Recognizing when activity
creates the illusion of progress
[A]ctivity without alignment does not lead to
consistent results. In fact, it often leads to burnout.
By Roger Sitkins
By the middle of the year, most agency leaders start to feel it. January felt different:
There was energy; there were goals. You had conversations with your team about doing things better this year—about being more intentional, more disciplined, more focused. Maybe you even introduced a few new ideas or initiatives that you were confident would create real improvement.
But now it’s June, and if you’re being honest, you’re starting to wonder what has really changed. Yes, you’ve been busy. Your team has been busy. There has been no shortage of activity: meetings, proposals, renewals, service work, and constant communication. On the surface, it feels like progress. But when you step back and look at the results, it often feels like you’re running hard without gaining much ground. That’s where the frustration sets in.
Because deep down, most agency leaders already know the truth. It’s not about effort. It’s not about caring. It’s about the fact that, despite everyone’s best intentions, the agency is still operating much the same way it always has.
The problem isn’t your people
One of the biggest mistakes agency leaders make at this point in the year is assuming that the issue is their team. They start to think they need better producers, more experienced account managers, or stronger leadership at different levels. In reality, that’s rarely the core issue.
Most agencies have good people. They are capable, committed, and willing to work hard. The problem is that those people are not operating within a consistent, structured system that allows them to perform at a higher level together.
Producers are selling, but they are doing it in different ways. Some rely on relationships, others on quoting, and a few follow a more consultative approach. There is no consistency in how opportunities are developed or how value is communicated.
Account managers are working hard to keep up with service demands, but they are often reactive rather than proactive. They are focused on getting through the day instead of strengthening relationships or contributing to growth.
Leaders are busy managing activity, answering questions, and solving problems, but they are not consistently coaching behaviors or reinforcing a unified approach.
When everyone is doing their job differently, it creates friction, inefficiency, and missed opportunities. It also makes it nearly impossible to grow an agency the way most agency owners would like.
Activity can be misleading
One reason this problem persists is that activity creates the illusion of progress. If your team is busy, it feels like something must be working. There are emails being sent, calls being made, proposals going out, and accounts being serviced. From the outside, it appears to be a productive organization.
But activity without alignment does not lead to consistent results. In fact, it often leads to burnout.
Producers spend time chasing opportunities that are not a good fit. Account managers get overwhelmed with service work that could have been prevented with better upfront communication. Leaders spend their days reacting instead of leading.
Over time, this creates a cycle where people work harder and harder just to maintain the same level of performance. That is not growth, that is survival.
What actually changes the game
The agencies that break out of this cycle do something fundamentally different. They stop relying on individual effort and start building a consistent operating model. They implement a structured sales approach that every producer follows. They create clear expectations for how account managers contribute to retention and growth. They establish a leadership cadence that focuses on coaching, accountability, and continuous improvement.
In other words, they get aligned. Alignment is what turns effort into results. When everyone is working from the same playbook, communication improves because people are speaking the same language. Expectations become clearer because there is a defined process. Clients receive a more consistent experience because the entire team is aligned around how value is delivered.
Instead of guessing what to do next, people know what to do. That confidence changes everything.
Why alignment is so rare
If alignment is so powerful, why don’t more agencies achieve it? Because it requires discipline. It is much easier to let producers “do their own thing” than to implement and reinforce a consistent sales process. It is easier to let account managers focus on service work than it is to train them to think more strategically about client relationships. It is easier to react to problems than it is to build systems that prevent them.
Alignment also requires time and commitment. It is not something that happens in a single meeting or a one-time training session. It is built over time through consistent reinforcement and shared experiences.
That is where most agencies fall short. They introduce ideas, but they do not sustain them. They talk about change, but they do not operationalize it. As a result, they find themselves in the same place year after year, hoping that the next initiative will finally deliver the breakthrough they seek.
What we’re seeing right now
This year, at Sitkins Group, we are seeing something different. In just the first quarter, across our programs, there were over 2,100 registrations representing more than 1,000 individual insurance professionals. That includes producers, account managers, sales leaders, and agency leaders, all working through structured development programs throughout the year.
Those numbers are significant, not because of their size, but because of what they represent. They represent agencies that have decided to stop operating in silos and start operating as unified teams. They are committing to a consistent approach across roles, which is where real change begins.
One of the most encouraging trends is the level of involvement from account managers. This year, we have more account managers participating in structured development than producers. That shift speaks volumes about how forward-thinking agencies are approaching growth. They understand that retention, relationship management, and client experience are just as important as new business production.
You can also see the impact when sales and service come together. Participation in sessions that include both groups is dramatically higher than sales-only sessions. That reinforces a simple truth that many agencies are still working toward: Growth is a team effort.
Momentum is built, not hoped for
When alignment starts to take hold, something powerful happens. Momentum builds.
Producers become more confident because they have a clear process to follow. Account managers become more proactive because they understand their role in growth. Leaders become more effective when they coach within a defined framework. The agency starts to feel different. There is greater clarity, consistency, and accountability. Decisions are easier to make because they are guided by a shared strategy. Results become more predictable because they are driven by repeatable behaviors.
This is what most agency leaders are searching for, whether they realize it or not. Not more activity or more ideas, but more momentum.
The second half of the year is your opportunity
June is not just a checkpoint; it is an opportunity. It is a chance to look at the first half of the year and decide whether you are satisfied with the direction you are heading. It is a moment to be honest about what is working and what is not.
Most importantly, it is a chance to make a different decision for the second half of the year.
You can continue operating the way you always have, hoping that increased effort will produce better results. Or you can recognize that without alignment, more effort will likely lead to the same outcomes.
The agencies that make real progress are the ones that choose to change how they operate, not just how hard they work.
The decision most leaders avoid
Every agency leader reaches a point where they have to make a decision. Do you continue to allow variability in how your team sells, services, and leads? Or do you commit to building a consistent system that drives performance across the entire organization?
That decision is not always comfortable. It requires setting expectations, holding people accountable, and investing in development. It requires moving away from what is familiar and committing to a new way of operating. But it is also the decision that separates agencies that grow from those that stay the same.
A simple question
As you look at your agency today, ask yourself a simple question: Are we just busy, or are we actually getting better?
If the answer is unclear, or if you know that things are not where they should be, then it may be time to stop relying on effort alone and start focusing on alignment. Because once your agency is aligned, that’s when you experience real progress, and you will never want to go back.
Take a step back and look at your agency differently
Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do as a leader is step outside of the day-to-day and see your agency from a different perspective. That’s what we’re inviting you to do.
We’re hosting a 60-minute session with Brent Kelly designed specifically for agency leaders who are tired of working hard without seeing consistent improvement. In this session, you’ll get a clear look at what’s holding most agencies back, what high-performing agencies are doing differently, and how alignment across your team changes everything.
This is not just theory. It’s a practical look at what actually works.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start operating with more clarity and consistency, this is where you begin. Reserve your spot today at www.sitkins.com/see-the-difference.
The author
Roger Sitkins is the CEO of Sitkins Group, Inc. After over 40 years he has truly become an icon in the insurance industry having trained and mentored thousands of insurance professionals.
Roger was inducted into the Michigan Insurance Hall of Fame in 2017 and in that same year also received the Dr. Henry C. Martin Award from Rough Notes magazine. Roger is among only six people to have the honor of receiving this prestigious award.
Recognized as the nation’s top insurance agency results coach and renowned leader for improvement, he believes that if you improve the life of one person, you improve the world. To learn more, visit www.sitkins.com.
