Bill Gates reads a book a week. Elon Musk has developed his own system for learning about new topics. Warren Buffet has them both beat — he reads 500 pages of reports, newspapers and books each day. These innovators are at the top of their fields, with decades of experience and success. Yet they still prioritize lifelong learning.

That's no coincidence. Research conducted by KornFerry found that learning agility — a willingness to grow and learn with insatiable curiosity — is the number one indicator of executive success. And learning agility often finds real-world value in the ability to adapt to changing customer expectations and emerging technologies, which is as essential in the insurance business as in any other industry.

Terry Katz, CPCU, an avid lifelong learner and vice president of education, training, quality assurance and claims at HMS Insurance Associates, Inc., agrees that continuing education has a definitive return on investment — but adds that it has to happen every day.