INTERVIEWER: Can you first tell us your name and your role at Charles Schwab?
BERNIE: I am Bernie Clark and I'm responsible for Advisor Services.
We support independent advisors throughout the country, 15,000 of them.
INTERVIEWER: Describe your best day at work.
BERNIE: Best day at work is spending my entire day talking to clients.
INTERVIEWER: Describe your best day not at work.
BERNIE: Best day not at work is spending time with my family, and just enjoying myself.
INTERVIEWER: What questions do you like getting from advisors?
BERNIE: I don't care what the question is, if it's good news, if it's bad news. Just talking with advisors is the highlight of my day.
INTERVIEWER: Three adjectives that best describe you.
BERNIE: Energy, opportunistic, and love people.
INTERVIEWER: What makes somebody a great leader?
BERNIE: You know, I'm going to lead with humility. I think if you have humility, then you understand what it's to be in the other person's shoes, and I think that humility brings people along with you.
INTERVIEWER: How do you bring out the best in your team?
BERNIE: You just include them, you just have to. With information, people do great things. You make them part of what you're doing, and they will shine.
INTERVIEWER: Nicely said. How do you stay curious?
BERNIE: It's not hard. This industry evolves every day. I don't know what the next trend or cycle is going to be, but I know one's coming. Inevitably, we have to be ready for whatever that is. That's what our advisors do with their clients. They keep them ready for the future.
INTERVIEWER: What's a question you wish that we had asked you?
BERNIE: The altruistic nature of advisors, about what drives them, about what motivates them in their daily lives, what keeps them in the industry for as long as they've stayed in the industry. It is that kind of space where it is a calling a little more than a career.
INTERVIEWER: Is there anything you'd like to say to the advisors that are joining Schwab now?
BERNIE: Call me. Call us. Talk to us. Tell us about your business model. You're joining us. We can work together, and we want to help you grow. You're in the right place.