Insurance needs more women to step up and lead
Women make up 60% of the insurance workforce but are scarce in leadership roles.
Many in the insurance industry are hyping their digital transformation efforts, proudly sharing data points and revenue numbers that result from these initiatives.
However, there is a clear lack of focus and subsequent celebration of success on an equally important topic in the industry: diversity and inclusion.
Why is this/? Research shows that companies where men and women are equally paid earn 41% more revenue, and racially diverse teams outperform non-diverse teams by 35%. Clearly there is a business case to make for better representation of women, but it is apparent the case hasn’t been made strongly enough in the insurance industry.
As it stands, women make up 60% of the insurance workforce but are scarce in leadership roles. Just 19% of board seats in insurance companies are occupied by women, and make up only 12% of top officer positions. To make matters worse, the support to lead women to higher positions just doesn’t seem to be there. Only 8% of insurance companies have a formal program or training to help women advance in their careers.
I realize I am an outlier. I am an executive at an InsurTech company that boasts a nearly 50% female roster, and I broke into the industry with little relevant training in insurance. It took a great deal of hard work, patience, persistence, risk and, most of all, mentor support to defy the odds and become a leader in the insurance industry. This isn’t bragging. Instead, it’s acknowledging my responsibility to help women in my industry to equalize these statistics and bring a much more diverse group of professionals to leadership tables.
In nearly 20 years of working in the industry, I’ve found some tried-and-true methods to set myself apart, and also identified some areas I believe all businesses could focus on to be more inclusive.
The ‘desire to always do more’
My path to insurance was never written in stone. Like many undergrads, I was unsure of exactly where I wanted to land, and concentrated my efforts studying psychology. It wasn’t until I cut my teeth in customer service for a large human resources and benefits consultant that my career in technology as a business enabler and insurance began to take shape.
It was during these years, along with a completion of a Masters Degree in eCommerce and a decade and a half at another global insurance conglomerate, that I learned many valuable lessons about how the industry works and what it would take for me to get noticed and advance.
What follows are the most important things I learned about the industry — and how to stand out — along the way.
No. 1: Learn constantly
When I was first hired to work the phones in an insurance and benefits call center, I knew very little about the industry and was little more than a cog in the machine. What set me apart was my willingness to learn. I took every opportunity to ask questions when appropriate, and made it a point to always say “yes” to opportunities that would allow me to further educate myself about the industry. Before long, I headed up the phone team and was recognized as a subject matter expert. The new role enabled me to build skills in project management, business development and other areas.
Insurance is a very specific knowledge area, and not being well-versed on complex topics like underwriting, actuarial work and the financial underbelly of insurance decision making can be intimidating. However, I harnessed that feeling and overcame it. Any time I found myself on solid ground with a new topic — whether it be tech, operations or other areas critical to keeping the business running — I set out to find another unfamiliar topic to renew my discomfort. Especially in insurance, it is essential to educate yourself to stay ahead of the curve. Even if the subject matter isn’t at all related to your current role, it is bound to be useful in the future. Intellectual curiosity is a must.
No. 2: Speak up
I would not have gotten nearly as many learning opportunities or as much recognition for my work had I stayed quiet throughout my career. If you aren’t invited to a meeting where you feel like you have a place, ask to be. If you’re passed up or talked over when a decision is being made, raise your voice. And, whatever you do, never let a meeting go by without participating — even if it is to offer a perspective that doesn’t align with the majority in the room. Meetings are a real time opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned and add value. Ultimately, getting leadership and other team members to recognize the value of my industry knowledge played a big role in my success.
Speaking up also means offering support. Whenever possible, you should make an effort to help other women learn and get recognition. Ask less experienced colleagues at the table to offer their thoughts. Encourage their voices. By acting as a mentor, you can help keep women on the path toward leadership in insurance.
No. 3: Take (smart) risks
Part of growing in any industry is knowing when to stay in your lane, and when to step into another. For the early part of my career, I spent every moment I could with my head down focused on the task at hand, learning and asking questions to get a better understanding of the industry. It took time. However, once I’d really begun to understand the business and where I could create value, it was time to take risks by challenging the status quo. I also took a much more critical look at the underlying metrics and data we used to make decisions.
It is critical women make calculated decisions to step outside their comfort zone. The reality is that insurance remains very much a people business, one where important decisions or strategies are determined in places like golf courses or dinner meetings. Women looking to advance need to smartly evaluate each opportunity and have the confidence to participate when there is a clear business objective. While these interactions may be relics of a different time in business, they aren’t likely to go away anytime soon.
The insurance industry’s responsibility to diversity
Women have many opportunities to break the glass ceiling in the insurance industry by taking actions of their own, but leadership has its own responsibility to correct gender imbalance. As the conversation surrounding diversity and inclusion evolves, companies should be proactive about examining their own culture. This can mean engaging with a diversity consultant for an audit of current diversity efforts, conducting unconscious bias training or adopting software that helps make candidate evaluation more fair. It also means being far more dedicated to training — the 8% of employers that offer programs to help women advance is laughable, and a statistic that is relatively easy and inexpensive to improve.
Additionally, insurers should promote the diversity and inclusion efforts at their own company, even if their track record hasn’t been stellar. By simply acknowledging there is progress to be made, and sharing a plan of how the company will become more diverse and inclusive, companies show they are taking the issue seriously.
Climbing the ladder in the insurance industry hasn’t been easy — but it has been rewarding. If every woman with a similar experience took some time to mentor and share their experience, we could reach a future where women’s share in leadership is far more equitable. And, if companies commit to concrete steps to making the workplace more inclusive for women, we might finally see a real sea change in the industry.
Belen Tokarski (belen@insureon.com) is the chief administrative officer at Insureon. These opinions are the author’s own.
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