NAILBA Perspectives - April 2016 - (Page 28)

XXX nailba's agency successor networking group Keep the Change A Have you been identified as the next sitting principal of your agency? The ASNG Planning Committee 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 Annette Suriani, CMP, NAILBA's Manager of Meetings and Education, at 703.383.3069 or asuriani@nailba.org for more information on the Agency Successor Networking Group. 28 perspectives APRIL 2016 s the new year begins, the members of NAILBA's Agency Successor Networking Group look forward to embracing a few changes within the group as well as within their own agencies as they look toward taking the reins. One of the passions the members of this group share is the desire to better themselves as leaders within their agency. Changing roles, and truly mind-set as well, from that of employee to owner comes with its own challenges especially in the type of duties one is expected to perform. There is more to running a business than simply bringing in new business and contracts. There is an office, or sometimes even a building, to maintain; there are employees to hire, retain, and train; there are budgets that need to be created and adhered to, to ensure the agency stays successful; as well as many other very valid concerns. Several of the ASNG discussion topics planned for the first half of the year focus on developing such skills. Making sure you have the right candidate for the right position within your company can be nerve-racking. But matching up the job with the right description can help alleviate some of the anxiety. What are some of the best practices when creating a job description? And how do you take that description and begin to match it up with the best candidate to fill the position? It might seem like you're overthinking it, but when you don't take the time to properly consider the process in its entirety, the results can mean a revolving door through your HR department. Once you have the necessary players, a good leader knows it's not enough to simply provide employees with a meaningful title, duties, and a paycheck. In order to main- tain a cohesive staff it's important to invest in those individuals and provide them with the right tools to help them continue to grow. How will you keep that momentum going? What measurements do you have in place to allow them to build their skills and experience and help them move up the organizational ladder? Having a system in place that allows you to grow and measure your staff is a practice that ends up being invaluable. Keeping your key staff motivated and happy goes hand-in-hand with their level of commitment to your business. Along with helping managers build their experience and skills, continuing to inspire those who work in the sales department is crucial as well. Managing the various ways that the team is compensated has a huge impact on the liveliness of the business. Compensation isn't only about what is provided financially-there are a host of other perks that can be implemented to keep the sales staff inspired to bring in more business. The ASNG shares "out of the box" ideas once or twice a year as they are well aware that keeping these types of incentives fresh helps to provide a more encouraging atmosphere to yield results. It's a topic that they look forward to revisiting again in the coming months. To continue making sure things stay fresh and current in their own agencies, the ASNG Planning Committee agreed that in the interest of acknowledging members' growing responsibilities it would be wise to reduce the number of monthly calls. The ASNG has traditionally held one teleconference a month. Calls will move to a schedule of every-othermonth this year to afford the group a bit more time to put strategies from teleconferences to work in their own businesses. While there are fewer calls scheduled, in the interest of still providing a good deal of content, the length of the teleconferences will be expanded by ten to fifteen minutes. This allows for more in-depth conversation with invited speakers, which in turn provides a richer experience for participants.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NAILBA Perspectives - April 2016

NAILBA Perspectives - April 2016
Contents
Chairman’s Corner
CEO Insights
Can You Tell If Your Agency is a Success? Measuring Your Results
NAILBA Charitable Foundation
Life Happens
Member Profile
Agency Successor Networking Group
Calendar of Events

NAILBA Perspectives - April 2016