Since Philippa Hann joined as our CEO in April, we’ve maintained a laser focus on putting people first. Whether it’s our partners or clients, we want people’s experience of Paradigm Norton to be positive. To bring this people-first vision to life, we’ve rolled out several key practices this year. This is about creating an environment where every partner feels they have a voice, a path for growth and a genuine connection with colleagues. Here we share some of the new initiatives we’ve implemented to improve communication and relationships.
The power of the weekly check-in
This year, we’ve embraced the simple, yet hugely effective practice of weekly one-to-one meetings. During these discussions, each partner sets their own agenda to talk to their manager about what’s pertinent to them that week.
While we held regular monthly line manager meetings before, we wanted to create a more consistent experience for partners. We set a July target for embedding the practice, and by May, everyone had already embraced it!
Partners have reported richer conversations about topics that might never have surfaced before. They truly appreciate the dedicated time, and we’re thrilled that this practice has been implemented across the whole firm.
We’ve also been upskilling our management team in improving the quality of conversations, with investment in training. This ensures each party comes to the conversation with the same preparation, pace and energy. We’ve seen a significant difference in our output simply by increasing touchpoints.
While one-to-ones strengthen individual manager relationships, our next initiative aims to build connections within our teams.
Unlocking collective wisdom
To embed knowledge sharing across the firm, we launched Paradigm Norton Gems: a weekly 15-minute learning blast for the whole company. Every Thursday at 9.30 am, individual partners share their expertise on important topics, helping to promote our learning culture.
Topics have included communication skills, problem-solving, time management, LinkedIn, Google Business reviews, and how to talk confidently about our strategy and impact. Anyone can put themselves forward to discuss a topic that’s important to them, and we’ve also brought in external experts.
These ‘gems’ of insight give partners the confidence that we’re all involved in delivering the strategy – something that can feel daunting when you’re not meeting with clients.
Each session comes with a call to action at the end, and this structured ‘water cooler moment’ prompts discussion. It’s proving to be a positive part of our small steps ethos: we’re changing how we run the company, and everyone can make a small difference.
Where strategy meets reality
On a broader scale, our quarterly town halls bring the entire firm together to focus on the bigger picture. They play a key role in our internal communication strategy.
Led by our CEO, Philippa, and supported by our Head of Finance, Head of People and Head of Operations, they all link back to our progress in achieving our strategy. This is a great chance for partners to meet in person and discuss our achievements and challenges. Along with our annual team day, this is a great opportunity for us to spend time together. The town halls take place at each of our offices, with a remote session available for those unable to attend.
Partners are encouraged to share their views, as Philippa says, “You’re not in the meeting until your voice has been heard.”
Amplifying partner voices
To formalise how partner feedback reaches our decision makers, we launched our Partner Voice Forum in June. The purpose is to represent partners’ views to our Board and Executive Committee (ExCo). Each meeting is chaired by our Head of Marketing, Kim Barnard, and acts as a temperature gauge across the firm.
The Partner Voice Forum doesn’t make decisions, but it enables opinions to be shared on significant issues, such as the outcomes of our employee survey or partner benefits. This provides the Board and ExCo a steer for decision-making. It’s also a two-way mechanism, enabling the senior team to test the waters on matters they are considering.
Representatives report back across our business services, advisers, financial planners, tax, and client admin teams. This ensures everyone has a voice on what matters most. Our Head of People, Judith Thorne, is part of the Partner Voice Forum and the ExCo; she acts as the neutral person linking the two together.
Our Partner Voice Forum continues to evolve, and the group will soon be considering our company values. They’ll be supporting our discussions around whether our current values represent Paradigm Norton today. Partner Voice has been a great way to gather feedback and check if there’s consistent thinking across our three offices.
These initiatives all ensure problems don’t fester; they’re addressed promptly. And, with more open dialogue, stronger relationships have formed. By investing in how we connect with each other, we’re ultimately investing in the experience we create for our clients.