16 posts found
09/06/2023 · 6 min read
Build empathy through three trainable capacities: perspective-taking, emotional recognition, and responsive action. Practice it in coaching debriefs (what was the client feeling at each stage), model it as the leader, and use it in accountability conversations to fix root causes.
09/04/2023 · 6 min read
Empathy is a trainable skill, not a personality trait. In agency leadership, it's the ability to understand a producer's or client's experience well enough to respond effectively. Teams led empathetically outperform on retention and sustained performance under pressure.
08/09/2023 · 5 min read
Core values only work when operational. Translate each value into a specific behavior, make visible decisions that cost you something to defend it, reference it in hiring and reviews, and keep the list to three to five. Your real principles are what you reward and tolerate, not the poster.
08/07/2023 · 5 min read
Your insurance agency's purpose beats your marketing budget because it filters hiring, retention, and client decisions faster than any ad spend. Make it specific enough to test against real options, co-create it with your team, and live it before you put it on the wall.
11/01/2021 · 6 min read
Genuine client relationships retain better than scripted touchpoints. Hire for warmth, capture specific client details in your CMS, and use them in every call (the lake cabin, the new house, the kid's wedding). The data system supports the relationship, it doesn't replace it.
07/30/2021 · 5 min read
An agency manifesto replaces generic mission-statement language with specific behavioral commitments that filter hiring, guide daily decisions, and communicate to clients what you actually stand for. Write it from your real decisions, not from what sounds good.
05/31/2021 · 5 min read
Killing with kindness is a retention machine, not a soft skill. The standard runs on systematic touchpoints, genuine problem ownership, and a same-day response rule. Build it into the system instead of relying on whoever picks up the phone.
04/12/2021 · 6 min read
Build a career in insurance that lasts by showing up authentic instead of polished, leaning on your partner's strengths to expose your gaps, and using humor as a delivery mechanism for the real stuff. Memorable agents beat low rates every time.
04/09/2021 · 6 min read
Onboard new agency team members successfully with three structural moves: a real cultural orientation conversation with the owner in week one, an assigned buddy for the first 30 days, and early wins designed into the first two weeks. Hire for values alignment using behavioral stories, not posted-values agreement.
09/28/2020 · 6 min read
At episode 205, Jason Feltman names the principle that runs through every Insurance Dudes conversation: full ownership of your agency's results. Not market blame, not carrier blame. The lever is in your hands. Celebrate the team, take the responsibility, keep building.
06/10/2020 · 6 min read
Bad management in insurance agencies looks like avoidance or micromanagement, never anything dramatic. The fix is five repeatable moves: hold the avoided conversation, write down expectations, run tighter meetings, push three decisions down, and stay consistent week after week.
06/08/2020 · 6 min read
The top insurance agencies grow on clearer vision and stronger culture, not better leads or bigger ad budgets. Operational vision answers where the team is going, why it matters, and what each role does. Culture is the behavior you tolerate, celebrate, and model every Monday.
04/27/2020 · 7 min read
Ashley Mauldin's referral engine runs on four kinds of operational generosity: free coverage knowledge given before anyone signs, deliberate introductions between people in her network, specific public recognition for clients and partners, and consistent presence at community events. The result is lower acquisition cost than paid-lead agencies.
01/03/2020 · 7 min read
Grant Botma cut turnover to near zero over a decade by hiring for values alignment, onboarding around mission before skills, weaving purpose into weekly rhythms, and modeling the values himself when it costs him something.
11/29/2019 · 6 min read
Millennial producers stay where they get purpose, frequent specific feedback, and thoughtful flexibility. Keep production and activity minimums firm. Replace the annual review with weekly 15-minute one-on-ones, pair every new hire with a mentor, and recognize progress, not just top writers.
05/06/2019 · 7 min read
Insurance agency culture wins when the owner designs it on purpose. Skip Nichols and Josh Kelley (the Sock Dudes) cut turnover by giving the team a shared identity, visible leadership, and zero tolerance for culture killers. Comp plans come second.