The few people we get are not staying. In 2004, the 4-year retention rate for agents was a shocking 13 percent, according to LIMRA.

Not surprisingly, a number of organizations have initiated programs to recruit the best and brightest, bust the myths that surround the industry or to educate young people about the wide range of rewarding career options within the insurance world.

As effective as some of those initiatives have been, one crucial component has been missing: a common voice.

That's about to change.

Next week, insurance industry leaders will meet in Atlanta for the Insurance Education and Career Summit. Hosted by the Griffith Insurance Education Foundation, the summit is the first gathering of its kind, a truly collaborative effort by the insurance industry to solve an industry-wide challenge.

In preparing for the summit, DBH Consulting conducted personal interviews and written surveys to drive the content of our meetings. Among the themes that emerged was a general feeling that the insurance sector is misunderstood and that we must do more to place the industry in a favorable light.

So what's stopping us? The main obstacles are, and have been, the competitive nature of our business and stark differences in culture and agendas. These obstacles have created silos from which we have been loath to emerge.

It doesn't have to be that way. There is proof that organizations can remain competitors while collaborating for the long-term viability of their industry. For example, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants addressed its industry's talent gap through a collaborative approach and watched the number of accounting majors rise 30 percent over five years and the number of hires right out of college rise by 83 percent.

The Education and Career Summit is our industry's first step toward a similar outcome and will focus on two primary goals: to identify the barriers to attracting talent and to brainstorm practical, creative solutions to attract the insurance leaders of tomorrow.

September 26-28 is when an all-encompassing discussion begins. But talk isn't good enough, and one gathering will not shore up our future a an industry. Those in the room, together with others, must reach consensus on next steps and demonstrate a commitment to move forward.

Those who were unable to participate will not want to remain outliers for long.

Talent is an issue that affects each and every company and every segment of our industry. Industry-wide collaboration requires an industry-wide commitment. Only then can we continue to build momentum each day as we work toward a common purpose. My message to those who may be reluctant to participate is get on the bus or be left behind.

Although collaboration will not come easily to everyone, I'm confident we will come together if we remind each other of one critical fact: Preparing the next generation of insurance professionals is not about the succession of one company, one agency or one association; it's about the succession of the industry.