Tell Us What You Want, What You Really, Really Want for Your Agency

When you ask agency leaders about their greatest workplace challenges and frustrations, most will cite a laundry list of items similar to:

• Our producers don’t produce enough
• We don’t have enough people/time
• My people aren’t always accountable
• I’m frustrated with our systems/processes

However, when you ask them what they really want (or to quote the Spice Girls, “Tell me what you want, what you really, really want.” they tend to be caught off guard. Often, they have a difficult time clearly defining what they actually want vs. what they don’t want. That’s because it’s always easier to pinpoint negatives than positives.

Overly broad or ambiguous goals are another problem for leaders. For example, while the desire to grow or improve are reasonable goals, neither is specific enough to provide clarity. They are simply too abstract to communicate a compelling vision that will guide the agency toward its goals.

For instance, if growth is the goal, how do you want the agency to grow? Do you want to grow in terms of revenue? Number of producers? Number of clients? Without some level of clarity, how can you know where you’re going and how will you convince others to go along with you?

Imagine if someone pulled up in a car and told you to get in. Would you immediately jump in without knowing where you’re going? What if the driver said, “I have no idea where we’re going, but it’s a really great place!” Would that convince you to go along?

John Maxwell has written, “Leaders see more and before others.” What’s more, they take others with them. When leaders lead with clarity, others want to accompany them on the journey.

Clarity is about certainty that stems from these three simple but thought-provoking questions:

1. Where are we today?
2. Where do we want to go?
3. How will we get there?

Let’s take a deeper look at each of these.

Where are we today?

This first question seems obvious, as it is a question of awareness: Do you know where you are right now?? But an honest answer requires honest examination.

For example, how do you respond when someone asks, “How are you?” You probably say, “I’m fine,” even when your world is falling apart. In that situation, a simple, vague answer is probably best (unless the questioner is a licensed, paid therapist).

Agency leaders are apt to give the same ambiguous reply when they don’t know their numbers. They lack clarity because they aren’t sure where the agency stands.

In many cases, if you ask different agency leaders this question you’ll get different answers. One may say, “We are doing fine,” and another may answer, “Our revenues are XXX.”

?

Both answers may be accurate, but do they align with other leaders at their agency? They may have divergent interpretations about how well their agency is doing. If I ask a leadership team how they would rate the internal communication of the agency, one leader may say seven while another barely rates it a three! When principals?are on different pages, it’s difficult to attain clarity.

If you’re a parent, you know what I mean. Sometimes, couples have very different ideas about how to raise children. Take bedtimes as an example. Dad may tell the kids it’s fine to stay up until midnight on weekends, but mom may insist they maintain a 9 p.m. bedtime every night. This sends a confusing message (and may encourage the older ones to side with the more lenient parent).

When there is more than one decision maker, a unified front provides clarity about expectations, and helps to prevent disagreement and dissension in the future.

As I alluded to previously, there are two ways to gauge agency health: emotionally and fiscally. Each provides pertinent and unique answers to the question, how is your agency doing?

Fiscal.?These answers are usually based on tangible financial data, such as revenue, number of employees, revenue per employee, revenue per producer, closing ratio, revenue per relationship, and an 80/20 analysis. Is it the end of the world not to know all the answers? Not necessarily. But leaders should have the same general idea about the agency’s fiscal status. For example, is annual revenue in the $7.4 million range or closer to $8.2 million? To enhance clarity, it’s important that leaders are aware of and aligned with their agency’s numbers/finances.

Emotional.?This assessment of agency health is subjective and reliant on alignment and honesty. There is an obvious lack of clarity when one leader thinks everything is great in the agency and the other thinks things are going terribly. It’s critical to have some consensus on how the agency is doing. Is it maintaining the status quo or is it growing? Are things just okay or are they great? Is the agency on the right path or is it derailing? How would other leaders on your team respond? Among a four-person team, two might be completely satisfied with agency culture and operations, and two might be totally dissatisfied. Consensus enhances clarity.

Where do we want to go?

This is a question of vision. In some ways, it reminds me of the questions my wife and I ask ourselves before we embark on a home improvement project. We look at the space we want to remodel and assess what works well and what needs a re-do.

Similarly, changes to an agency require thoughtful consideration to ensure that any changes are worthwhile. As a leader, it’s imperative that you understand the specific dangers, opportunities and strengths of your agency. What do you like about it and what do you want to change? How do you want to change it? How will you change it?

One of my favorite questions to ask an agency during an initial discovery call comes from speaker and coach Dan Sullivan: “If we were having this discussion three years from today, and you were looking back over those three years, what has to have happened in your life, both personally and professionally, for you to feel happy with your progress?”

This question allows you to frame your future through a different lens. Instead of looking ahead, you are already ahead, looking back. This unique perspective allows you to see how you got where you are today while also spurring insight about where you want to be.

Most agency leaders pause and think when I ask them the following: Where do you envision your agency in three years? What must have happened over the previous three years for you to be pleased with your progress?

Often, they’ll say things like, “We would have aligned our processes,” or, “We would have had more meetings with sales and service,” or, “We would have held people accountable,” to name a few.

What is the current roadblock or problem that would prevent you from realizing your vision in three years? Usually, this roadblock is something that’s already in place. Let’s say you want to be a supermodel or a star athlete in three years. What are you doing now to get there? Are you eating pizza every night and not working out? Is it possible for you to change that? Are you willing to do so?

As an agency leader, if you have $2 million in revenue and 15 employees now and your goal is to reach $4 million in revenue and 25 employees in three years, how do you propose to do that? What’s keeping you from doing that? This leads to the third and final question.

How will we get there?

This is a question of both culture and strategy. Are you intentional about what you want or are you just letting things happen along the way?

When you build a house, you have a blueprint, don’t you? Oh sure, there may be change orders and additions along the way, but you don’t just wing it and hope that the home of your dreams appears.

Unfortunately, that’s how many leaders try to build a great agency. They lack clarity about exactly what they want and, therefore, have no idea how to get it. Yet, they are often perplexed when they don’t attain the high level of success they desire.

Many agency leaders live in the world of tactics or processes when they should be starting with culture. Although necessary, tactics are ineffective when not first framed by culture, followed by strategy. The three are intertwined but distinctly different:

• Culture.?Have you established a culture? At the Sitkins Group, we define culture as the language and behaviors that are normal in your agency today. For example, what are people within the agency saying? What are people doing? Is there a sales process that is repeatable, and that can be used in training and preparation? That is the culture. If people are doing the things they should be doing today and if they do them consistently, your culture will facilitate your vision.
• Tactics.?Many agency leaders want a quick fix for all their problems. If there’s a sales problem, for example, they may rush to install the latest CRM system.

However, if theirs is a culture of sales apathy, the CRM won’t fix the problem; it is simply a tactic. That doesn’t mean it won’t help, it just means you won’t have the greatest buy-in unless the culture comes first.

• Strategy.?A strategy is bigger than a tactic. It’s not the latest new and shiny thing. Are you always pursuing a new idea? Does it align with your goals? Does your team ignore you when you launch it?

In closing

It’s been said that our direction, not our intention, determines our destination. If so, are you doing what author Keith Cunningham describes as “running in the wrong direction enthusiastically”?

I believe all of us have done that at one time or another, especially when we’re in a hurry to get someplace. You know the feeling. You’re driving along, certain that you’re going the right way, but things don’t look quite right—landmarks are missing and nothing looks familiar. Even then, you stubbornly stay the course and drive miles out of your way before consulting a GPS for directions.

Once you adjust your route and change direction, you’re back on track to reach your destination.

As a leader, you may have a destination in mind for your agency. Perhaps you’re looking five years ahead, envisioning a much different agency than what exists today. However, your current trajectory does not align with your vision.

If you continue in your current direction, you’re unlikely to get where you want to go. But if you adjust your strategies and behaviors, you can achieve the clarity you need to change course and achieve excellence.

The author

Brent Kelly, president of Sitkins Group, Inc., is a motivating influencer, coach and speaker who has a passion for helping insurance agencies maximize their performance. He spent 15 years in the insurance industry as a successful commercial lines producer and was named one of the top 12 young agents in the country in 2012. To help your agency gain clarity, build confidence, and improve culture, please contact him at [email protected] or visit sitkins.com.