(After photo) Rupa Jack’s Executive Office: She’s the VP of Morgan Stanley, Portland.

The day I walked into Rupa Jack’s office (she’s my financial adviser), there were two things I noticed: (1) She innocently gave me the executive seat at the round table and (2) her desk was facing away from the door. Read on.

After we discussed my financial portfolio (and this woman is powerful!), I casually asked her how she felt while working in the space? She shared that she often felt startled when her assistant and others would come through the office door while she was seated at her desk. I thought to myself, “This is making her anxious.”

I really got her attention when I pointed out how she had given me the executive seat at the round table when it was more beneficial for her to be in the command seat (facing the door and the client–in this case, me). This gives the client the feeling of a supportive authority (Rupa) and we ALL want someone who is managing our money to be a high authority on the subject.

All of these considerations went through my head before I even thought about Rupa’s best Feng Shui directions. And even after I did calculate her numbers, they did not correlate with what I felt would be the most supportive desk position in the room.

All I can say is that I gave her all my suggestions, based on information she provided to me about herself, her work and her lifestyle. I came back another day and together we moved everything in the space (with a little help from some colleagues) and added some plants and artwork. You can see the before and after images on my gallery page.

She reported back to me later that her entire experience working in her office had improved significantly. You can read what she said about the experience here.