NAILBA Perspectives - September/October 2015 - (Page 20)

XXX nailba's agency successor networking group Mentoring the Next Generation W Have you been identified as the next sitting principal of your agency? The ASNG Planning Team works diligently to reach out to others in the industry who have transition experience and are willing to share what they learned in the process. Contact Rachel Marineau, NAILBA's Manager of Meetings and Education, at 703.383.3069 or rmarineau@nailba.org for more information on the Agency Successor Networking Group. here do you turn when you are faced with a tough business decision? Trusted published sources and authors can be helpful, but they offer general wisdom and do not always understand your unique situation and/or company. Talking with peers who are wading through the same process can be beneficial but there is the possibility that you are both missing a potential pothole that could halt progress, or there could be another option neither of you have envisioned. The input of a trusted mentor can be invaluable in situations such as these. A mentor is a peer who has a bit more experience and can provide a helpful perspective as well as their own expertise on matters. They may approach problems from a different angle, forcing you to think outside the box and arrive at a completely different outcome altogether, which may be more impactful. As the next owner of your agency there will be many different facets of owning and running a business that will be new and foreign to you. Procedures related to human resources, being the owner or lessee of the space your office occupies, keeping the books, and other accounting matters, to name just a few. A mentor has likely been through the same scenario you're finding yourself in and can coach you through the process. Often times even if they have not encountered the same issue they can go to their own peers and glean advice and best practices through them. Sometimes an ethical issue arises where there is a lot of gray area. Having a trusted advisor who can talk through the pros and cons of different cours- 20 perspectives SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 es of action is what is needed to arrive at the best decision. One of the tasks identified in NAILBA's 2015-2017 Strategic Plan is the creation of a mentoring program within the Agency Successor Networking Group (ASNG). The ASNG Steering Committee will be reaching out to its members to identify their specific needs. This will allow the pairing of members with others in the industry who have been previously identified as mentors. Mentors and ASNG members alike will be encouraged to reach out and connect on a frequent basis to discuss challenges, exchange advice, as well as troubleshoot and help develop solutions. If you have gone through your own succession within your agency and would be willing to serve as a mentor to an ASNG member, please contact Rachel Marineau, NAILBA's Manager of Meetings and Education, at 703.383.3069 or rmarineau@ nailba.org for more information. As a member of the ASNG, where would you like to delve more deeply and expand your knowledge base? What areas need to be explored more thoroughly? How can NAILBA provide more handson learning to help you improve your agency? NAILBA is actively encouraging the enrollment of new members to the ASNG. The goal of this networking group is to provide leadership, management, and skill training to ensure the success of these new agency leaders, while allowing them to build a network and support group of other new leaders to help them grow their agencies in the years to come. Would you benefit from becoming a contributing member of this group? Visit the NAILBA website for the application and details.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NAILBA Perspectives - September/October 2015

NAILBA Perspectives - September/October 2015
Contents
Chariman's Corner
CEO Insights
The Fine Art of Transition
NAILBA Charitable Foundation
Agency Successor Networking Group
Life Happens
Gearing up for NAILBA 34
NAILBA 34 Program Review
Calendar of Events
Index of Advertisers

NAILBA Perspectives - September/October 2015