In October 2008 I attended the ReSource Pro Innovation Summit in Qingdao, China. The attendees were led through a number of activities which had them thinking and planning for the agency of 2015. Every attendee that I have spoken to said that this meeting was phenomenal in opening their eyes and minds to how to plan and think about the future. There were both wholesale MGAs and retail agencies involved in this summit. However, as a group they came to same common themes.
Archives for 2009
My Most Important Noticer & Mentor
December 29, 2009 by 8 Comments
I have been reading The Noticer and it has caused me to think a lot about mentoring. By the time I was 21 years old I had been in the insurance business 3 years, but I had no idea where I was going or what a career was. I was so very fortunate while looking for a new job to find Mr. Russell Grace, owner of Russell Grace Insurance.
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My Most Important Noticer & Mentor
December 29, 2009 by 6 Comments
I have been reading The Noticer and it has caused me to think a lot about mentoring. By the time I was 21 years old I had been in the insurance business 3 years, but I had no idea where I was going or what a career was. I was so very fortunate while looking for a new job to find Mr. Russell Grace, owner of Russell Grace Insurance.
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My Love Affair with New York City
December 23, 2009 by 3 Comments
I first visited Manhattan in 1994. A little late to the party I know, but it was my first chance to get there. I was in love the moment we turned onto 5th Avenue. I am always ready to plan a trip to New York. By the time the plane is over Philadelphia, I am patting my foot impatiently on the floor wanting to know how soon we will be landing. Flying over the city and seeing the skyline from LaGuardia just makes me smile. So how do I feed my need when I am not there?
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First Look – Aspire Agency Management System – TAAR – July 2009
December 2, 2009 by Leave a Comment
I did this first look article for the Aspire agency management system product a number of months ago. Since then, they have gone “live” with a number of test agencies and continued to finesse this product. However, the article still contains a lot of relevant information. I invite comments and questions pertaining to this article. For questions specific to the Aspire system, I will ask the management team of Impowersoft for a response.
Technorati Tags:
Insurance Agency management system, Impowersoft, Aspire, technology, insurance agency workflows
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't – by Jim Collins – Book Review
November 25, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
I first read Good to Great several years ago. When I was an employee of IBTX Risk Services the entire staff was required to read the book. The agency’s culture was based on many of the principles of this book. I return to this book as reference material often.
The portions of the book that I continue to use with my clients are:
1. Good is the enemy of great.
2. Have the right people in the right seat on the bus.
3. Disciplined People, Disciplined Thought & Disciplined Action create “A Culture of Discipline.”
This is another book that I often request that the management of an agency read when they are my client. It contains many valuable lessons. If you have read Good to Great would you please share what you believe are the top lessons of this book. I am always looking for other’s points-of-view.
Technorati Tags:
Good to Great, Jim Collins, insurance agency culture, book review, insurance agency values
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t – by Jim Collins – Book Review
November 25, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
I first read Good to Great several years ago. When I was an employee of IBTX Risk Services the entire staff was required to read the book. The agency’s culture was based on many of the principles of this book. I return to this book as reference material often.
The portions of the book that I continue to use with my clients are:
1. Good is the enemy of great.
2. Have the right people in the right seat on the bus.
3. Disciplined People, Disciplined Thought & Disciplined Action create “A Culture of Discipline.”
This is another book that I often request that the management of an agency read when they are my client. It contains many valuable lessons. If you have read Good to Great would you please share what you believe are the top lessons of this book. I am always looking for other’s points-of-view.
Technorati Tags:
Good to Great, Jim Collins, insurance agency culture, book review, insurance agency values
Providence in Nashville
November 23, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Last week Gene, Jessica(our granddaughter) and I went to Nashville. Jessica and I were attending the Lifework 2.0 Seminar on Thursday. Gene was able to find an old high school friend that everyone said they couldn’t find in Franklin. Thursday night we went to downtown Nashville for dinner and a little karaoke. Now we didn’t know anything about any of the bars in downtown. Jessica got on her iphone and read the reviews and chose Lonnie’s Western Room.
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You Never Know Who Is Watching and Listening
November 16, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Agencies tell me that they don’t know what to blog about and who would be listening to them anyway. It is always interesting to me after I post a blog to watch for comments. Even when I ask an interesting question there are not always comments. Other times when I don’t expect a response, I receive several.
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Analyzing Processes – Why?
November 11, 2009 by Leave a Comment
I am currently working on writing standards and workflows for a client on the filing of surplus lines taxes. Now this is a sticky wicket in almost any agency I visit. This used to be so easy. The broker that placed the coverage for the retail agency filed the taxes. Well, that is not the case any longer. So the workflow has just happened over the years and is jumbled and confusing.
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