Welcome to The Adapter’s Advantage: Breakthrough Moments that Lead to Success. In episode 16, investment executive Jeff Duckworth reveals how he manages hundreds of financial services sales professionals in a remote environment, the importance of looking out for your people, and why you need to keep creativity flowing to build community.

Duckworth, CRPC, is president of intermediary distribution at John Hancock Investments, a division of Manulife, one of the world’s largest asset managers to employ a multi-manager approach.

With 25 years of industry experience, Duckworth helps shape and execute the firm’s vision and strategic planning. He oversees the distribution of John Hancock Investments’ mutual funds, ETFs, separately managed accounts, UCITS funds, and the Freedom 529 education savings plan, covering wirehouse firms, independent broker dealers, RIAs, and bank trusts. He’s also responsible for capital markets research, portfolio consulting services, national accounts, and sales operations.

Duckworth earned a B.A. from Clemson University and holds Series 7, 24, 51, 63, and 65 licenses as well as the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation. He’s a board member of the Clemson Alumni Association, the Expect Miracles Foundation, and chairman of the Investment Company Institute’s sales and marketing committee.

Today, one of the biggest challenges facing sales organizations is how to build community when teams are remote. Listen to this episode as Duckworth shares his unique sales training process, strategies to pivot a live meeting to a virtual one, the power of video to keep people engaged, and the top three benefits of training in a remote environment.

Episode 16: Bringing Remote Teams Together | Jeff Duckworth

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“It’s tough to feel like you’re part of a team when you’ve got thousands of people all around the country just doing their own thing. That would be my one piece of advice. Figure out a way to make it feel like a team when you’re putting any kind of meeting together.” — Jeff Duckworth

From This Episode

Host Mark Magnacca: “What do you think is the most important skill that people should either learn or improve on today?”

Jeff Duckworth: “Well, that’s a tough one. I’ll answer from a manager’s perspective. First, as a manager, every single person is different. The way you have to deal with people needs to be unique and different. I think that’s become even more evident during this pandemic that we’re in today.

“If I could pass along one message or one lesson that I’ve learned, it would be to treat each individual as an individual. Never assume anything. I think that’s just critical to bonding for better relationships, for driving better success.

“I’ll liken it back to the strategic intent that we have at John Hancock Investor Management. That is one organization that is people focused, family friendly, and team oriented. And every decision I make is based off of those three principles, and if it doesn’t match up, then we don’t do it. It’s that simple.

“So whether it’s that or whatever the principles are people live by, some people might call it their true north. Whatever it is, don’t waver on that. Don’t deviate from that. Live your life, personal and professional, based off of whatever these principles may be, and you’ll be successful.”

About The Adapter’s Advantage

Our podcast features leaders from sales, training, and industry who share their personal journeys of transformation and how they are adapting to an ever-changing environment. As your host, I’ll introduce you to some of the most interesting and inspiring people I’ve met over the last twenty years.

The conversions dive into the ups and downs of their journey. Our guests focus on inflection points—the aha moments that, in retrospect, had a critical impact on their success. These interviews will leave you with practical, real-world advice that you can apply to your life.

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