Skeptics among you can scan to the end and note that "cynicism" is not one of the characteristics cited in my list of ways to help you become a great branch manager. As inured as anyone who has spent more than 20 years working in the financial services industry, I just don't believe that the phrase "great branch manager" (GBM) is an oxymoron. The best brokers that I meet in my travels, in person and on the phone, are always looking to improve their practices. Each of these top practitioners almost always speaks of a mentor who has made a huge impact on his or her business. That mentor is often a GBM. Here are six aspects of the job that these GBMs focus on.

Compliance

A branch manager's career can end badly for many reasons. But when he or she is escorted from the building and told that any personal effects will be shipped to him or her sometime in the future, one of two things has happened: Either there was an "HR" problem (to use a euphemism) or something blew up in compliance.

Bad branch managers get into trouble and get themselves and some of their brokers fired. Good branch managers diligently follow up on problems that may arise, pass their audits and keep their jobs. And GBMs are able to anticipate the problems, showing an uncanny ability to see around the corners and keep the bad colds from becoming the flu. They can seemingly smell a trouble client, keeping the broker out of harm's way, and are quick to get rid of the bad brokers before any true damage can be done.

Consistency

There are branch managers in most major cities in the country who have become institutions--not only for their own companies but also for the entire business community. They stay more than 10 years in the same office and have a large cadre of loyal brokers who would never consider working for anyone else. These brokers speak most often about two things, the first of which is consistency. Markets go up and down, some staff inevitably turns over, firms go through scandals and name changes, but the best branch managers stay calm and focused, making decisions the same way all the time. One big wirehouse producer puts it this way: "My branch manager is not the smartest, but he is the devil that I know. His consistency in the way that he approaches the job simply makes my job easier."

Caring

It sounds a bit hokey, but the second thing that these brokers speak most often about is the security that comes with knowing their branch managers care about them. The rookies want to know that their branch managers want them to succeed as much as they do.

The best branch managers are engaged in their brokers' lives--both on a personal and a professional level. Ever watch a baseball game and see a runner get thrown out at second base in a close play? When the player begins to argue, the manager always bursts out of the dugout and gets in the umpire's face, passionately arguing his player's case. The umpires hardly ever change their mind, yet with the next disputed call, there goes the manager, jumping up and down and kicking dirt yet again. Why? Are these dumb men who somehow deep inside think: "This time, that S.O.B. ump will change his mind!" I don't think so. They want to show their players that they care.

The best branch managers in this industry will often do the same thing. They take on lost causes for their brokers because they want their salespeople to know they're in the battle with them every day, and the broker's cause is their own.

Connections

The great branch managers--unlike baseball managers--will actually win some of these arguments. These GBMs simply have more connections within their firms, which enable them to get more done in a shorter amount of time. They have pull within their organizations because of their reputations and past jobs. So when a broker comes into the manager's office with an urgent problem, the manager makes a few phone calls, and the problem gets solved. The broker leaves the office satisfied and relates the story to his or her colleagues, and the manager's legend grows.

A GBM is a resource first and a cop second. And in order to be a resource, he or she must know whom to call when a problem arises.