Ah, springtime: in rushes a wave of optimism, as well as a chance to begin anew and stop looking like a pasty extra from one of the Twilight movies. Then again, the season also canopies us with allergens and tornadoes. But I digress.
Each PLRB/LIRB conference represents a rite of passage of sorts for many claims professionals. I spent those fecund days at this year's event in Nashville, Tenn. cramming in as many sessions as my schedule would permit and meeting with other attendees and exhibitors to discuss trends, strategies, and some professional “spring cleaning.”
Soaking up insights from so many accomplished, enthusiastic industry innovators, I thought about a recent analysis of contentment around the globe. In its 2010 “global wellbeing” survey, Gallup asked respondents to rate their current and future lives on a ladder scale. According to how they answered, Gallup then classified respondents' well-being as “thriving, struggling, or suffering.” The findings indicated that a median of 21 percent across 124 countries were “thriving” last year, based on how people rated their lives at the current time and their expectations for the next 5 years.
I wondered how claims professionals would rank. It could have been mere happenstance, or better yet serendipity, but the 1:30 session I planned to attend that day was overcrowded, prompting me to meander to the next room, where “Coaching Claim Professionals” was just beginning. Immediately, presenters Steve Sloboda and Larry Williams, both training managers at Farmers Insurance Company, engaged us all, not with glamorous claims but with an infectious fervor for the claims collective. “What makes a claims professional thrive?” Sloboda began. “What are some management myths? Do you know how to assess levels of adjuster engagement?”
“Engaged employees have passion that drives them to innovate and propose new solutions,” he added, explaining how lost productivity cost our industry $270 billion last year. Of course, he was citing a Gallup poll. Sloboda then talked about how enhancing retention can lead to profit gains of 16 percent, not to mention heightened departmental morale.
Both Sloboda and Williams relayed tips about achieving harmony in your claims department, including “coaching up,” as in how we can offer constructive feedback to more senior team members, not just subordinates. The two also discussed gaining a coworker's trust by showing a caring attitude, honesty, keeping confidences, and being genuine, and why no one wants to be a “Stanley Hudson” from the TV show The Office.
The next segment of the presentation was to focus on managing remote employees and new team members, along with setting short- and long-term goals for oneself and staff. Unfortunately, a tornado warning sounded, diverting us to a basement for the duration of the session.
So are your peers striving, struggling, or thriving? What role are you playing in that?
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