Cultivating an advice profession makes long-term commercial sense

Culture and values are becoming recognised as ever more important

clock • 4 min read

Time is money. But time is also quality. If we want a profession, let’s set ourselves up to generate the quality that befits a profession, writes Neil Moles

Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers popularised the notion that being exceptional is not God-given, it's the result of hard work. It's effectively Einstein's line about genius being 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration with more flesh on its bones. Picasso, also, had a take: "Inspiration exists but it has to find you working." Gladwell just gamified it by adding in a number, the 10,000 hours that we need to put into excel. In the time elapsed since Gladwell published this, some studies have challenged the hypothesis and suggested it's an oversimplification. Maybe, but I don't think ...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Your profession

MKC Invest backs robotics as physical AI takes off

MKC Invest backs robotics as physical AI takes off

Conducts four-week internal research project

Sophia Panayi
clock 03 July 2026 • 2 min read
Feel Good Friday: Free paraplanning mentoring initiative expands

Feel Good Friday: Free paraplanning mentoring initiative expands

The Paraplanner Club partners with Fundment

Professional Adviser
clock 03 July 2026 • 1 min read
Wesleyan launches two with profits funds for advisers

Wesleyan launches two with profits funds for advisers

Available on Aberdeen, Nucleus, Wealthtime and Hubwise platforms

Sophia Panayi
clock 03 July 2026 • 2 min read