Human qualities—communication, compassion,
empathy—and not your efficiency are
in highest demand as a leader today
“[A]voiding the conversations we know we need to have about
the complexities we all bring with us to our work sends a message all its own … .”
By Meg McKeen, CIC
Scrolling through LinkedIn, I paused as I do every time to read a post shared by a creator I admire. I read the post three times more, surprised—then disappointed—by what I saw.
Embedded in the post was the prompt they’d fed to the AI software that wrote it. In their cut and paste, this witty, gutsy, and admired-not-just-by-me-but-many storyteller had cut and pasted a little too much.
My stomach flipped as I paused, questioning their credibility. I questioned their sincerity and I thought back to other posts they’ve shared. Have I been duped this whole time?
As they are a leader in the industry, surely I wasn’t the only one who had seen the mistake, and I questioned the example they were setting for others watching, too. A post to check a box or to satisfy the algorithm, but their giving in to temptation did reputational harm, too.
This isn’t a reflection about AI. I’m not naive about AI and its place in our industry; in fact, I use it and I believe it’s not going anywhere. Rather, it’s a reflection about shortcuts, and the unintended consequences when we take them.
Shortcuts I love
I love a shortcut, a life hack, a timesaver, and I am always on the lookout for them.
When my proverbial stuff is together, I spend time at the start of the week prepping the ingredients I’ll add to my morning smoothies in the days ahead. Peeling and chopping carrots, celery, sweet potatoes. Measuring the spinach, spices and supplements I’ll add, too.
I’ve discovered a side street that’s a welcome bypass for the clogged stoplight that has been the cause of my lateness to more than one yoga session. Being late inevitably changes my energy—and it’s with ease and calm that I want to enter the space where I practice.
I love the automated message that my scheduling software kicks out, reminding attendees of our upcoming meeting. And the auto reload feature on my Starbucks card? I’m a big fan of that, too.
“I have neither extra time nor brainpower these days—and love that these shortcuts give me a bit of both back.” They create ease and flow in my days, allowing me to show up for others—and myself—with even more ease and in flow, too.
Ch-ch-ch-changes
If you’ve been working in the industry for a while, you’ve seen fax machines replace snail mail and email replace both. You’ve watched as text messages replace phone calls, and instant message chats replace those around the coffee maker, too.
Technology has helped us to create countless shortcuts in our everyday busy-ness, but the pressure on people to do even more with less has never been more intense than it is today.
Looking around us, we see teammates moving on and not being replaced. We see our job descriptions grow, but not our paychecks! And we sift through mixed leadership messages, reprioritizing our tasks as the why behind them is reprioritized, too. Today we’re feeling shifts in our organizational cultures just like these that technology simply cannot solve.
Shortcuts I don’t love
When an agency has a distressed relationship with an underwriter, I’ll often see carrier leadership move the agency to a different underwriter’s territory and then assign the underwriter to a different agency. Sometimes that seemingly simple fix works but, often, the same distress persists, and now another previously positive relationship has been disrupted. And the leader still hasn’t answered the hardest questions like: Is the agency a fit for the carrier? Is the underwriter a fit for the role?
When a challenging client sneaks onto their books after a contentious moment between them, I’ll watch as an agency leader shifts the client to be handled by another account manager. In doing so, they silently advocate not for the respectful treatment of their team member but for the revenue generated by the account instead.
And we all know producers with the large book of business who bully their way through their days. You can’t force them to show up for team meetings, of course, and even though others do, you can’t exactly require that they follow a procedure. Revenue talks and, in many cases, we listen.
But people are not smoothies or side streets or automated emails.
And avoiding the conversations we know we need to have about the complexities we all bring with us to our work sends a message all its own—about priorities, about values, and about brave leadership. And it’s a message that’s received loud and clear.
These are hard conversations for a reason
Craving a deeper connection with my boss when I was a new underwriter, I asked him about a time in his career when he’d had a hard message to deliver. “Oh, that’s easy,” he said. “Telling an underwriter they had body odor was so uncomfortable. It was really bad; I could still smell him after he left my office. And after a while, I’d had so many complaints from others in the office that I just had to say something.”
I’ve seen a lot—but not that! And know firsthand that it’s inherently hard to sit face-to-face with another human being and let them know that an element of their personhood isn’t working for you—that while they are a high performer, there is still room for professional development and personal growth. Sometimes, even, it’s acknowledging that your relationship just isn’t working.
If you’re feeling the weight of a conversation like this with a colleague or client or even a personal relationship of yours, before you ever sit for it, first sit with yourself. Consider the time and brainpower you devote to thinking, pondering, worrying and avoiding. Just as my former boss did, it’s wild to think about the amount of time we spend suffering in silence and allowing those around us to suffer before we take action.
Acknowledge that you might be the reason a problem persists. That your inaction might be the reason for the quiet whispering in the office. That your apprehension might be the reason your team’s enthusiasm and confidence in you is waning. And trust that the not-so-easy option is the right one, for us and those we are leading.
What’s swept under your rug?
The fortunate-for-you truth is that no one waltzes into leadership being a pro at this sort of communication. Own your awkwardness and imperfections as you fumble your way through these conversations and know that experience helps us to build confidence and self-trust that you might feel like you’re missing.
After all, it’s your human qualities—communication, compassion, empathy—and not your efficiency that are in highest demand as a leader today. There’s a conversation you might be avoiding today that will prove it.
The author
Once told “you’re someone I’d like to receive bad news from,” Meg McKeen, CIC, founded Adjunct Advisors LLC in 2018 with the simple belief that we can and must do more to support the individuals who choose a career in the insurance industry. Now in her 25th year, Meg’s experience working in underwriting, leadership, and sales within the industry informs her work as a consultant today, in which Meg now holds space, at the crossroads of personal and professional development, for insurance professionals as they navigate their shifting relationship with work and this current hard market. Meg’s work includes private and small group coaching, workshop facilitation, industry event speaking and planning engagements, and the podcast she hosts, Bound & Determined℠. Learn more at www.adjunctadvisors.com.
