How To Go From being A “Good Enough” Manager To being An Unstoppable Leader

Three power moves to try

If you’re not recognizing
your team consistently and specifically,
you’re leaving wins on the table.

By Carolyn Smith, APR, TRA

Are you just a “good” manager—or are you ready to lead? Most agency managers are good, but let’s be real: “Good” doesn’t cut it when your team’s potential is on the line. If you want to inspire, motivate, and drive real results, it’s time to level up and take the reins as a true leader.

Leadership isn’t about barking orders or micromanaging. It’s about creating an environment where your team thrives. And guess what? That starts with you.

If you’re running an insurance and risk management firm or leading the business development and sales effort at your agency, it’s about creating a culture of proactive growth and client engagement. Let’s dive into three power moves to go from good to unstoppable.

Power move 1: Stop talking. Start listening.

Many managers can’t help themselves—they love the sound of their own voice. They think being a leader means having all the answers. But instead, leadership isn’t about talking—it’s about knowing when to be quiet and let your team take the mic.

This is where you need to break free from the producer mindset. Sure, it’s easy to focus on sales, numbers, and flexing your expertise, but that’s not leadership. Leadership is about empowering your team to bring their ideas to the table.

Or, as Clay Ford, partner at EM Ford, said, “Leaders aren’t producers. Their clients are their employees. Our job as leaders is to plant seeds and water, have conversations, and most of all, listen.”

The next time someone speaks, don’t just listen to reply—listen to understand. Tune into what they’re really saying, not just the words but the meaning behind them. Ask yourself:

• “What’s the root problem here?”
• “What’s the opportunity hiding in this conversation?”

Or try starting your next team meeting with these simple, game-changing questions:

• “What’s working well, and how can we double down on it?”
• “What’s one thing we need to stop doing immediately?”
• “If you were running this agency, what would you change today?”

Then, here’s the hard part—stay quiet. Let the silence do the heavy lifting. The insights that come out will blow you away.

But it doesn’t stop there. Once you’ve listened, prove that their input isn’t just heard—it’s valued. That means taking their ideas and putting them into action. Did someone suggest a new way to handle renewals? Test it. Did someone point out a client pain point? Build a process to solve it. When your team sees their ideas being implemented, they’ll step up like never before.

Power move 2: Clarity crushes confusion

Martin, a newly hired manager for a large firm, has no clue about the producer-underwriter dynamic and offers all the “clear direction” of a foggy day. During just his third meeting with producers, he publicly announced that Jesse, a solid producer for four years, was being reassigned as a risk manager because he was “too slow and thorough” on submissions. Then, he yanked Beth’s book, handed it to a new hire, and shoved her into a new territory. The result? Both Jesse and Beth left the firm—all because of leadership confusion and poor decisions.

Confusion is the silent killer of productivity, and it shows up when priorities change daily, roles are fuzzy, and your team has no clue what success looks like.

People don’t follow uncertainty—they follow confidence, which starts with clarity. Your team can’t operate with confidence if they don’t understand their priorities or your expectations.

You’ve got to make sure every single person on your team knows exactly what winning looks like. It’s more than setting goals—it’s about stripping away all ambiguity and creating a crystal-clear roadmap for success. Don’t just tell them where you’re going—show them the exact steps to get there, what their role is, and how they fit into the big picture.

Clarity without accountability is useless. It’s one thing to set clear priorities, but it’s a whole other ballgame to make sure they’re executed consistently. Your job as a leader isn’t just to define the path—it’s to hold your team accountable for walking it.

But don’t get it twisted: Accountability isn’t about barking orders or acting like a drill sergeant. It’s about creating a culture where your team wants to hit their goals because they understand their purpose. When they see how their efforts contribute to the agency’s success, they’ll own their part in the mission.

And here’s one of the most overlooked secrets: Repetition is key. It’s not enough to share your goals in one big meeting and call it a day. Your team needs to hear those priorities over and over until they can recite them in their sleep. Embed those goals into your agency’s DNA. Talk about them in meetings, put them in emails, slap them on the walls—whatever it takes to keep them front and center.

Action steps—the ultimate clarity playbook:

1. Write it down. Define your agency’s top three priorities for the next 90 days. No more, no less.
2. Break it down. Translate each priority into daily and weekly action steps. Assign clear ownership for every metric.
3. Reinforce the message. Communicate priorities every week. Use team meetings, emails, and visual reminders to keep them fresh.
4. Measure progress. Track results weekly, adjust if necessary, and celebrate wins along the way to keep motivation high.

Power move 3: Show them the mirror

Most managers think recognition is a pat on the back during an annual performance review or handing out some awkward plaque at the employee party. Wrong. That’s not recognition—it’s an afterthought. Real recognition isn’t a once-a-year thing. It’s the best way to keep your team fired up, engaged, and hungry to win every single day.