During this bonus episode of Agency Nation radio, Brock Elliott, national Young Agents Committee (YAC) chair and producer at Elliott Insurance Group, and Lisa Lemanski, operations manager at Meiers Lombardini Lemanski Insurance, discuss how to maintain a positive culture during the hard market with Avery Moore, owner of ECI Insurance and member of the national YAC.  

Lemanski shares some of the strategies she’s implemented including role-playing conversations when a rate increase is discussed and gamifying training. Meanwhile, Elliott reintroduced “smoke breaks” in his office. None of his staff are tobacco users, but the concept of stepping away from your desk for 15 minutes to take a break has been widely popular across multiple branch locations. 

Moore, when talking about leading through the hard market, said, “When you’re knee-deep in alligators, it’s hard to remember that you came to drain the swamp.”  

Elliott, Lemanski and Moore agree that the most important part of leading a team is making sure everyone feels valued and is recognized for their contribution. This might mean allowing late starts, hybrid working, or buying gift cards to celebrate work anniversaries.  

This session provides multiple strategies on how to increase morale within your agency and how it will impact your culture. However, culture is not something that will change overnight. “We’re turning a cruise ship, not a canoe, and that takes time,” Elliott said. 

The Young Agents recommend the Trusted Choice Hard Market Toolkit as a valuable resource that can help with some of the nuances during a hard market. 

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