Insurance Agency Management: Are You Too Nice?
Work-life culture and insurance agency management can be tricky waters to navigate. While everyone wants to feel comfortable in their work environment, and leaders want their employees to feel supported, it’s very possible for lines to be blurred when it comes to agency culture. If an agency feels “like a family,” leadership is probably ensuring that agents feel comfortable. But there is such a thing as “too comfortable,” and having a casual office culture could lead to some trouble, and could be inhibiting your growth.
“When you can set those boundaries, people respect them and work harder to find other ways so that you can still stay on track with your business. “
At the end of the day, insurance agencies need to be treated like a business, and insurance agency management can require a bit of a firm hand. It doesn’t mean you have to run a militant operation, but there are definitely risks with having a casual office culture. First of all, some of your team members may feel that others are given unfair perks, which could lead to disenfranchisement, or they might be simply uncomfortable with the “family-like” nature of the office. Plus, generosity can easily be taken advantage of, and employees will come to expect this, and push boundaries.
Here’s how you can master insurance agency management, while still rewarding your hard-working agents.
1. Set clear expectations
When it comes to insurance agency management, setting clear expectations is crucial to success, and to becoming a Ridiculously Amazing Agent in 2021. Setting vague rules or guidelines will lead to people pushing the limit, and expecting more and more. Another great way to offer clarity: any time a special consideration is made, make sure you document it. Many times, these decisions are made during emotional moments (asking to work from home because of a family illness, for example), and it’s very possible an agent may not recall the situation in the same way you do.
2. Focus on your role
As the leader of your insurance agency, your main role is to be that leader your team needs. You’re not running a community organization, and your job is really to be respected, not beloved by your employees. If employees come to you with requests, and you have a hard time saying no, take some time to think about it, and come back to your employee with boundaries that work for both parties.
3. Allow earned flexibility
Employees who work hard can certainly be rewarded, and if an agency is hitting its goals and on-track for success, then allowing some flexibility might be in scope. But if your agency is behind in workloads, not hitting goals, and has a suffering office culture, then you may not have as much liberty to be so generous.
Being a great leader and mastering insurance agency management can seem like a tricky undertaking, but it’s definitely possible by setting boundaries, and laying out clear expectations. You’ll be setting yourself up for success, and ensuring your agents are well supported as they strive to become Ridiculously Amazing.
Follow Us on Social Media
Follow us on social media to get a daily dose of our 3 Minute Videos, to help you on your journey to becoming a Ridiculously Amazing agent. We share our videos on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.
