Inside Scoop on Leader/Follower Relationships at LBC

The environment at Lowe, Brockenbrough & Company fosters a unique culture of effective leader/follower relationships. To begin, work is structured within this organization through a team dynamic. This structure is largely split up into two main groups, and then various smaller subcommittees. These two groups include the Investment Team, consisting of about 16 members, and the Client Service Team, consisting of about 11 members. For the majority of my time with this firm, I am working closely with the Client Service Team and helping them make the lives of their clients easier while interacting with the firm. Furthermore, within this firm, there are three major sectors which include: institutional advisory, wealth advisory, and retirement plan advisory. These three sectors are comprised of smaller teams that have a more specialized focus. For instance, the Institutional Advisory team is known as the Bespoke Strategies team. This group serves as an O-CIO (Outsourced Cheif Investment Officer) and they handle about $1 billion for endowments and foundation clients, as well as high-net worth individual and family portfolios. The term “Bespoke” is an adjective that means “made to individual order; custom made” which suits the primarily goals of this team. Having said this, since this is a small company, many of the employees will serve on multiple teams which creates incredible depth of skill within the team.

The way work is typically directed at this firm is largely autonomous and self-directed. While the group has various scheduled meetings and projects they are working on, much of the work is handled from team to team. Everyone has their own office, including the interns, to have space to think and do separate work. Each member of the team contributes in their own way and will reconvene as a unit to combine all necessary pieces of a puzzle. As a leadership major, I value the importance of collaborating with a group, or a team, to reach like-minded goals. LBC does a nice job of balancing individual work and collaborative group work to find success.

The way in which leadership styles are structured within this firm function on a seemingly equal playing field. This is due to the company being small and many employees will overlap and expand their expertise into multiple areas of the firm. Every member of the firm is a leader in their own way, and the ultimate difference is in regards to age versus defined leadership role. The younger employees expressed to us interns how much we should pick the brains of the older employees and seek to hear their path to get to where they are today. One of the most admirable aspects of this firm is the level of respect for one another and the unique skills everyone brings to the table. Since this is a small company, it is clear that each person employed by LBC was selected in order to add to the family style culture that is not typical of an investment banking/financial aid environment.

 

One thought on “Inside Scoop on Leader/Follower Relationships at LBC

  • Sounds like a really dynamic environment that encourages growth and development. The opportunity to learn about various aspects of the firm’s work AND work across various teams seems to be a strength; cross-training in this way means that they will not be strapped should one individual (or a handful) be out of the office, leave the company, etc. Again, sounds like a great environment in which to be learning and working.

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