The way businesses operate is evolving. So, it is no surprise that the individual whose role is rooted in business operations for our firm should evolve as well. Robert Bowers, Director of People Operations, understands and embraces his ever-changing role in the organization, knowing that companies around the world are realizing the value of putting people first.

“We find ourselves in an era of the ‘colleague experience,’” Robert said. “Where there has been a seismic shift from a reactive, ‘solving issues as they come’ approach to how we manage, retain, and grow our workforce to a more ‘strategic, intentional, holistic’ approach — mindful of how and why people within a multi-generational environment work and each individual’s unique impact on the bottom line.”  With his diverse experience in Operations, Finance, Accounting, HR, and Technology, Robert understands how people can be led to achieve business objectives while at the same time achieving their personal goals. “People want to learn. People want to grow. People want to have a sense of purpose. So, connecting this with opportunity within the workplace is my primary objective.”

Robert has always had an unshakeable commitment to the firm and his fellow colleagues, living the mantra “wherever the Navy needs me next.”  And, with the firm’s growth in recent years, the number of hats Robert was wearing was unsustainable. By refining his role, Robert has a renewed sense of purpose that is perfectly aligned with where “operating the business” is evolving.

Once a pre-med/chemistry major, working as a phlebotomist in the emergency room, Robert learned quickly how to find calm inside the chaos. Additionally, one of his first jobs was as a load-planner for a parcel company for a plane with the fastest load turn-around time in the entire hub. Again, with packages and people moving everywhere, tight deadlines, and the need for a high-level of accuracy to ensure the plane was loaded safely, Robert found calm inside the chaos. Robert believes these experiences, among others, have allowed him to thrive in his people-centric roles. “People are complex, emotional, ever-changing, unpredictable — some would say — chaotic” he says, smiling thoughtfully. “Therefore, it serves you well to create an environment that seeks role clarity, sets consistent policies, develops simple systems, builds scalable structure, establishes trust, infuses humor and, maybe, provides calm inside the chaos.

But, for Robert, chaos does not have a negative connotation. Chaos is movement. Chaos is change. Chaos is pace. Chaos heightens the senses. All positive and necessary attributes in business — managing change with agility and grace. “When I am interviewing people, I always state if you are not a pace person, this is probably not the right firm for you.”  It is, however, what Robert refers to as “pace with purpose. “There is a clear Vision at TFO Wealth Partners that is client-centric and family-oriented. We move quickly toward things that support the vision — and are honest about those things that do not.

One might say that Robert himself has moved with agility and grace since starting at TFO Wealth Partners. Before coming to TFO Wealth Partners, Robert was the Director of Global Operations for an engineering firm, servicing clients as far away as China–even consulting those clients on their own organizational structure and development. Then, at the behest of two friends from his church that he and Cleves — the founder —unknowingly had in common, Robert interviewed with the firm. Though his friends both thought he was over-qualified, they knew that TFO Wealth Partners was the perfect place for Robert to “create his own opportunity.”

In his book, Work Rules! Laszlo Bock — a former executive at Google — believes individuals from companies with a culture and environment focused on employee happiness and well-being are far more likely to be dedicated, motivated, empowered, and productive.  Which, in turn, fuels business growth and profitability. Robert further emphasizes this point by saying, “We are developing and driving a people-centric strategy, creating an environment of life-long learning, ensuring our policies and processes are clear, compliant, and scalable. I believe embracing the evolution of business operations is an integral part of our success at TFO — and I am proud of my role in it.”