Here's where the rubber meets the road: actually building your team. We've coached dozens of advisors through this process, and here's what we've learned from years of practice management work, having a great plan means nothing without disciplined execution.

Let's talk about doing this systematically rather than hoping good people work well together.

Start with Strategic Assessment, Not Job Postings

Most advisors begin team building backwards: they realize they're overwhelmed and immediately start recruiting. That's like driving before checking your map.
Instead, start here: What specific gaps are you trying to fill? Is it capacity (you need help with existing work) or capability (you need expertise you don't have)? Are you building for growth, stability, or succession? Your answers determine everything else.
We've seen too many advisors hire 'good people' without clear purpose. Six months later, they're frustrated because the new person isn't contributing as expected, even though nobody defined what 'expected' meant.

Recruitment: Look for Cultural Fit First

You can teach technical skills. You cannot teach someone to share your values or work ethic. We've learned this from working with hundreds of teams, skills matter less than you think, character matters more than you realize.
When interviewing, go beyond credentials and ask situational questions: 'Tell me about a time you had to deliver bad news to a client.' 'Describe a situation where you disagreed with a team decision.' 'How do you handle competing priorities?' Their answers reveal more than their resume ever will.
And here's something many advisors miss: interview with your current team. If the candidate can't build rapport with your existing people during interviews, that's not going to improve after hiring.

Integration: The Critical First 90 Days

This is where most team building fails. You bring someone on board, give them a stack of client files, and hope they figure it out. They don't.
Systematic integration means:

•    Week 1: Systems and process orientation. How do we actually do things around here?
•    Weeks 2-4: Shadow experienced team members. Watch how we interact with clients, conduct reviews, handle problems.
•    Weeks 5-8: Gradually assume responsibilities with support and frequent check-ins.
•    Weeks 9-12: Increase autonomy while providing regular feedback.

Assign a mentor. Have weekly check-ins. Ask for feedback on what's confusing or unclear. Most importantly: don't assume silence means success. New team members often struggle silently rather than asking questions.

Leadership: Different from Client Work

Here's something many successful advisors struggle with: managing people requires different skills than managing portfolios. Being great with clients doesn't automatically make you great with team members.

You'll need to develop situational leadership, adjusting your approach based on experience and competence levels. New team members need more direction and structure. Experienced professionals want autonomy and collaborative decision-making.

The best leaders we've worked with delegate effectively: they give authority along with responsibility, provide clear expectations, offer support when needed, and hold people accountable for results. They have difficult conversations early rather than letting problems fester.

If you've never managed people before, get training. Read leadership books. Find a mentor. This isn't optional, team failure usually stems from leadership failure, not personnel failure.