What I look forward to every morning when I walk through the door at GlobeFlex is being creative within a disciplined process. As a member of the investment team, more than half of my time is spent unifying client goals with our investment strengths. This takes the form of day-to-day portfolio shepherding, including custom guidelines to fulfill specific client needs-transforming values and desires into tangible reality. Due to the immense size of our stock universe, we are well able to do this without sacrificing alpha.

Where the real fun begins is the time I spend doing research. Unlike many systematic managers, the process doesn't start with data comparisons. We have lively and constructive debates about what drives stock prices from a fundamental standpoint and how we can identify it faster. The creative challenge is taking these ideas and morphing them into a stock selection discipline that fosters insight globally. By teaming with the outside researchers on our virtual team, by cultivating outside smart opinions, by being open, we overcome the potential for internal group think or personal bias. Over time, this results in a truly sustainable investment edge.

This alchemy can't happen anywhere. The cultural pieces have to be in place plus the size issue - firms smaller don't have the resources, firms larger don't have the freedom. The reason why I feel so excited here is that I am given almost carte blanche to pursue my creative ideas yet still have the accountability of being an important day-to-day component of fulfilling client needs.