Register now: Be part of the Girls in Insurance coverage summit in Atlanta
“I began within the insurance coverage business within the late 80s in New York Metropolis,” mentioned High quality, who was born and raised in Atlanta. “I left the primary time to develop into a mother and to lift my children, then re-entered the business in 2004, mainly restarting my profession over.
“I left once more in 2017 to pursue an entrepreneurial alternative, flipping homes for about 4 years. However the market modified, so I got here again to the insurance coverage business.”
High quality, now senior director of casualty underwriting & healthcare danger options at Markel Specialty, mentioned she’s in a position to leverage negotiation, battle administration, and communication abilities she picked up throughout her profession breaks in her present position.
The insurance coverage government is ready to share her experiences with fellow insurance coverage leaders as a panel speaker on the Girls in Insurance coverage Atlanta summit in March.
“After I was a single mother elevating three children, negotiation was a relentless. And in case you’ve raised youngsters, you recognize there’s plenty of battle,” High quality informed Insurance coverage Enterprise. “So, a key talent I realized was getting snug with battle, studying to handle uncomfortable emotions, and are available out the opposite facet with a win-win scenario for your self and others.”
As an entrepreneur, High quality additionally honed her gross sales and negotiation techniques, abilities she now considers very important in the “relationship enterprise” that’s insurance coverage. “As a result of we’re in such a dynamic market, you’re continually concerned in a negotiation or a gross sales kind of position, each internally and externally,” she defined.
How can girls improve their abilities within the insurance coverage office?
“Laborious” abilities are nonetheless a key of any profitable insurance coverage profession, High quality famous. However girls can constantly improve their technical skills by taking lessons and remaining open to studying alternatives.
Mentorship can be key to abilities improvement – and one thing High quality is enthusiastic about. She mentioned girls shouldn’t be afraid to hunt out skilled relationships to assist them develop and advance their careers.
“I wish to see younger girls have alternatives on this enterprise,” High quality mentioned. “I feel girls ought to simply put themselves on the market and be approachable in the event that they wish to be a mentor. And in case you’re searching for somebody to be your mentor, then you definately simply have to mainly ask them.”
Analysis has proven the tangible affect of significant mentorship for each side of the connection. One examine by Solar Microsystems tracked the profession progress of round 1,000 workers over a five-year interval and located that each mentors and mentees had been 20% extra prone to obtain a elevate than their cohorts who didn’t take part in mentorship applications. People who benefited from a mentor had been additionally promoted 5 instances greater than those that didn’t, whereas mentors had been six instances extra prone to be promoted.
Girls mentoring girls is a key element, however good mentorship crosses gender, race and sophistication boundaries. “I don’t assume you essentially must discover a lady to be your mentor,” High quality added. “I’ve had nice male mentors in my profession who’ve been useful to me. Mentors can be somebody from a special technology and race.”
Lastly, if girls needed to be taught only one talent to assist them get forward of their insurance coverage careers, High quality mentioned it must be dealing with battle.
“What has helped me after I returned to insurance coverage after I left to develop into a mother and an entrepreneur was getting snug being uncomfortable,” the chief shared. “Truthfully, I feel girls wrestle with battle conversations. However there’s well being battle you should utilize to advocate for your self and push your profession ahead.”
Be part of us for a day of celebrating the achievements and resilience of ladies in insurance coverage on the Girls in Insurance coverage Atlanta summit. The dwell occasion will likely be held on the Sheraton Atlanta Resort on March 2, 2023.
