I’ve attended quite a few industry conferences over the course of my career as a financial advisor, but a recent breakfast at the 2026 Cetera Connect2Peers conference was unlike anything I had experienced at one before.
The conference itself brought together several thousand attendees. But that morning, only about 50 of us gathered for a special breakfast honoring veterans. Looking around the room, I was struck by just how small that group was relative to the thousands of people attending the conference—and by what connected all of us.
At some point in our lives, each of us raised our hand and volunteered to serve our country.
The room represented an incredible range of ages, backgrounds, branches of service, and experiences. There were veterans whose service dated back to Vietnam, along with veterans of the Gulf War, the Global War on Terrorism, and other periods of our nation’s recent military history. Despite the differences in when, where, and how we served, there was an immediate sense of shared experience among the men and women in the room.
I was grateful that Cetera took the time to recognize its veterans in such a meaningful way. In all the industry conferences I have attended, I had never experienced an event specifically bringing veterans together and giving us the opportunity to spend time in such a personal setting with one of our nation’s senior military leaders.
Our guest that morning was recently retired Admiral Christopher Grady, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I have linked his bio below for those of you who are interested in reading more about his career.
What followed was less of a speech and more of a conversation about leadership, teamwork, preparation, and resilience. Several of his thoughts have stayed with me since.
Toughness and Resilience Aren’t the Same Thing
One of Admiral Grady’s points that resonated most with me was the distinction between toughness and resilience.
We often think of toughness as the ability to grit our teeth and push through a high-pressure or high-stress environment. You keep moving forward. You don’t quit. There is certainly value in that kind of toughness, and anyone who has served in the military has probably experienced times when it was necessary.
But resilience is different.
Resilience isn’t simply our ability to endure something difficult. It is our ability to adapt and recover from it. And importantly, it includes recognizing that we don’t have to do that alone.
There can be a tendency, especially as leaders, to believe that we should have all the answers or be able to handle every challenge ourselves. Yet some of our greatest sources of resilience are the people around us.
Sometimes the answer isn’t to simply push harder. Sometimes it is to ask for help, seek another perspective, or lean on someone whose experience and expertise are different from our own.
That isn't a lack of toughness. It is part of what makes a team resilient.
Trust the Team
Military service teaches you very quickly that very little of significance is accomplished alone. Successful teams are made up of people with different responsibilities and expertise who trust one another and remain focused on a common mission.
That translates directly to our team here at Impel Wealth Management.
Good leadership isn't about being the person with every answer. It is about surrounding yourself with talented people, making sure everyone understands the mission, and creating an environment where people are willing to contribute their knowledge and perspective.
It also means being willing to rely on them.
At Impel, when we are helping a client through an uncertain period, or dealing with a challenge we never anticipated, there is tremendous value in being comfortable saying, “I don’t know the answer yet, but I know our team can find it.”
Prepare for What You Cannot Predict
Another lesson that stood out was the importance of constantly preparing for the unexpected.
Military leaders spend enormous amounts of time preparing for scenarios they hope never happen. They train, rehearse, develop contingencies, and continually ask “what if?” The purpose isn't to predict the future perfectly. It is to ensure that when circumstances inevitably change, the team is prepared to respond.
The same mindset has tremendous value when it comes to your financial plan.
Preparation cannot eliminate uncertainty. What it can do is give us more options when uncertainty arrives. We can build your families unique financial plan, consider the “what ifs”, and create enough flexibility that when the unexpected happens, we can respond thoughtfully rather than simply react.
Much of what financial planning is involves helping people prepare for a future none of us can precisely predict. We don't know exactly what markets will do, when an unexpected expense will arise, or what challenges a family or business may encounter.
We can't prepare for every specific event. But we can prepare ourselves to adapt.
Lessons That Stay With Us
Looking back, what made the breakfast memorable wasn't simply the opportunity to meet someone who had served at the highest levels of our military. It was the opportunity to have a genuine conversation with him while sitting alongside a group of fellow veterans whose collective service spanned generations.
Trust your team. Prepare relentlessly. Adapt when circumstances change. And recognize that resilience does not mean facing every challenge alone.
Those are military lessons, but they are also leadership lessons. They don't stop being relevant when we take off the uniform.
I left the breakfast grateful to Cetera for recognizing the veterans in attendance and creating an opportunity I had never experienced at another industry conference. I was equally grateful for the chance to spend time with the other men and women in that room who, at different moments in our nation's history, made the decision to raise their hand and serve.
And I left with a reminder that applies well beyond military service: Leadership isn't about being tough enough to handle everything ourselves. It is about preparing for what we can, adapting to what we can't, and having the humility to trust the people around us when we need them most. Thank you for letting me share this with you.
Source: Nathan's Phone
© 2026 Nathan Ollish
Senior Financial Advisor
Featured Blog Image Source: iStock.com/cagkansayin