Christopher Poer - Thrivent

11/04/2026

Accountability is important. Ownership changes everything.

After more than 30 years of leading people, I've learned there's a significant difference between someone doing what they're told and someone taking responsibility for what they're building.

You can set expectations.
You can measure activity.
You can follow up on results.

And all of those things matter.

But something changes when people begin to see their success as their own responsibility rather than someone else's expectation.

They stop asking, "What do I have to do?"

And start asking, "What will it take?"

They become more intentional with their time, more willing to have difficult conversations, and more committed to finding solutions instead of explaining obstacles.

As leaders, our responsibility isn't simply to hold people accountable.

It's to create an environment where people want to hold themselves accountable.

That's when performance becomes sustainable.

And that's when people begin to grow beyond what they once thought possible.

Are you creating accountability, or are you developing ownership?



See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.

11/04/2026

Some careers offer a paycheck. Others offer the opportunity to build something great.

As a Thrivent financial advisor, you can do meaningful work while building a practice that is supported by a network of peers and the strength of a Fortune 500 company.

Explore your next opportunity: https://thriventcareers.com/4dSlSJs

11/02/2026

Sometimes the greatest thing a leader can give someone is belief.

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of watching people accomplish things they once believed were beyond their abilities.

Not because someone handed them success.

Not because the path was easy.

But because someone saw something in them that they hadn't yet discovered in themselves.

I've learned that potential doesn't always announce itself.

Sometimes it's hidden behind a lack of confidence, limited experience, or simply never having been given the opportunity.

Great leaders look beyond where someone is today and see who they have the capacity to become.

Then they do something about it.

They challenge. They encourage. They invest. And sometimes, they believe in someone long before that person believes in themselves.

One of the greatest rewards of leadership is watching someone become the person you always knew they could be.

Think about the people who have influenced your life.

Who believed in you before you believed in yourself?



See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.

10/30/2026

Leadership Lesson Friday: If everything depends on you, you haven't finished building your team.

After more than 30 years of leading people, I've learned that one of the greatest measures of leadership isn't what happens when you're in the room.

It's what happens when you're not.

Early in my career, I thought great leadership meant having the answers, solving the problems, and being the person everyone turned to.

Experience taught me something different.

The best leaders don't create dependency. They develop confidence, judgment, and ownership in others.

They teach people how to think, not just what to do.

They give people room to make decisions, learn from mistakes, and grow into responsibilities they once thought were beyond them.

And eventually, something remarkable happens.

The people you once had to lead begin leading others.

That's when leadership becomes something bigger than you.

Are you building a team that needs you, or developing people who can succeed without you?

Great leadership transfers. Who are you developing today?



See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.

10/28/2026

Being busy isn't the same as building something.

I've spent more than 30 years leading people, and one lesson has remained consistent:

Activity alone doesn't create success. Intentional activity does.

You can fill your calendar, attend every meeting, answer every email, and work incredibly hard without moving any closer to the future you say you want.

The people I've watched achieve extraordinary things tend to have something in common.

They know what they're building.

They understand which daily behaviors will get them there.

And they have the discipline to repeat those behaviors, especially when the results aren't immediate.

In financial services, that might mean making one more meaningful connection, having a difficult conversation, or investing time in a relationship that won't produce results for years.

Leadership is no different.

The goal isn't to be the busiest person in the room. It's to become the person whose actions consistently align with their ambitions.

Here's a question worth asking yourself this week:

Are your daily activities building your future, or simply filling your day?



See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.

10/26/2026

If every decision has to come through the leader, you haven’t built a high-performing team.

You’ve built a bottleneck.

Early in leadership, it can feel productive to be the person with all the answers.

People bring you a problem.

You solve it.

They move forward.

But if that becomes the pattern, the team never develops the confidence or judgment to operate without you.

Leadership is not about making yourself indispensable.

It is about developing people who can think, decide and lead—even when you are not in the room.

That requires a different kind of coaching.

Instead of immediately providing the answer, ask:

What do you think is happening?

What options have you considered?

What would you do if this decision were entirely yours?

What did this experience teach you?

There will be moments when the leader must make the call.

But there should also be moments when we allow people to wrestle with decisions, take ownership and learn from the outcome.

The goal is not simply to help people perform their current responsibilities.

It is to prepare them for responsibilities they have not yet been given.

Strong leaders solve problems.

The best leaders develop people who can solve problems without them.

See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.

10/23/2026

Leadership Lesson Friday

People should never have to guess where they stand with their leader.

That does not mean every conversation needs to be comfortable.

It means expectations should be clear, feedback should be honest, and accountability should never arrive as a surprise.

Throughout my career, I have learned that avoiding a difficult conversation rarely protects the relationship.

It usually allows frustration, confusion and underperformance to grow.

The best leaders care enough to tell people the truth—but they also care enough to help them improve.

That combination matters.

Truth without support can feel like criticism.

Support without truth can become permission to remain stuck.

People deserve both.

Set the standard.

Explain why it matters.

Address the gap honestly.

Then invest in helping the person close it.

Leadership lesson: Clarity is not cruelty. Honest expectations are one of the most respectful things a leader can provide.

See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.

10/22/2026

Your goals may live in your head.

Your priorities may live on a list.

But your commitments live on your calendar.

In financial services, it is easy to stay busy without consistently doing the work that builds the business.

Emails feel productive.

Administrative work feels necessary.

Research feels responsible.

But those activities can also become comfortable places to hide from the work that creates growth.

Prospecting.

Following up.

Asking for introductions.

Meeting with clients.

Preparing for important conversations.

Developing your knowledge.

Reviewing your pipeline honestly.

A business-owner mindset requires more than knowing what matters.

It requires protecting time for it.

If prospecting is important, it belongs on the calendar.

If client follow-up is important, it belongs on the calendar.

If professional development is important, it belongs on the calendar.

And once it is there, it should be treated with the same respect as an appointment with an important client.

Your calendar will never be perfect. Unexpected problems will arise, and priorities will occasionally shift.

But over time, your calendar tells the truth.

It reveals what consistently receives your attention—and therefore what has the greatest chance of becoming your future.

Dreams provide the direction.

Daily behaviors create the progress.

The calendar is where the two finally meet.

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10/21/2026

The best career path is the one that fits you.

Some people want to build their own business. Others thrive as part of a team or crave structure to launch their career. That's why Thrivent offers more than one way to become a financial advisor.

Find the path that's right for you at: thriventcareers.com/3SXIt07

10/20/2026

Dreams matter.
They give us direction.
But in financial services, dreams do not become reality because we want them badly enough.
They become reality when our daily behaviors begin to match the future we say we want.
Success in this profession is rarely created by one extraordinary day.
It is built through ordinary behaviors repeated consistently:
Making the call when it would be easier to wait.
Following up when someone has not responded.
Asking for the introduction instead of hoping one appears.
Preparing for the appointment instead of relying on personality.
Telling clients what they need to hear—not merely what they want to hear.
Accepting coaching without becoming defensive.
Keeping commitments even when the results are delayed.
Anyone can be disciplined when the rewards are immediate.
Business owners remain disciplined when the rewards are still somewhere in the distance.
They understand that today’s activity may not create today’s result—but it is still creating something.
Skill.
Confidence.
Relationships.
Reputation.
And the pipeline that eventually becomes a sustainable business.
The question every advisor should regularly ask is:
Do my current behaviors support the future I say I want?
Dreams give us something worth pursuing.
Consistent, intentional behavior is what finally makes them real.
See thrivent.com/social for important disclosures.