Lessons Learned from COVID-19

It’s been a year since COVID-19 upended our world, bringing loss and uncertainty. Reflecting on the impacts, I’m proud of how Team USAA rose to the challenges, drawing strength from our mission and these lessons learned.

Mission matters

The past year has tested us, but our mission to care for military families kept us focused on what matter most. It is our North Star that always guides us. 

People matter

When you take great care of employees, they take great care of members. It’s especially important in a crisis and gave us added resiliency when a historic winter storm hit Texas, where USAA is headquartered. Many employees lost power and water, but since we had adapted well to pandemic conditions, teammates in other areas of the country were well positioned to step up for members and each other.

Speed matters

We learned to make sound, risk-managed decisions with just enough information so we could move fast and support members and employees. We returned $1.1 billion in special auto insurance dividends and provided special assistance to 1.2 million members. We moved most employees home in a matter of days, created special benefits for them and implemented strong health and safety protocols for our offices. And we accelerated our giving to help military families and the communities where we live and work. Choosing to take action is preferable to not choosing, especially knowing that you can adapt and adjust along the way. 

Transparency matters

In a crisis, it’s essential to communicate what is important and “why.” Trust follows transparency and enables your team to carry out their work with confidence. 

I talked more about lessons learned and how we’re adapting for the future in a Strategy+Business interview.