The Role of Accountability in Insurance Agency Management
ACCOUNTABILITY – wow, what a word! It will change the way we see insurance agency management. Some take it very seriously, and others do not. It is a must in an insurance agency and, in reality, in life. We see what happens when people aren’t held accountable and don’t have consequences for their actions. You see it every day.
When an agency is run with processes and procedures for everyone to follow, and someone doesn’t follow them, what do you do? Are we enabling bad behavior by not correcting it? What message are we sending when we allow someone to do something (or not do something) that no one else can or is allowed to do? Accountability is a key factor in achieving excellence within insurance agencies.
Check Out a Throwback: IGNORING BAD BEHAVIOR IS NOT A PLAN
In my first agency job as a new insurance agent, I was held accountable. I can honestly say that, at the time, it was frustrating. It felt like we were micromanaged; however, hindsight is 20/20. Today, I am grateful for being held accountable; it made me a better person and a better agent. I was able and more capable of achieving excellence because I had a boss who felt accountability was important for insurance agency management.
I don’t fully agree with the tactics he used to hold people accountable or his ethics regarding incentives, especially since many promises were not kept. However, I still believe that accountability was a major factor in shaping who I am today as a person and as an insurance agent.
Recently, we at APP have changed our processes. We’ve updated our programs to ensure leaders are accountable not just to their staff but also to the APP Program, helping to guide and support them in the accountability process.
Want to know more? You can book a meeting with our team:
So, how do we do it? How do we hold staff accountable? What are the pros and cons? Scroll down to find a quick guide that will help you think through your processes and incorporate accountability in your agency.
If you are not a leader, it is okay, this blog will help you start thinking and acting more like a leader and help you build a future in leadership in any role you choose to have.
Main Points for How Accountability Helps With Achieving Excellence in an Insurance Agency and Insurance Agency Management:
- What is accountability? Keeping insurance agency staff accountable involves ensuring that employees are responsible for their actions, decisions, and performance.
- Impact accountability has on insurance agency management.
How To Achieve Excellence Pros and Cons:
| Pros | Cons |
| Consistent agency processes | Everyone doing it “their way” |
| Successful staff that are held accountable to processes, procedures, and rules and are clear on expectations | Staff that are unsure how to do things and “wing it”, they don’t know when they are doing things correctly |
| Goal-oriented | No real direction in work/life |
| Customers receive the same service regardless of the person helping them | Customers get different levels of service depending on who they speak to |
| Better environment for staff to flourish and enjoy what they do | Leaders and managers using accountability to threaten staff |
Accountability Drives Productivity, Efficiency, and Goal Achievement
- Who should be holding staff accountable? Owner, leadership, managers, each other in some cases.
Accountability and Culture for Achieving Excellence
- Accountability becomes part of your culture
- Everyone knows what is expected of them
- Staff know what is expected and are happier and Achieving Excellence
When you have a culture of accountability, staff roles and responsibilities become clearer. This reduces confusion. When people know their roles and are held accountable, it leads to less stress and less drama in agencies.
Agencies often experience drama, so how do we reduce it? One answer is accountability! It is also very easy to transition a new staff member into the mix because everyone stays in their lane and does their job. Since everyone follows the same processes and procedures, new staff members can adapt and learn quickly.
Tools for Ensuring Accountability for Achieving Excellence
- Clear written processes and procedures
- Management systems and tech tools to show metrics (vs. feelings)
- Performance reviews
- Goal settings – agency (team), professional (individual), personal (individual)
Make sure you provide the tools for accountability. Clear WRITTEN processes and procedures help with insurance agency management. Use tools in your management system and other technology tools to sustain, promote, and guide staff through those processes and procedures. Conduct yearly performance reviews to help staff reflect on their accountability to their role and job description.
Goal setting is also key. If you provide training and set professional goals, it helps staff see success at work, motivates them to strive for more in their personal lives, and can even improve work-life balance.
Challenges With Accountability
- Staff testing system
- Favoritism
- Seasoned staff not agreeing with agency processes and procedures
You have to have the consequences of how you will hold someone accountable written down in advance. You must follow those steps for EVERYONE.
Examples Are:
- Verbal warning
- Written warning/accountability plan/performance review
- Dismissal
You must not be lenient or give staff too much leeway; take accountability seriously. You cannot show favoritism toward any staff, family, friends, or others. All staff members should be treated equally.
Sometimes an agency makes changes, and seasoned staff don’t agree. Leaders must realize that paying employees is for doing their jobs, not for agreeing. They must try the new process for a month or more (depending on your agency) and if they can’t adapt, it may be time for a different role or dismissal. Most agency owners get nervous about this.
Today, the hiring game is different. Keep great staff who work hard, and consider virtual staff (locally in the U.S.) or virtual assistants (abroad). Not all staff need licenses or need to be in an office. There are so many VA services out there where they train them just on insurance, so they come pre-trained. Start thinking outside the box!
Accountability in Team Building
- Clear expectations
- Everyone striving for the same goal
- Success as an agency/team
Build a great team. Accountability will help with that. When you have clear expectations, everyone is on the same page and they work better together. Everyone stays in their lane and abides by their job description.
Clear Expectations=Same Goal-Oriented Staff=Success=Achieving Excellence.
Throwback: INSURANCE AGENCIES SUCK AT ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability is important for Achieving Excellence. Be proactive about accountability and setting everyone up for success. Go right now and check your processes and procedures. Check out our 10 Agency Processes Course if you need help to build or update processes. It will walk you step-by-step through those processes and how to implement them.
Feel Free To Let Us Know How We Can Help!
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