A philosophical lesson in servant leadership

A philosophical lesson in servant leadership
InvestmentNews Awards 2024, CEO of the Year Excellence Awardee: George Nichols III, American College of Financial Services.
JUN 05, 2024
By  Josh Welsh

As president and CEO of one of America’s most esteemed financial institutions, one of the things that George Nichols III says makes him a standout leader is his philosophy around leadership.

“My philosophy of leadership has always been servant leadership; I serve the people who follow me,” Nichols says.

He points to his faith in Jesus Christ, who he believes to be the greatest leader. “His belief was, ‘My job is to wash the feet of those who I serve and your ability to get things done as a result of that'. That is my philosophy. That's how I start the day. That's how I start thinking about what it is I'm supposed to do as a leader,” Nichols said.

Reflecting on his career at the American College of Financial Services, Nichols says while he was recruited to turn around the business of the college to be more higher education focused, it’s been a challenge but “it’s working.”

“I would like to accelerate our repositioning within financial services. I think there is an opportunity that the college can be a bigger convener, a bigger provider, a bigger thought leader around things that are going to make the financial services industry better. If we can now take this transformed institution that's almost 100 years old and continue to modernize it for both what's today and tomorrow, that would be cool,” he says.

His passion to make the college a better player in the space is one of a few reasons why he’s being recognized as an InvestmentNews Awards 2024 Excellence Awardee, with the winners announced on June 20 at 583 Park Avenue, New York City in a glitzy, red carpet ceremony. Click here to register to attend.

Citing the college’s mission of benefiting society, Nichols recalls him first feeling “hokey” about it.

“If we educated an advisor who has 1,000 clients, then just imagine multiple advisors. How many people, we through the college, are touching other people? We’re benefiting society. It wasn't hokey anymore and that was really powerful to me.”

Latest News

Five-person Raymond James team jumps to Janney in Maryland
Five-person Raymond James team jumps to Janney in Maryland

The group led by a 37-year industry veteran brings $470 million in assets to the Philadelphia-based broker dealer.

$20B Merit looks to next phase as Constellation takes minority stake
$20B Merit looks to next phase as Constellation takes minority stake

The Atlanta, Georgia-based national wealth firm revealed its new PE partner as prior backers Wealth Partners Capital Group and HGGC’s Aspire Holdings exited their investments.

$350M father-son duo hops from Osaic to Equitable Advisors
$350M father-son duo hops from Osaic to Equitable Advisors

The latest departures in Ohio mark another setback for the hybrid RIA, which is looking to "expanding its presence across all models and segments of the wealth management industry.”

Fresh off HPS acquisition, BlackRock inks deal for $7.3B ElmTree Funds
Fresh off HPS acquisition, BlackRock inks deal for $7.3B ElmTree Funds

The St. Louis-based real estate investment firm gives the asset management giant a valuable access point to the roughly $1 trillion net lease market.

SEC charges Chicago-based investment adviser with overbilling clients more than $2.5M in fees
SEC charges Chicago-based investment adviser with overbilling clients more than $2.5M in fees

Eliseo Prisno, a former Merrill advisor, allegedly collected unapproved fees from Filipino clients by secretly accessing their accounts at two separate brokerages.

SPONSORED How advisors can build for high-net-worth complexity

Orion's Tom Wilson on delivering coordinated, high-touch service in a world where returns alone no longer set you apart.

SPONSORED RILAs bring stability, growth during volatile markets

Barely a decade old, registered index-linked annuities have quickly surged in popularity, thanks to their unique blend of protection and growth potential—an appealing option for investors looking to chart a steadier course through today's choppy market waters, says Myles Lambert, Brighthouse Financial.