Guy Baker was recognized as the 2019 John Newton Russell Award recipient during NAIFA’s Performance +Purpose Conference, which took place in Orlando last week. The JNR award is the highest award given to a living financial professional by the financial-services industry.

When he received the award, Baker thanked the members of the award’s Selection Committee and expressed his profound gratitude. “This award is a shared honor with those who have been with me throughout this journey,” he said. “I will always remember this day with gratitude and humility.”

Baker also told the audience that all of us share three traits, traits that lead to success in the industry. They are:

• Community. All of us have a sense of community and we quickly realize that growth occurs only in our communities.
• Consistency. This quality brings us through tough times, he said. Without consistency, he pointed out, we will have to start all over again when we experience a setback. “The end of the journey is just 1 step away if we choose consistency,” he said. Throughout the years, he has learned to be consistent in everything he does, including prospecting. “Prospecting was the only thing I could control,” he said.
• Character. This is the real measure of success, he said. “You can’t fake character. It comes from the depth of our being.”

Baker again thanked the selection committee for bestowing this honor on him and urged the audience to renew their commitment to lead the industry to the top of the mountain so that others can find the light.