First Friday Feedback: March 2026

In this special March edition of First Friday Feedback, Phil is joined by a very familiar guest: his daughter, Anna Buchanan, a Senior Relationship Manager at Cannon Financial Institute. Drawing on her background as a competitive collegiate golfer, Anna shares how the disciplines of the fairway translate directly into professional success. The conversation dives deep into the "long game" of business, emphasizing that organizational readiness isn't a one-time event but a consistent commitment to human connection and intentionality. Whether discussing the importance of "starting with why" or the value of learning through stories, this episode offers a unique look at how character and mentorship shape the next generation of leadership.

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Transcript

Phil: Hi, I am Phil Buchanan with Cannon Financial Institute. We produce the podcast series Monday Morning Mojo, the Cannon Curve, and Cannon Connect. Each of these podcasts invites listeners to email or text their feedback, comments and questions. They are all answered right here on First Friday feed. If you're new to our podcast, go ahead and subscribe to all four and get engaged by sharing your perspective. Life is about the journey. So let's go for the ride.

Greetings, Cannon Nation. Welcome to First Friday feedback for March, 2026. I'm Phil Buchanan. Today it is. My high honor and my distinct privilege to interview a colleague and a professional within the industry that I can literally say I have known her entire life.

Anna Buchanan is a senior leader here at Cannon, serves as senior relationship manager on the institutional side, working with [00:01:00] organizations, institutions, teams, and individuals to help codify and clarify their professional development process. Anna. Welcome to First Friday feedback.

Anna: Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here.

Phil: Well, Anna, you bring a very diverse background of athletics, of financial services and of what I call innate people skills to the role. Tell me a little bit about athletics, and you can give a little bit of your background there, although longtime listeners to the Cannon Curve, to Monday Morning Mojo and to First Friday feedback.

You've heard me talk about your golfing career, but talk a little bit about how athletics has influenced your mindset and the way that that you approach business.

Anna: Absolutely. So for those that don't know, I played competitive collegiate golf. I started golfing around the age of [00:02:00] seven, going out with my dad, Phil, here, and he would take me around the golf course and he wouldn't make me hit every shot.

I would sometimes play in the sand traps. But I truly developed a love for being outside and for the game of golf. I started really playing competitive golf when I was about 12 years old and played in junior tournaments, which eventually led me to getting recruited to play college golf, which I believe is what truly shaped me into the person I am today.

When I think about relating my experience with collegiate athletics. To where it has led me today in business, it truly taught me the value of time management and the value of meeting folks that you don't know and having to learn a lot about them rather quickly when you spend. Well, college golf, sometimes it would be six hour rounds, but when you spend spend four to five hours with someone, you really learn a lot about them, and I think that really taught me the skill [00:03:00] to ask those genuine questions and get to know someone.

Phil: Yeah. You know, in last month's Monday morning Mojo, I think it was episode 7 37, we talked about it, the importance of the ability to rise above the circumstances in which one finds oneself. You know, we all have those things that that impact us. It could be personally, it could be professionally, and sometimes it, it's.

Too easy to get mired in the circumstances that we're in, but it's critical that, that we rise above those circumstances. I'd rather imagine that there were times on the golf course, maybe there had been a bogey gas, maybe there had been a double bogey, and you, you have to move on from that. Give us, give us a little bit about your mindset, how you approached that in, in athletics, and how that has carried over for you professionally.

Anna: Well, unfortunately those bogies and double bogies and triple [00:04:00] bogies will happen inevitably on the golf course. But I think where I really learned value in that is say you triple bogey hole number seven, well, you still have the rest of the 18 holes to play and you have to move on. And I've really noticed that in business as well.

Bad things are gonna happen, the market's going to tank, but. You're gonna wake up and there's gonna be another day and you have to move on from that. So I can, I can absolutely relate golf to business today.

Phil: So, you know, the, the thing that I always admired in you and the teams that you played on, the coaches that you played for, they had this, this unique ability to have the, the longer term view, to not let the immediacy of circumstances in which you found yourself, you know, put a strangle hole on, on their thought process as, as you think about the organizations that you work with.

As you think about the, the. [00:05:00] The teams that, that you coach and, and lead and guide, talk about that longer term perspective and why, in your opinion, that's so critical.

Anna: Absolutely, and in the long-term perspective and the clients that I deal with, I think it's all about building a consistent connection and relationship.

I truly value the clients that I get to work with, and for me it's not, you know, the next training session we might provide. It's really the long game and ensuring that anything I'm able to provide to my clients is going to make a true impact.

Phil: So as you, as you think about that, that longer term view, we, we spent a lot of time in the business talking about readiness.

Readiness of a professional from an intellectual standpoint, from a emotional. Quotient standpoint, from a social interaction standpoint, readiness is not [00:06:00] a, it's not a one-time thing, right? It's not, it's not something that, that you prepare for a single event. It, it's an ongoing, continual process. Give us, give us some of your thoughts on where you've seen organizations do this well and what are some pitfalls that, that you coach organizations on avoiding.

Anna: So I definitely agree that readiness requires ongoing maintenance and it's not a one-time effort. I think the organizations that I've seen truly transform have repeatable, consistent processes, and that doesn't always fall upon one person. I think organizations that come together as a team have strong leadership and management and are truly focused on changing for the better and work together as a team again, with those repeatable, consistent processes are are the good ones.

Phil: We talk a lot about intentionality. That's a [00:07:00] term that in a lot of the keynotes and, and conversations that I have with executive leadership, that intentionality is, is, is really the key. We don't, we don't allow things to occur to us if we're gonna be successful over the long term.

We ProAct with intentionality as you think about. Some of those, those key focuses that organizations, again, that have this definable, repeatable, consistent, scalable business model. What are some of the keys that they, they tend to focus in on?

Anna: I think it truly comes down, at least in my opinion, to that human connection and relationship management.

You know, I've noticed that some of the people specifically in the trust industry, don't come from a business or trust background. They come from maybe studying family dynamics in college or something of the like. But it's when you have that [00:08:00] human connection, relationship driven component, I think that builds trust and alignment across the teams.

Phil: You know, we talked, it's, it is interesting, you, you, you pick up on that in, in the Cannon curve, I think it was episode 1 0 8, we talked about really client anchored leadership and the connection that leaders, and, and I'm not talking about leaders of teams or leaders of organizations, but I'm, I'm talking about client leadership and being able to, to guide and advise and to counsel individuals and families.

The, the best in the business take this, this technical expertise that they bring, but they pair it with, with what you're talking about right there, the, the ability to demonstrate empathy to, to, to use storage stories, to use analogies, to use, use metaphors to really eesh themself into the family and to get the family engaged.

You are [00:09:00] great at, at stories. I've, I've been in many meetings, I've been in many sessions where you, you, you've got that, that ability to relate to situations, even situations that you, yourself may not have experienced. Talk to us a little bit about the, the, the power of stories, not necessarily how you've learned to use them, but why you see them being so important in that, that leadership, that guidance process.

Anna: I think everyone can relate to stories and when you are able to relate maybe a complex topic or idea that you're trying to get across into simple terms, whether it be relating it to something in sports or something, you know, in the hospitality business where people really value the idea that they can understand something in simpler terms.

Phil: Got it. Another thing we talk a lot about in the industry is the importance of mentorship, of of [00:10:00] being a good mentor, of being a good mentee, of being coachable. From an athletics background, obviously you, you've had a lot of coaches throughout your career. You have been very. In helping to guide both washing with, with young women that are pursuing, not necessarily a career, but, but perhaps pursuing the game of golf for enjoyment or for competitive reasons.

As you think back on sports and, and think back on business. What do you think are some of the, the, the key strategies or things that, that worked for you when you were playing games or playing the game of golf? What did your coaches do that that really helped? And conversely, what were some of the things that, as you look back on it, you really wish they hadn't done that?

And by the way, this is not. Should never be directed to a parent. So let me just clarify that. But no, in all seriousness, think back on on great coaches. What did, what did the best ones do, and what were some of the things that didn't work so well?[00:11:00]

Anna: Well, I think back to when I started playing golf as a young female, there were not a lot of young females.

Thankfully, there are more now, but when I would see those older girls that were getting to play in college and they would spend time talking to me, it showed me that I'm not the only girl out here doing this, that it's actually really cool. Play golf as a female, and I think from an early age I really valued and respected mentors and coaches.

But to get back to your question on what they did really well, I think it goes back to that consistent, repeatable process, especially, you know, when it came to practicing for college golf, but just, I remember in college I would have to make. 103 foot putts every single day for like three months in a row.

And that was really frustrating. But we all know that we can all miss those three foot putts. It should be one that you always make. But again, it comes down to that, down to that [00:12:00] consistent, repeatable process.

Phil: Got it. And conversely, was there anything either, and again, this can be athletics or, or professionally, that you think back on it in your life?

That's probably not the best way to approach that coach, or that's probably not the best way to approach that mentor as far as, and again, this is personal experience, could work for somebody else, but just didn't, didn't always work for you.

Anna: Yeah, I mean, not to call anyone out by name of course, but I think that there are definitely times both that I experienced in athletics and in business where someone might not think before they say something.

And you know, I'm someone that takes everything everyone says, and I had to learn how to not take that personally. But I think just understanding that. Sometimes folks are gonna say something that they don't really mean. And so being able to, I guess it goes back to what I was saying earlier, but you're gonna wake up and there's gonna be another [00:13:00] day where you have to figure out, you know, the, the game of golf and the game of business.

So that's what I would say.

Phil: Yeah. Thinking back on, you know, watching you develop both athletically and and professionally, you tended to learn from examples. We will go back to example stories, analogies, metaphors. You tended to learn better in that format than you did in. What I'm gonna call the, the rote mechanics of this is how you grip the club.

This is how you do the takeaway. This is how you position your feet. Now, all of those are, are, are critically important. But again, I I, I just watched as you developed, when people would explain the why behind the what and the how. You tended to absorb that a lot quicker. Is is that unique to you or do you see that in others as well?[00:14:00]

Anna: I don't think that's necessarily unique to me, but you know, everyone has different learning styles and different personalities, and I definitely value learning by example, hearing someone else talk about something, then it's a lot easier for me to describe the same thing. And it does get down to the root of why are we doing this?

And I think everyone can benefit from understanding and starting with why.

Phil: Yeah. Culture drives so much of the success of any organization. There's a, there's a term that I heard years ago that I have often repeated, and that is culture eats strategy for lunch. As you think about the organizations that, that you deal with that have inculcated a, a strong culture that has a consistent energy about it, a consistent forward lead, a, a focus on the client experience, a focus on ensuring what the client [00:15:00] sees, feels, and experiences with the organization is, is always top of mind. With the professionals that, that provide that level of service, are there, are there key things that, that you've observed that those leaders do to inculcate that culture?

To, to, to raise the level of energy, to raise the level of focus? Any observations or guidance that comes to mind?

Anna: I think leaders who prioritize clarity, action, and connection really build those forward moving organizations. Like I said earlier, it all comes back to the power of human connection and relationship building.

I think when you know your employees get along and are happy to be doing what they do and working together, it creates a strong organization.

Phil: Okay. We always wrap up the Cannon Curve with a question that I'm going [00:16:00] to throw here into First Friday Feedback with you. Since the, the topics have been around this, this issue of mentorship and, and leadership and consistency and, and, and routines and, and processes.

If you as a mentor, were asked to go back and to provide a little bit of counsel. To the 22-year-old version of Anna Buchanan, just getting outta grad school, getting into her career in the financial services industry. If you had to go back and pick one thing that you would share with that young lady, what would that, that that one piece of guidance be to her?

Anna: Well, kind of a humorous thing would be get ready. You're about to enter a global pandemic and work from home for the next two years. But initially I think, you know, gosh, it's crazy how much you transform in your twenties, but I definitely think saying that, you know, put your head down and work hard and study and get to know the [00:17:00] organization on, you know, a really deep level is a great way to start out.

Phil: Well, it, it does tie back to the key in all of this, and that is relationships. No one is a self-made individual. None of us, I'm not, you're not, no professional within financial services is self-made. Now you've gotta have the. Acuity, you've gotta have the curiosity. But it is those, those relationships that you develop and whether it's a, a formal, informal mentorship or just the connections that you have with different people in the industry, I.

That give you that exposure to things that you just wouldn't get for just being a smart professional. Right. And you've done a heck of a job in, in curating that. Are you just a naturally people oriented person? Uh, is that something that you've had to learn to develop because you, you've, you show great, great skill in.

Anna: Thank you. I think I've always enjoyed talking to people [00:18:00] that when I, you know, especially started this job at Cannon, people were asking me what I was doing and I was traveling all the time and trying to build relationships. And I was like, you know, at the end of the day, all just comes down to talking to people.

So I'm happy to have that natural ability and I really do enjoy, you know, building relationships.

Phil: Well, what you demonstrate both through this, this podcast and, and what you do on a, a day-to-day basis is, is that strength of, of relationships. That, that strength of curiosity, you don't it, you don't just simply wanna know the answer.

You want to know how people got to, got to where they are. And I think that's a, a, a skillset. Both have been inherent and, and certainly developed through the years, and it's something that I always try to keep in mind. I try to be always a learning individual and I can, I can honestly say that I, I learned from you, I learned from from others the importance of that, and it's something that all of us in the financial services industry and, and really any industry [00:19:00] need to lean into and, and hone in on.

And I want to thank you for being part of First Friday feedback. It's always a joy to work with you, and this has been fun.

Anna: Well, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it, and I always enjoy catching up with you, dad.

Phil: Very good. Anna Buchanan, vice President and Senior Managing consultant at Cannon Financial Institute.

First Friday Feedback is a production of Cannon Financial Institute, executive producer of First Friday Feedback is Sarah Jones. Editing and mixing is done by Danny Brunner. Until next month, I'm Phil Buchanan thanking each of you for being part. Of the Broad Cannon family.