key time management and strategic planning factors for ......why walking your talk is so critical...

Key Time Management and Strategic Planning Factors for

Management Teams and Agency Principals

Sponsored By:

Key Time Management

and Strategic Planning

Factors for

Management Teams and

Agency Principals

Copyright 2017 Innovative Management

Solutions, LLC

Christine M. Sullivan, CIC

Innovative Management Solutions, LLC

[email protected]

(978) 808-0797

mailto:[email protected]

Christine M. Sullivan, CIC

➢ Certified Insurance Counselor

➢ Full licensed Broker in all lines of insurance

➢ 27 years experience in Insurance Agency Operations Management

➢ 32 years experience in the insurance industry

➢ Operational Manager of three different insurance agencies

➢ Other areas of expertise: Training programs for New producers, new managers and account managers, leadership development, time management, process and procedure development, E&O management, Personal and Commercial Lines department restructures, Agency management software migrations, Five Star designation certification experience, development of Client Relationship/Internal Sales and Claim Management programs.

➢ I have been you….


Solutions, LLC

Key Priority Initiatives


Solutions, LLC

• Better Balance in Life

and in Business

• Importance of Strategizing and

Strategically Planning Your Agency’s

Renewal Plan

• Finding Time for Team and Their

Big Picture Items

• Mastering the Art of Winning

Today…Every Day

What is Burnout?

Learn BEFORE It is too late!Two important definitions of burnout are:

"A state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by long term involvement in emotionally demanding situations." – Ayala Pines and Elliot Aronson.

"A state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a cause, way of life, or relationship that failed to produce the expected reward." – Herbert J. Freudenberger.


Solutions, LLC

Key Symptoms of Burnout ?

Identify these in YOU and YOUR Team Overall attitude is negative and critical

Dreading going into work, and wanting to leave once you're there.

Having low energy, and little interest at work.

Having trouble sleeping.

Being absent from work a lot.

Having feelings of emptiness.

Experiencing physical complaints such as headaches, illness, or backache.

Being irritated easily by team members or clients.

Having thoughts that your work doesn't have meaning or make a difference.

Pulling away emotionally from your colleagues or clients.

Feeling that your work and contribution goes unrecognized.

Blaming others for your mistakes.

Thinking of quitting work, or changing roles.Copyright 2017 Innovative Management

Solutions, LLC

Key Stress Factors In Service Teams

No blocks of time to catch up

No time with Management to address “my needs” aka one on one meetings

AM I appreciated? How so?

Performance review? Not in years ..

“I want a mentor” to help me …

Not enough time for classes

“THEY “ put me under fire always! Do you?

6Innovative Management Solutions, LLC © 2017

Why Walking Your Talk is So Critical

Walking your talk demonstrates your dedication and buy-in to the changes and evolution of the agency. It also builds trust and leadership in your company. ◦ If you make a change or decision follow it yourself,

until you decide to change it.

◦ Do what you say you are going to do; don’t make a promise you can’t keep. This diminishes the trust!

◦ Act as if you are PART of the team, not always ahead of it.

◦ Help people achieve the goals that are important to them, as well as the goals that are important to you and the company.


Top 10 Leadership SkillsLeading by Example

Communication

Motivation

Delegation

Positivity

Trust

Creativity

Feedback

Responsibility

Commitment

Flexibility


•

Better Balance in Life

and in Business


Solutions, LLC

• The “Balancing Act”!

• Who is first?

• Who Should be?

• Who knows?

• Who, What, Where, When and

HOW????

• Operations of the Business

• Agency Clients

• Agency Team

• Family

• Friends

•

Better Balance in Life

and in Business


Solutions, LLC

• What is your role this week?

• Reality is that your role

professionally and personally should

alter/alternate every week

depending upon how many hats you

are currently wearing.

• What are the challenges of the

week?

• Family

• Operations

• Sales

• Management

Effective Principals of

Time Management➢It’s all about BALANCE…

➢The decisions YOU make and the choices YOU make.

➢YOU determine your own success as a person, professional, parent, leader of your team, etc.

➢Self-reflection at the end of each day, how did you do today?

➢YOU need to be strict with yourself and with allowing others to negatively influence or pull you away from your focus and priorities of your day or week.

➢It’s YOUR life…


Solutions, LLC

Use it…or Lose it!➢ Time is a NON-RENEWABLE,

NON-RECYLABLE resource.

➢ You choose where you spend your

time & how much time you give to

things.

➢ If you do not have time, it is because

you don’t make it available for what

you need it for.


Solutions, LLC

Time is not unlimited

If you waste time, you have to make more time by working more effectively and efficiently.

How to free up time:

◦ By delegating to others.

◦ Spending money outsourcing key tasks.

◦ Using technology to automate as much as possible.

◦ Compartmentalize to accomplish more.

◦ Stay focused.


Solutions, LLC

Key Time Wasters

Key Time Wasters

◦ Switch – Tasking

◦ Working on the wrong things at the wrong times – not knowing the priority

◦ Too many people involved in the same process

◦ Spending time looking for files, mail, etc.

◦ Co-workers/Management trying to figure out YOUR System in your absence.

◦ What else?

◦ Testing our abilities to switch task…Exercise-share this with your team – eye opening!


Solutions, LLC

Myth of Multi-tasking Many people believe that:◦ “multitasking” actually helps them get more done

since they are doing two or more things at the same time.

◦ I hear people all the time brag about how good they are at multitasking.

◦ Multi-tasking is NOT combining an activity that just involves mindless tasks, like walking while talking on the phone.

◦ I am talking about combining two tasks that both require you to use your brainpower.

Most experts claim that multitasking reduces—not improves—efficiency.


Solutions, LLC

Myth of Multi-tasking

Studies have shown that:

◦ it takes five minutes to get back on track

after a 30-second interruption.

◦ It’s called Recovery Time, the time it takes

to get back to the mental state you were in

before you were interrupted.

◦ This Recovery Time is usually 10 to 20

times the length of the interruption.

◦ So avoiding these interruptions is key.


Solutions, LLC

Identifying your Big Rocks

Big Rocks Story

Moral: Your big rocks need to be planned…

◦ Identify and know what your big rocks are each week.

◦ Schedule them into your calendar FIRST.

◦ Otherwise, the other things will consume your day and you will not have any time left for the BIG ROCKS in your life.

◦ You can’t make time, it is not unlimited


Solutions, LLC

Setting Your Roles and Goals

Each Week • 2 roles each week – one personal and one

professional.

• Your roles change weekly - what is important to you this week.

• Ex: Principal/Client Services/Producer/ Spouse/Mentor/ Parent/Friend

Roles

• Set your goals in life to prepare for a less stressful life

• Creates life balance

• Set at least 2-3 goals each week that are aligned with your roles.

Goals

• How much time in each role is realistic?

• Divide your day into quadrants of time.

• Coordinate these with team members and roles

• Hold yourself accountable by charging yourself by the hour – your time = lots of money!

Time Management Percentages


Solutions, LLC

Key Components to

Your Weekly Strategic Planning … Choose a planning system that works for you.

Identify your Big Rocks.

Daily Prioritization and the Red Priority folder.

Effective Delegation – Don’t delegate YOUR FIRES!

Compartmentalization and Scheduling of Blocks of Time.

Form habits and make the “To DO List” extinct in your workday.

“Eat a Frog”… every single day! (do one less appealing task first).

"Once you begin to apply [it], you will wonder how you ever managed without it."


Solutions, LLC


Solutions, LLC

Organizing Your TO DO List

Organize it by :

◦ Have to do – MUSTS

◦ Should do – be careful because these become must do’s

◦ Nice to do – perhaps list

◦ Delegate – to family/co-worker

◦ Eliminate – stuff to free up time, aka time wasters

◦ Stay on track

◦ WHO is holding YOU accountable?


Solutions, LLC

The “Not to Do List”

Make the to do list extinct in your life.

◦ Scheduling time enables you to form habits and create a new lifestyle.

Takes repeating something 7-9 times to begin forming a habit.

21-28 times to make the habit a lifestyle.

◦ Organize your to do list.

◦ Take your to do list and schedule the high. priority activities and essential maintenance tasks.

◦ Block prep time for large projects.

◦ The time left is for the reactive, daily items.


Solutions, LLC

Important Things To Schedule

Production recording and expenses

Large projects and prep time for them

Your strategic planning time

Leadership Study and Continuing Education

To do list items

Staff One on Ones

Employee Evaluations

Reflection time

Family time

Down time

Sharpen the saw…..

running


Solutions, LLC

Red Priority Folder➢ GREAT tool for Management and your Team

➢ Great visual – avoid ‘out of sight, out of mind’ urgencies.

➢ Allows you to gain piece of mind when you have a sudden need to be out of the office.

➢ Management can jump in and redistribute if needed.

➢ Rules for the RED folder:

➢ Only place high priority items to be completed within the same business day in the folder.

➢ You must commit to that. You can’t leave the office until it has been emptied.

➢ Alternate the work in the folder with your daily work. Allows you to accomplish both priority and daily work throughout the day.


Solutions, LLC

Your Agency’s Renewal Plan


Solutions, LLC

• What is it?

• When do you

strategically plan for it?

• Do you have one?

• Should you have one?

• What are the key

components?

• Who needs to know?

Importance of Strategizing Your

Agency’s Renewal Plan


Solutions, LLC

• Budget – Completed by 10/31

• Business Plan by 10/31

• Agency Goals

• Service Standards and

Guidelines

• Carrier Commitments

• Current Employee - all completed

by 12/31

• Performance Reviews

• Continuing Education and

Leadership Focus – plan for the

next 6 months

Stay RIGHT HERE

For More About:

Essential Tips & Tricks for

Account Managers

10:15 -11:15

Avoiding Insurance Industry

Burnout! You’re worth it!

11:30-12:30Copyright 2017 Innovative Management

Solutions, LLC

key time management and strategic planning factors for ......why walking your talk is so critical...

Documents