TURN YOUR AGENCY INTO A NAVY SEAL TEAM

Navy Seals go through a rigorous series of training programs before they are awarded the Special Warfare Operator rating.?All candidates must complete the 24-week BUDS program, a parachute course, and a 26-week SEAL Qualification Training program.?Widely acknowledged as the most capable armed forces unit in the world, the SEALS are renowned for their mission preparation, capabilities, and effectiveness.?When asked about their special forces colleagues, a British SAS officer said SEALS preparation and training was more demanding than any actual mission he had experienced in all his years as a special forces commander.?He attributed the SEALS level of focus and calm in the field to their intense training.?

There is a lot we can glean from SEAL training and apply to the insurance industry.?Seals are known for well-trained individuals, clearly defined goals, detailed plans to achieve their mission objective, and inter-unit assignments.?The team reliance and trust is paramount and the key to their impressive success rate.?Additionally, at multiple points during their mission, they check to ensure each objective and assignment is still being met, adjust, and proceed.?How do you apply this successful formula to your agency??

Qualification

It all starts with qualification.?Too many agencies hire people, provide a day or two of training, and then cut the person loose on the public.?Not only is this unfair to the public but is almost certain to result in the frustration and failure of the employee.?At best, the employee catches on eventually, but at significant lost-opportunity cost to the agency and employee alike.?

SEAL teams are grouped together, and no one succeeds without the team.?Pairing high performers with new employees will help train and mentor new employees to the benefit of everyone.?The most successful agency I have seen paired new CSR’s or agents with mentors for a minimum of one year.???????????

Preparation – Go or No-Go Test

For the raid on the Bin Laden compound, the SEALS constructed a precise copy of the compound and practiced their movements exhaustively.?They were so comfortable in the space, and so prepared that even the loss of a helicopter did not delay or distract them from their objective. They prepared and practiced for every contingency.???

Albert Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”?How prepared are your staff??How many members of your staff have additional professional designations (CISR, CIC, CPCU, etc.)? If you cannot answer yes to every question below, your agency is not maximizing its potential:

Can staff explain complex coverages to any client??

Y/N

Do relevant staff know the policy differences for your represented carriers?

? Y/N

Can staff explain each coverage on a policy and why it is important??

Y/N

Is each person encouraged to ask for help a question or problem arises?

Y/N

Does each person have individual goals for the week, month, quarter, year?

Y/N

Does each person have the skills and resources available to achieve their expectations?

Y/N

Meeting together to practice and review best sales and service techniques is crucial to the long-term success of your agency.????

Direction

This seems obvious, but I am stunned by how many people in an agency are not aligned.?This is easily ascertained when you evaluate the actions of each person in the agency.?If the agency is headed in the same direction, all actions, focus, and accountability should be easily communicated and observed.?If you’re not sure – walk around the agency and ask everyone what the agency’s goal is for the year??If you want to be really scared, ask what each person is expected to accomplish to achieve the agency goal??

Plan

At this point, you have qualified, trained, and motivated staff to achieve a mutually understood goal.?How are you going to do that??Many agencies want 10, 15 or even 50 percent growth in a year.?However, they also acknowledge their staff is incredibly busy.?If you are busy at your current level, there is no room for growth.??What are you doing to increase capacity?

To illustrate my point, take a glass of water and fill it to the brim.?Now set the glass down on a level surface and gently add slightly more water.?You will see that the surface tension will allow the liquid to rise slightly above the rim of the glass. Gently add more water and you will see the surface tension collapse, and all water above the rim of the glass will spill out, along with a small amount below the rim as the water is disrupted.?

This is what happens to an agency that tries to push beyond its capacity.?Not only are all the gains eventually lost, but even more as disgruntled or underserved clients leave.?In the worst case scenarios, overworked and misunderstood staff leave as well.?

Define how you will achieve a goal.?What resources will be needed – beyond what you are doing today – to achieve the goal??Who is responsible for the goal – or what portion of the goal??What portion of the goal needs to be accomplished each week, month, quarter and by year end – and by whom??

Accountability

Accountability is not a bad word.?It is time to count your abilities, improve capabilities, and adjust goals.?Understanding why and how goals are being met is crucial.?Your increased revenue may be due to carrier rate increases – not due to client growth.?Unless you understand that, your agency may be shrinking.?Conversely, failing to meet goals may be a function of internal resource allocation, staff capabilities, or lack of marketing.?Working harder or more hours is rarely the answer.?Understanding the contributing factors to your success or failure and adjusting is where success hides from most.???

Reviewing results weekly is the only way to ensure timely adjustments are made to ensure goals are met.?

Adjust and Execute

Unforeseen challenges don’t mean that goal is abandoned.?Despite seeing the challenge of scaling Mt. Everest in arial photos and telescopes, Sir Edmond Hillary approached the summit and saw, “a barrier beyond our feeble strength to overcome.”?The 40-foot section of near vertical rock (now called the Hillary Step), almost at the summit, presented a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.?Rather than turn around, the two climbers adjusted their climbing plan and found a path to the summit.

Making adjustments along the way to your goal and checking in on intermediate expectations is vital to ending with the success you need to meet your own expectations.

Share Success

Seal Teams to not achieve their objective alone, and Sir Edmond Hillary would have surely died without his climbing partner Tenzig Norgay.?Agencies are no different.?Each person has a role to play in the success of the agency and should share in the success accordingly.

The best example of shared success I have ever seen is from an agency in California.?His agency had continued growth and profitability year after year.?When I asked him for his secret, the owner simply said he split all his bonuses among everyone in the agency.?The agency retained 50% of every bonus, and every staff person was paid an equal share of the remainder.?Every CSR, producer, and receptionist received an equal share.?He explained that since implementing this program, each staff person worked toward better service, better retention, and increased growth.?Each person was vested in the success of the agency.????

It is easy to get distracted by everything in the world today.?War, pandemics, economic strife, technology, staff challenges, and industry fluctuations make it easier than ever to be distracted from your key objectives.?There will always be reasons / excuses for not achieving your goals.?Remember what James Baldwin said,” Those who say it can’t be done, are usually interrupted by others doing it.”??