{"id":83881,"date":"2026-09-15T15:43:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T05:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/?p=83881"},"modified":"2026-09-15T15:49:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T05:49:20","slug":"advisers-urged-to-stop-being-the-bottleneck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/2026\/09\/15\/advisers-urged-to-stop-being-the-bottleneck\/","title":{"rendered":"Advisers Urged to Stop Being the Bottleneck"},"content":{"rendered":"

Advisers who remain the go-to person for every decision in their business may need to ask themselves whether they have built a successful practice \u2013 or simply one that has become dependent on them.<\/p>\n

That was one of the messages from Australian financial adviser Amanda Cassar<\/strong>, who told delegates at the 2026 MDRT Global Conference<\/a> in Sydney recently that learning to let go had been an important part of creating greater capacity in both her business and her life.<\/p>\n

Cassar said advisers often begin as highly capable \u201cdoers\u201d, building their practices through hard work and becoming accustomed to solving problems quickly.<\/p>\n

But as the business grows, the adviser can continue carrying those responsibilities even after becoming a manager and, ultimately, a leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had started as ‘doer Amanda’ and moved to ‘manager Amanda’, never letting ‘doer Amanda’ know that she could resign,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd when I became ‘leader Amanda’, I didn\u2019t let ‘manager Amanda’ go either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Becoming the Bottleneck<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Cassar, the result was recognising that she had become the bottleneck in her own business.<\/p>\n

Every time a team member brought her a problem and she immediately supplied the answer, she was reinforcing the idea that the answer should always come from her.<\/p>\n

Similarly, taking work back because she could complete it more quickly \u2013 or continuing to closely monitor work she had supposedly delegated \u2013 meant she had not really relinquished responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought that being needed meant I was valuable. Irreplaceable even,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

…coaching taught me that if everybody needed me for everything, I hadn\u2019t built freedom into my business…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cBut coaching taught me that if everybody needed me for everything, I hadn\u2019t built freedom into my business.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shift required Cassar to stop automatically solving problems and instead help team members develop the confidence and capability to make decisions themselves.<\/p>\n

Questions such as \u201cWhat do you think the next step is?\u201d and \u201cIf I wasn\u2019t here, what would you do?\u201d became part of that process.<\/p>\n

…advisers also need to recognise that different does not necessarily mean wrong…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cassar said advisers also need to recognise that different does not necessarily mean wrong.<\/p>\n

While compliance, standards and client outcomes cannot be compromised, there are many tasks where a team member can achieve the required outcome without following precisely the same process the adviser would have used.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal of leadership is not to make yourself indispensable. It\u2019s to become unnecessary for the things that don\u2019t require you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right People, Right Roles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cassar also pointed to the importance of having the right people in clearly defined roles.<\/p>\n

Sometimes what appears to be a people problem is instead a lack of clarity around who owns a role, who has decision-making responsibility and what success in that position looks like.<\/p>\n

Communication is equally important.<\/p>\n

In Cassar\u2019s business, the onshore and offshore teams meet for 15 minutes twice a week to discuss wins, outstanding work, roadblocks and ownership of tasks.<\/p>\n

Rather than adding another layer of meetings, she said the regular rhythm helps prevent multiple interruptions later in the week.<\/p>\n

The broader objective is not simply greater efficiency, but creating capacity \u2013 for team members to step up and for the adviser to spend more time thinking and leading.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Amanda Cassar on stage the the 2026 MDRT Global Conference in Sydney last month. She challenged advisers to identify just three changes: one thing to stop, one thing to delegate and one thing to protect.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stop, Delegate and Protect<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cassar encouraged advisers to consider three questions when deciding how they want their business to support their life:<\/p>\n