Joel Schlesinger © Postmedia Network Inc.
Reliable decision making is at the heart of what Calgary-based Mawer Investment Management Ltd. offers its clients.
“As an investment management firm, the product we really offer is repeatable, value-added decisions, and that’s something that is rather invisible, but critically important,” says Paul Moroz, chief investment officer at Mawer.
While it’s easy to grasp in concept, making good decisions consistently over time is much more challenging than it sounds.
“The world is a messy place,” Moroz notes. “When you make investment decisions, you have to be aware that you don’t have complete information, and that’s very much the same case with other areas of life and business — not just investing.”
Process is critical to ensuring a greater probability that each choice made will be the best one possible. And at the heart of good processes are people, communication and a diversity of viewpoints.
“Having a strong process for making good decisions is vital for just about any organization or even individuals to be successful in whatever they aim to achieve.”
Moroz says Mawer’s team strives to build a “collage of information” when making decisions, even if the data and ideas appear to be conflicting.
That’s, in fact, a good thing, he adds.
“Think of the idea of opposites attract, where individuals may think about the world differently, but it works because they complement each other.”
Still, a framework is required to create common ground and goals important to all stakeholders who stand to benefit from each good decision.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re an investment manager or raising kids,” he says. “Finding common ground is critical to making the best decisions possible while avoiding errors as much as possible.”
Being based in Calgary has helped Mawer embrace this perspective to its advantage, he adds.
“Calgary is not a financial centre, so we have to go out into the world, meeting different people and discovering new ideas, and that has led to greater diversity for our team and a more comprehensive process,” Moroz says.
“Even though there’s always uncertainty in the world, steadiness of process ultimately leads to better decisions with cumulative, beneficial effects long-term.”
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Calgary Economic Development.