—Feel Better, Live More.

It’s easy to stay heads down in work all day, every day. We’re all guilty of it, especially in this new environment where we no longer find ourselves in collaborative spaces with colleagues, networking with folks over lunch or maybe even heading to a conference off-site. Just make sure you make time for you and your professional development. It can go a long way.

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Make feedback expected, so it’s accepted

Vanguard Leadership Performance Consultant Matt P. shares his insight on creating a feedback culture—and as he mentions, it doesn’t need to be scary!

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times: “I’m open to feedback. Please share it with me as soon as you have it.” But once there’s something to share, feedback becomes the “gift” everyone wants to return.

For over ten years now, feedback has been an integral part of my professional (and personal) life. As a corporate trainer, leader, and now Leadership Performance Consultant, I recognize that feedback is an essential ingredient in the development and growth of others (myself included). I rely on both dispensing and receiving it. And others rely on my ability to articulate its importance and understand its impact to their career.

It’s normal for our skin to get too “thin” when it comes to feedback. And aside from the good game a person may talk, feedback is generally avoided. You can predict the result: Development stalls, or even halts completely. Feedback doesn’t need to be scary. And although it’s often misunderstood, it isn’t complicated. My advice: Run toward feedback! Dispense it with empathy, and receive it with gratitude.

So what is feedback?

Well, at its most basic, we use feedback to “grow, show, or know.” More specifically, this means providing “developmental” or “evaluative” (sometimes both) feedback to help someone. And that someone shouldn’t necessarily be an employee who is getting a message from a leader. Feedback works best when it’s given peer-to-peer, leader-to-direct, and direct-to-leader. We’re all in this together. So what are the nuances between developmental and evaluative?

At the highest level, developmental feedback is based on a desire to grow or develop someone at an individual level. It provides detailed information on how behavior or performance can be changed or maintained. It also gives minimal indication or performance relative to others. In contrast, evaluative feedback is usually for a defined period of time and aligned to a specific competency. It’s often tied to specific rewards or compensation, and focuses on outcomes or relative impact to others. Lastly, feedback is not coaching. But feedback informs and drives coaching. Feedback is factually based and past tense. “In yesterday’s meeting, you did XYZ. Here was the impact.” Coaching gets into where you go from here.

Often times, people give compliments in lieu of feedback. “Great job in today’s meeting!” Thanks. But what was so great? This is a prime opportunity for specifics. “Great job” is more of an opinion—a compliment at its best (at its worst, it avoids giving detail and thoughtful insight). Instead, try linking what someone did to the expected results of the job, or something the recipient is working to improve. And don’t worry; you can still be complimentary: “Great job instilling confidence in your stakeholders yesterday. During the meeting, you answered every question with detail, affirmed next steps, and assigned deadlines appropriately. As a result, everyone left with a better understanding of his or her responsibilities, as well as where the project is going.” See the difference?

Find your approach

In order to be truly effective, feedback needs to become habitual—think brushing your teeth or going to the gym. Each of us should be looking for opportunities, regardless of role or level, to make feedback more deliberate and disciplined. If you’re asking for it, reflect on what you can do to solicit for it, and make it safe and easy for others to provide it. Don’t get defensive. Seek to understand, thank the messenger, and reflect on what you heard. If you’re giving it, be thoughtful and specific with the message, and show that you’re invested in someone’s growth, not looking to nit-pick. Provide it often so it becomes routine and is expected by others.

So often what I observe is that feedback is only given when someone does something that falls on the furthest ends of what I call the “Nailed it! Failed it!” spectrum. If Cynthia does a “great job” in a meeting (Nailed it!), she gets a compliment (again, not feedback). If Cynthia messes up (Failed it!), she gets feedback about what she did “wrong” (and coaching may or may not accompany it). Resist the temptation to live on the fringe. Most of what we do in our careers are neither “Nailed it” nor “Failed it” case studies. We live in the “in-between”. And here lies the greatest room for feedback to work its magic.

Here’s an example: “Matt, I appreciated your participation and insight in yesterday’s staff meeting. Can I offer you some feedback? I noticed a few times throughout the meeting you were checking your phone. During one of these instances, you weren’t able to notice the non-verbal reaction several teammates had to something you said. Keep in mind that looking down at your phone instead of reading the room may serve as an impediment to your ability to counter resistance, read the room, convey commitment, and or effectively influence others.” This is an instance of where giving a precise and meaningful piece of feedback can help a teammate understand the impact of his behavior. And, should he chose to act on it, get better!

Make feedback more habitual by carving out time in one-on-ones, team meetings, and/or coffee chats with colleagues. After a while, others will see feedback for what it is—a conduit for insight and development, not penalization. The more people understand that it’s being given not only to address large skill gaps (appropriate, though not the norm), but to reinforce positive behavior and improve performance and overall development, the more people will seek it out—even expect and appreciate it! Create a safe, empathetic environment for giving and receiving feedback, and strive to make feedback more expected, so it’s accepted. Only then will it truly be the “gift” that everyone wants to receive.

— Matt P.

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