I've spent a lot of time recently at the Department of Licensing. Standing. Sitting. Waiting. Watching. Reading. Working. Going a little stir crazy actually. 7 hours of it. My goal was a driver's license for my teen. I had no idea what all it was going to involve and how many things I would learn in the process. The government does not allow companies to become monopolies when they don't serve the best interests of the consumers. Instead, they want to foster an environment of healthy competition where businesses are driven to work hard to win customer business. After my…

Before I started Benefits Growth Network, I spent 18 years in the independent agency system, the last 14 at the same agency. Most of my time there was spent helping to develop the benefits practice. It was a great experience, one that came with significant growth, both personal and departmental, through both successes and mistakes. Knowing that many of you are in agencies that look a lot like my old agency, I thought I would share some of the highlights of that "road trip." As you look to grow your own benefits department, my hope is that you can get…

How do you know if you’ve hired the wrong people? You need to micromanage their every move.How do you know if you’re just a micromanager independent of the people? You micromanage every person, initiative, and task within your grasp regardless of competence – yours or theirs.  This might not come as a surprise, but no one likes to be micromanaged. Especially people who like to think and do. These thinkers and doers are particularly offended by such scrutiny and limitations on their ability to do their jobs effectively. If the leader truly plans to manage every detail in the organization,…

I recently had lunch with a friend of mine.  We get together on a semi-regular basis and while we discuss many issues, most of our time is spent talking about our professional lives. Opportunity My friend came into his current career situation at a time of great transition for his company.  The company was struggling, to say the least, and in desperate need of the leadership my friend had to offer.The early conversations we had after he started working at this company were interesting.  As I sat and listened to him describe the issues he inherited, I had to shake…

I’ve been watching the new training bicycles cropping up all around, and I’m blown away at the simplicity and sheer obvious logic behind them. As I watch little tiny kids ride the streets and trails on these bikes, it’s gotten me thinking about the options and transitions that we’ve traditionally taken to learning to ride a bike and how ineffective it actually is.Tricycle: Three wheels, gives a sense of stability, and no balance required. Center of gravity is high and tipping over is common. Peddling is limited and going up hill is nearly impossible and going down hill is dangerous.The…

Having the right people performing the right roles is a bit science, a bit art. We get people into roles for a variety of reasons – sometimes good and sometimes not so good. When we get a mismatch, we need to fix it – quickly.The rest of the team sees the misfit, and the person herself knows it. Everyone is just waiting for leadership to see it and fix it.And then sometimes the mismatches are so great and glaring that we can’t even see them. Or maybe we don’t want do. Or we just don’t know what to do about…

Providing great client service is a claim that nearly every insurance agency makes. Being able to provide that great service, versus just promising it, is dependent on a number of things being in place.It begins with a definition of what great service means to your company.  And that is dependent on what you would like the client to experience every time they have an interaction with your company. Which is dependent on…well, let’s just take a look at how this works. Defining the company Starting from the top, the purpose of your agency must be clearly defined so everyone knows…

We talked recently about managing the changes insurance and benefits agencies are making as a result of the changing business model. One of the questions we hear a lot in these discussions is “Whose responsibility is that?” And it’s a good question.  One that needs to be explored within your own structure.  We can give you some ideas, but we can’t answer it specifically because each agency is as unique as the people within it. You might already be set up to deliver in some of these areas, or you might need to bring in new people, reallocate resources, or…

Running a business is difficult.  Even under the best of circumstances, it will occasionally stress and test the best working relationships.  Add to the mix, owners/leaders who don’t like, trust, or communicate with one another and the results can be devastating.Unfortunately, I see the situation all too often where one or more of these vital ingredients is missing.  It holds back the best companies and threatens the sustainability of the rest. Like Let’s start with liking the other owners/partners.  To be honest, you don’t have to like one another to be successful.  It’s great when that’s the case, but being…

I’m sure you have all heard the old folk warning of the frog in boiling water. Put a frog into a pot of cold water, turn up the heat, and the frog will sit there until he becomes frog soup, not sensing the severity of his situation until it’s too late to take action. However, throw that same frog into a pot of water that’s already boiling and he will somehow get out before his feet hit the bottom of the pot, the seriousness of the situation being painfully obvious. Well, in many ways, you are likely in a pot…