Insuring Excellence
I had the pleasure and privilege of speaking at I Day recently: All Industry Day hosted by the CPCU Society of Eastern North Carolina. CPCU: Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter is a professional designation, equivalent to earning a Master’s degree in insurance.
They invited me to speak on my signature topic: Engaging Excellence; ideally inspiring them to effective action within their industry and beyond. I guess I was the entertainment, of sorts, as other speakers addressed technical, tangible aspects of the insurance industry. I got more education on insurance in one day than I have in my entire life!
I now have a better understanding why rates continue to rise, and how and by whom that is determined. Not that there is anything I can do about it, it was interesting to learn how our state compares to others in administering this significant service we all secure, hoping we never need it.
My favorite quote of the day came from the Insurance Commissioner himself: ‘An investment in knowledge pays the best interest’.
A professor from ECU, my alma mater, (Go Pirates!) brought along some students to enlighten us with their perspective on preparing as professionals in the insurance industry.
I was impressed with their enthusiasm for this opportunity, especially considering it was during their spring break. Their understanding of the industry and passion for potential in the profession was powerful. Wow! When I was at ECU, I was studying Greek Life, intergenerational interaction and the impact of social life on study habits!
In reality, my Master’s degree is in understanding people, which by no means are any less complicated than insurance, but somehow seem a little simpler to understand and interpret.
Engaging Excellence involves identifying and acknowledging unique abilities, talents and interests in ourselves and others, synchronizing them to synergy. It is rooted in relationships and connecting through core values and common ground. Excellence, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, and emerges within the context of conscious connections.
Insurance is certainly a relationship based business, anchored by integrity, as no average person could possibly understand and interpret the intricacies of these professional policies we purchase.
An interesting entity indeed, as it is something we all invest in, hoping we never need, and agents sell it, hoping the same, yet planning for a positive experience either way.
Though I would never say it, several speakers cited the stereotype of insurance beings boring. I found the opposite to be true. While not something I have chosen to study, I got an amazing education in the short time I was surrounded by these experts. And they were engaged in excellence as well. Not a new topic, I trust, but perhaps a new perspective on the process and power of engaging excellence in themselves and those around them. We all invested in new knowledge, insuring a high rate of return.
