To build a strong platform, ownership rights must be equitably distributed based on merit alone. In the new structure, partnership is awarded, with no buy-in required. This helps us to reward each employee based on his or her current contribution, and gives us an important tool with which to attract talented investment professionals from outside the firm. This is perhaps the most subtle and most important aspect of continuity. It is also the consideration most often ignored by investment management firms.
Successful businesses tend to have a strong sense of identity and culture.
As companies grow, and new people join the firm with new ideas, it is easy for this culture to dissipate. There must be some mechanism in place to make certain the firm s mission, vision, and values are as clearly understood by all employees tomorrow, as they are today. Culture must be like a torch, brightly blazing and easy to see, that is passed on from one generation to the next. If we focus on continually improving the quality of the services we can offer our clients, our business will grow in the right ways and for the right reasons. We are therefore constantly focused on finding ways to do what we do better, by bringing in talented new people and by investing in better resources and new technology.