When growth feels harder than
it should, it’s usually not a market problem
Here’s the part most leaders don’t love to hear: The hardest person you’ll ever lead is yourself.
By Brent Kelly
Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate: growth doesn’t happen automatically.
If it did, every agency that’s been around for 20, 30, or even 50 years would be absolutely crushing it. But you and I both know that’s not reality. Longevity doesn’t equal leadership, and activity doesn’t equal progress. Just because an agency is busy doesn’t mean it’s growing in the right direction.
Growth is the result of intentional leadership. Period.
Here’s where things get tricky for many agency owners and leaders. When results are “pretty good,” it’s easy to assume leadership must be happening. Revenue is stable. Clients aren’t leaving in droves. The team seems busy. On the surface, things feel fine. So we convince ourselves everything must be working.
But “fine” can be dangerous.
In my experience, when growth feels harder than it should, that’s usually not a market problem. It’s not a carrier issue. It’s not even a talent issue. More often than not, it’s a leadership signal trying to get your attention.
Over the years, I’ve coached thousands of insurance professionals alongside Roger Sitkins. Different agency sizes. Different markets. Different personalities. And I’ve seen the same pattern play out again and again. The agencies that truly break through don’t do it because they get lucky or catch a favorable market cycle. They grow because leaders create clarity, set standards, and build alignment across the organization.
Leadership isn’t optional. It’s the lid on your agency’s success.
The leadership assumption trap
One of the most common challenges I see is what I call the leadership assumption trap. Things are “okay,” so leaders assume leadership is happening. But “okay” isn’t excellence. It’s a ceiling.
John Maxwell refers to this as the Law of the Lid: Your leadership ability determines your level of effectiveness. In other words, your agency will never consistently outperform your leadership.
If leadership plateaus, growth follows right behind it.
Here’s a simple but uncomfortable question: If you had to rate your leadership today on a scale of 1 to 10, what number comes to mind? Be honest. No one else has to see the number.
If it’s below an 8, your agency will struggle to attract, retain, and develop top talent. People don’t follow leaders they’ve outgrown, and they definitely don’t stay where expectations are unclear or constantly changing.
This leadership gap usually shows up in three predictable ways.
- First, lack of alignment. Leaders disagree behind closed doors but send mixed messages once they leave the room. The owner says one thing. The sales manager says another. The service team hears something completely different. Confusion takes over, accountability fades, and frustration rises.
- Second, capacity issues. Too many people are doing too many things for the wrong clients. Producers end up servicing instead of selling. Service teams chase urgency instead of priorities. Everyone feels busy, but very little meaningful progress is made.
- Third, no clear process. Agencies wing it instead of following a playbook. There’s no standard selling system. No consistent continuation process. No shared definition of what “great” actually looks like. Just good intentions and tribal knowledge.
When this happens, leaders often try to fix execution. They add meetings. They apply pressure. They demand more activity. But execution isn’t the real issue. Clarity is. Trying to fix execution without clarity is like putting a Band-Aid on a heart attack. You’re treating symptoms while ignoring the cause.
Lead yourself first
Here’s the part most leaders don’t love to hear: The hardest person you’ll ever lead is yourself.
Before you can effectively lead others, you have to get your own house in order. That means getting clear on who you are as a leader, what you stand for, and how you’re willing to operate when things get uncomfortable.
Ask yourself a few honest questions: Is your leadership team truly aligned, or do you avoid tough conversations to keep the peace? Do you have clarity, or just good intentions? “We want to grow” isn’t a plan. It’s a wish. Is your growth intentional, or is it dependent on market conditions and luck?
Great leaders decide how their agency operates on purpose. They don’t wait for small problems to turn into big crises. Because every leader eventually learns this truth: A problem left unattended will resurface, usually at the worst possible time.
Clarity creates culture
Culture doesn’t happen by accident either. It’s created through clarity, and clarity is always a leadership responsibility.
Your team wants to know where you’re going and how you’ll get there. Without clarity, people fill in the gaps themselves, and rarely in a way that helps the organization.
Hold regular State of the Agency meetings. Share your mission, vision, and values. Then repeat them. People don’t remember what they hear once. Define your agency’s identity. Who are you? What do you stand for? What behaviors are non-negotiable? Tie clarity directly to accountability by measuring what matters. Track Green Zone time. Monitor stewardship touches. Celebrate wins and coach misses consistently.
Ego vs. excellence
The best leaders I know have one thing in common: they’ve learned to swallow their ego. They recognize their blind spots and actively seek feedback. Coachable leaders ask, “What am I missing?” instead of defending what they already believe.
I’ve been in plenty of coaching conversations where feedback stung. In those moments, you get to choose between ego and excellence. Agencies that choose excellence raise their lid, attract better talent, and grow with far less stress.
Three leadership non-negotiables
After decades of coaching, I have come to believe that every agency leader must commit to three non-negotiables.
- First, up-level your team. Your job is to maximize the people around you. Invest in high-potential talent, reposition underperformers, and have the courage to make tough decisions when necessary.
- Second, up-level your mentors. No great leader succeeds alone. Surround yourself with people who have already been where you want to go and are willing to challenge your thinking.
- Third, up-level your thinking. Shift from scarcity to abundance. Replace “Can we?” with “How can we?” Schedule thinking time and step out of the day-to-day so you can lead instead of just manage.
Multiplying and making it real
Leadership multiplies. Average agencies build followers. Great agencies build leaders. When you invest in emerging talent, give people stretch assignments, and coach consistently, growth becomes more predictable and far less exhausting.
Start small. Rate your leadership today. Schedule an alignment conversation with your leadership team. Plan your next State of the Agency meeting.
Growth is optional. You can coast on “okay” for a long time. But leadership is not. Agencies that thrive have leaders who own it, commit to it, and practice it every day. Your agency’s future depends on it.
Ready to up-level your team, mentors, and thinking? Our Sitkins Network membership delivers the playbooks, sales and service training, leadership masterminds, and peer accountability to make it happen. Book a 15-minute call to learn how membership helps agencies level up.
The author
Brent Kelly is President of Sitkins Group, Inc., and a coach and speaker who has a passion for helping agencies maximize their performance. Reach him at brent@sitkins.com or visit www.sitkins.com
