"Believe in your team and their methods. Let them thrive, and solutions will follow."
Armand Wahab Tweet
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with Armand Wahab, the visionary leader behind Greenstone Private Wealth.
Armand’s journey from a determined young dreamer to the helm of a thriving financial advisory firm is a testament to resilience and unwavering commitment. Starting with no clients and facing numerous hurdles, Armand’s story is a compelling narrative of overcoming adversity through sheer determination.
Throughout our conversation, Armand shares invaluable insights into building resilient teams, navigating challenges, and maintaining personal resilience during tough times. Central to his philosophy is the importance of trust – trusting in one’s team, processes, and the journey itself. Armand emphasizes the significance of empowering team members, giving them space to grow, innovate, and solve problems.
His experiences serve as an inspiration to CEOs and entrepreneurs, illustrating the transformative power of resilience and belief in one’s vision.
Join us as we delve into the captivating journey of Armand Wahab, a true exemplar of entrepreneurial spirit and leadership in the financial industry.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Armand Wahab: When I was asked as a young kid what I wanted to be when I grow up, my answer was always the same ” I want to own my own business”. I worked a lot of jobs as a teenager and young adult. I think if you say something enough and you really believe it, eventually it will happen.
I worked different jobs and was apart other businesses as a young adult and I learned one very important thing – I wanted to make a difference in the world, and for my family and to find a greater purpose. All of this experience and having big goals led me to the financial industry.
I began my journey 7 years ago as an individual advisor for a major insurance company and today we are Greenstone Private Wealth that I personally built from the ground up. My goal has always and will always be to create as much impact as I can for clients and their families.
Currently, at Greenstone Private Wealth, we are growing and have a lot of exciting things on the horizon. On a more personal level and truly the most important hat I wear, I am a father of 3 beautiful child and a husband to an amazing wife who has been by my side while it was all just a dream.
Can you share a time when your business faced a significant challenge? How did you navigate through it?
Armand Wahab: I would say one of the most significant challenges, was when I started in the industry. I was new to the business and also starting from scratch – I started with zero clients.
This industry is extremely focused on relationships and trust, it took time to get my first clients and build consistency in my practice. There were many days where I wasn’t sure where the next client or paycheck would come from.
There we many days I was left wondering whether this business was even worth it. To navigate this type of challenge, I started to break myself down and build myself back up. What I mean by that is, I focused on what I could control, which was my actions, reactions and mindset.
I made the decision I was not going to function out of fear or lack so, I put my head down, ignored that voice, kept pushing and never gave up. The more I trusted the process and had faith, I got the small wins I needed to keep things going until things started to take off.
To be honest, this really seems to be a common theme of any successful entrepreneur. When you are in the trenches of it all, it may feel hard and uncomfortable but, in hindsight I wouldn’t change the course. The course of an entrepreneur, the ups and the downs is what morphs you into who you need to be to handle success.
How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success?
Armand Wahab: Going through failure gives you a level of grit and toughness that you just don’t get anywhere else. In my opinion, it is a big part to achieving success and handling what comes with that. By going through those tough times, you push yourself beyond boundaries that most people are not willing to go.
The ability to handle failure gives you an edge when doing business. Failure is also extremely humbling, it gives you an appreciation for the people, experiences and success you experience along the way.
True success is not just financial, it also encompasses mind, body and spirit. The journey of entrepreneurship is really a journey of self development and failure is the true test to see how you respond to these experiences.
How do you build a resilient team? What qualities do you look for in your team members?
Armand Wahab: First and foremost, to build a resilient team, you have to be surrounded by like minded people.
That doesn’t mean we all need to agree on everything rather, we need to compliment each other and where one person lacks the other is strong – ying and yang. We cannot all have the exact same strengths and talents or everyone will bump heads.
I believe, it stems from the top down but also the bottom up. What I mean by that is, the leader has to lead by example and set the appropriate expectations and tone.
In turn, the team members need to know they are valued, heard and part of a team that cares. With this type of dynamic, you work together as respected minds to build resilience and support each other through what ever comes.
The qualities I look for in team members are trust, communication and transparency. I think it’s extremely important that they can be their authentic selves and also be in an environment that allows them to thrive and grow.
How do you maintain your personal resilience during tough times?
Armand Wahab: There two main aspects I focus on, the internal and external. The first mention is, I have a great support system. My wife and mother in law are the two people that have been there since day one.
Sometimes, you need to hear certain things from another trusted voice, to put things in perspective and find the best solutions during difficult times.
From an internal standpoint, I focus on mental strength and clarity. I do this by exercise, mediation, disconnecting and getting into nature.
In order to be solution driven and not problem focused your mind cannot be foggy and scattered.
What strategies do you use to manage stress and maintain focus during a crisis?
Armand Wahab: Stress can be a really good motivator when you use that energy properly.
I mediate, exercise and get outside to have a focused mind and to calm my nervous system so, that I can made sound decisions – not emotional ones.
I talk a lot of things out with my wife, as I was to get perspective and manage my stress.
How do you communicate with your team during a crisis?
Armand Wahab: I believe the energy behind what you do is sometimes more important then what you say.
As a leader, I have to be that. I need to lead my team to focus on solutions rather then the problems.
If I am calm and direct, the solution will be found. If I am frantic and problem focused, well, the ship I am steering will inevitably crash.
What advice would you give to other CEOs on building resilience in their organizations?
Armand Wahab: Trust. You have to trust the people and processes that have been hired and created. Give them space to grow and solve problems.
Let them be comfortable coming to you with the big problems because you did not micro manage the small ones.
I believe trust and respect are the two pillars that are the building blocks to resilience.
How do you prepare your business for potential future crises?
Armand Wahab: You need to have a plan and the only way to create a plan is to have enough experience and for site to anticipate the potential crisis. Now, nobody can predict the future, however, when you have faced challenges in the past, you use what you know to mitigate future crisis’.
Like I said earlier, crisis happens but you either focus on the crisis or the solution. From my experience hype focus on solutions will always be the way out of the crisis.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership in times of crisis?
Armand Wahab: Never run away or be in denial about what is. This type of honesty is a part of owning a successful business.
In most cases, when I have dealt with a crisis head on and focus on proper communication or solutions it typically ends up turning out much better for all parties.
Dealing with crisis tells you a lot about a person and what’s going on deep within their subconscious. I personally, try to become hyper aware of staying calm, direct and level headed. It is within crisis you learn if you can be a leader or not.
Jerome Knyszewski, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Armand Wahab for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Armand Wahab or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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