Rising Stars: Building Tomorrow's Insurance Leaders with Amy Cooper

WEBVTT
00:00:10.490 --> 00:00:13.233
Hello everybody and welcome to Adjusted.
00:00:13.233 --> 00:00:23.464
I'm your host, Greg Hamlin, coming at you from beautiful Birmingham, Alabama, in Berkeley Industrial Comp, where the skies are not blue today, it's a little bit rainy.
00:00:23.464 --> 00:00:26.562
And then with me is my co-host for the day, Mike Martin.
00:00:26.562 --> 00:00:29.251
Mike, if you'd like to introduce yourself to everybody, yeah, how's it going?
00:00:29.271 --> 00:00:31.725
Mike Gilmartin, I am over at Key Risk in.
00:00:31.725 --> 00:00:33.911
Well now, high Point, north Carolina, not Greensboro.
00:00:33.911 --> 00:00:35.645
I always say Greensboro, we're right next to each other.
00:00:35.645 --> 00:00:37.090
Yeah, weather here is beautiful as well.
00:00:45.259 --> 00:00:47.145
Hopefully the pollen is stopping for you, greg, because it has been ridiculous up here.
00:00:47.145 --> 00:00:47.726
Yeah, it's pretty bad.
00:00:47.726 --> 00:00:49.231
My car's been like yellow every day from the pine, all the pine pollen.
00:00:49.231 --> 00:00:50.213
I bet you didn't buy a yellow car.
00:00:50.213 --> 00:00:51.576
I did not, so question Mike.
00:00:51.576 --> 00:00:54.063
Has the baseball season started in High Point?
00:00:54.323 --> 00:00:54.823
It did.
00:00:54.823 --> 00:00:58.752
Yeah, I think it started like April 4th maybe, okay.
00:00:58.752 --> 00:01:00.460
So yeah, it is off and kicking man.
00:01:00.460 --> 00:01:02.624
I've not been to a game, but they are playing.
00:01:02.624 --> 00:01:06.709
They're the rocking chairs, they're the high point rockers.
00:01:06.709 --> 00:01:07.772
So close, good enough.
00:01:08.012 --> 00:01:08.352
Okay.
00:01:08.352 --> 00:01:16.003
So yeah, for those who don't know, mike's office is pretty cool.
00:01:16.003 --> 00:01:17.409
It like overlooks the minor league baseball field there in high point.
00:01:17.409 --> 00:01:22.786
So I need to sometime make it out there when there's a game, because I've only ever come on the off season so they don't want to invite me for any fun, mike.
00:01:22.885 --> 00:01:24.989
You know, greg, you go where fun goes to die.
00:01:24.989 --> 00:01:28.075
That's your moniker.
00:01:28.075 --> 00:01:28.918
I guess I don't know, man.
00:01:28.918 --> 00:01:30.400
That should tell you something about yourself.
00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:31.644
You're still on claims Right.
00:01:31.804 --> 00:01:35.801
I know I'm a lifer Well super excited for this episode.
00:01:35.801 --> 00:01:49.771
We're going to talk today about building the future of insurance professionals and we have a special guest and friend of mine, Amy Cooper, who is the founder of RISE and also vice president of carrier practices at Gallagher Bassett.
00:01:49.771 --> 00:01:51.802
So, Amy, if you could say hello to everybody.
00:01:52.164 --> 00:01:54.930
Hey everyone and thank you so much, Greg, for having me on.
00:01:54.930 --> 00:01:56.884
It's awesome to be here today, Well.
00:01:56.903 --> 00:02:14.401
I'm glad to have you, amy and I've had the chance to meet up at different conferences over probably the last five or so years and I was thinking about RISE recently done some work to help out them from time to time on their trainings that they do and thought this would be a good opportunity to highlight everything you've been doing in the industry.
00:02:14.401 --> 00:02:25.551
So, amy, I know this was probably your dream to end up in the insurance industry when you were in elementary school, on career day, so tell me how you got into it.
00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:32.050
Well, like most people, it's by accident, but I am glad that I'm here.
00:02:32.050 --> 00:02:42.871
I was with a legal tech startup that had pivoted over into the insurance industry and I just remember showing up and seeing the opportunity and being really excited actually, because I kind of felt like I hit a ceiling in my career at that point.
00:02:42.871 --> 00:02:50.502
And then I showed up in insurance and really excited actually, because I kind of felt like I hit a ceiling in my career at that point and then I showed up in insurance and was like wow, look at all this opportunity.
00:02:50.502 --> 00:02:52.586
I am definitely going to build my career here.
00:02:52.586 --> 00:03:08.947
So it was by accident, but it was a happy accident and very happy that my CEO at the time had the foresight to want to move into the insurance industry because it worked out so great and I just kind of started networking and built my career here from there.
00:03:08.986 --> 00:03:13.786
So talking about Rise a little bit when did you decide that there were?
00:03:13.786 --> 00:03:16.251
How did you get inspired to start Rise?
00:03:16.251 --> 00:03:21.352
I know you've been in the insurance industry for a while, but what made you go that direction and how did you start that?
00:03:21.460 --> 00:03:22.724
It was almost right.
00:03:22.724 --> 00:03:31.539
After that pivot into insurance with my former company and we showed up together at a big insurance conference.
00:03:31.539 --> 00:03:42.266
My first one saw the opportunity, but also heard people talking about this talent gap that was coming in like five years or so and we're living that today.
00:03:42.266 --> 00:03:48.865
But they basically were talking about how there's a lack of young people in the industry.
00:03:48.865 --> 00:03:58.082
There was obviously a huge focus on it and so I started looking around for a young professionals group or where are, where is everybody?
00:03:58.082 --> 00:04:00.930
And try to figure that out and I couldn't find one.
00:04:01.250 --> 00:04:09.371
So I decided to start Rise and it took me maybe nine months or so to polish the idea and bounce it off a bunch of people before I finally pulled the trigger.
00:04:09.371 --> 00:04:14.977
But we just had our eight-year birthday at Rise so that was eight years ago.
00:04:14.977 --> 00:04:23.161
And then everyone that I talked with about the idea of Rise was very excited about what it could be and what it can mean for the industry.
00:04:23.161 --> 00:04:32.199
So I took a chance and invited my friends, built the first website, decided that we needed to recognize young professionals.
00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:39.067
So I launched the group by announcing the first Rise Awards and we were going to recognize rising stars in the industry.
00:04:39.067 --> 00:04:41.865
That's how it got started so much bigger.
00:04:41.865 --> 00:04:44.146
Today we have over 7,000 members.
00:04:44.146 --> 00:04:54.588
Now We've got 12 or 14 different countries that are represented in our membership, even though we're pretty heavy US still and growing and quickly growing, with four committees.
00:04:54.588 --> 00:05:04.791
We have an ambassador program, a huge mentorship program, our annual leadership summit, lots of education series and training and certificates, and it just keeps growing.
00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:06.362
That's exciting.
00:05:06.362 --> 00:05:09.437
I think had that been around when I was starting in insurance it would have been helpful.
00:05:09.437 --> 00:05:17.091
But for those who don't know, I mean, I know what RISE is, but for those who don't know, can you kind of walk through what it is, what its purpose is and why you?
00:05:17.151 --> 00:05:17.653
created it.
00:05:17.653 --> 00:05:25.853
Yeah, we are an insurance community that's dedicated to helping young and rising insurance professionals, so we focus on the early career.
00:05:25.853 --> 00:05:28.305
We also help attract students to the industry.
00:05:28.305 --> 00:05:38.661
But we're really meant to be this aggregator of resources and network to support people through their career in insurance and help keep them in insurance.
00:05:38.661 --> 00:05:44.721
So it's networking, it's educational resources, it's our mentorship program plays a huge piece of that.
00:05:44.721 --> 00:05:55.675
It's offering all of the human skill development side of the industry, where a lot of organizations are there to support you in your technical skills or what you actually need to do in your job.
00:05:55.675 --> 00:05:58.244
We focus on emotional intelligence.
00:05:58.244 --> 00:06:09.139
We focus on moving from peer to manager or supporting you through transitions of what you need to do to help make better decisions or how do you work on your public speaking skills, your presentation skills.
00:06:09.139 --> 00:06:18.889
So the other skill set that you need that's what RISE is for, plus the network, because you need to be in the right room to meet the right people to grow your career.
00:06:18.889 --> 00:06:21.101
So we're creating that room for people too.
00:06:21.642 --> 00:06:22.103
That's really cool.
00:06:22.103 --> 00:06:25.249
I wish this was around when Greg was younger because he would have done better in his career.
00:06:25.249 --> 00:06:27.351
Sorry, greg, but that's cool.
00:06:27.351 --> 00:06:27.533
Right.
00:06:27.533 --> 00:06:35.026
And I think we talk about insurance because we're all in insurance but, like, this applies to any industry and I don't want to broaden your business because it's really really good.
00:06:35.326 --> 00:06:52.129
I think the reason it hits home so much at least for me in insurance is a lot of people kind of stumble into insurance and I think that's less now because you see some of the majors and different things from colleges that offer insurance programs but frankly, some of those don't talk about claims, they don't talk about risk management, it's mainly underwriting.
00:06:52.129 --> 00:07:02.589
So I think this is a really cool ability for people to have like-minded people around them and to kind of challenge themselves and have a community, because I know when I started I was the youngest person on my team by far.
00:07:02.589 --> 00:07:12.446
We all came from different places and different areas and kind of I don't want to say making friends, but getting to know people and having those mentors is a tough thing to do and it's a tough thing for companies to do.
00:07:12.446 --> 00:07:13.605
I don't think all companies do it well.
00:07:13.605 --> 00:07:14.744
So this is a really cool program.
00:07:14.744 --> 00:07:15.466
I commend you on it.
00:07:15.788 --> 00:07:16.189
Thank you.
00:07:16.189 --> 00:07:24.110
It's even especially tough nowadays that a lot of jobs are remote or hybrid and you just lack the opportunity to organically meet people.
00:07:24.110 --> 00:07:26.954
So Rise is creating that space.
00:07:26.954 --> 00:07:34.526
Like you need to meet people, you need to get mentors, you need to find out about other things going on, so we're trying to fill that gap.
00:07:34.668 --> 00:07:40.399
Yeah, learning by osmosis, sitting in a cube next to somebody and hearing how they talk to people and what they do and how they interact in their conversations.
00:07:40.399 --> 00:07:45.346
A lot of that is missed this day and age and it's a shame because that's a big way that people learn.
00:07:45.346 --> 00:07:47.129
So, yeah, your point's very valid.
00:07:47.550 --> 00:07:50.254
So how do folks get involved?
00:07:50.254 --> 00:08:03.725
Amy in RISE, if they're listening to this episode and maybe they started at a different carrier, how would they get involved and what are some of the resources that they can get through your organization that will help them grow their career?
00:08:03.725 --> 00:08:06.471
I think you've touched on a few of those, but what are the next steps?
00:08:06.550 --> 00:08:06.711
Yeah.
00:08:06.711 --> 00:08:14.382
So if you want to join Rise, you go to riseprofessionalscom and you click join and it's free for you to join, which is amazing.
00:08:14.382 --> 00:08:22.011
So once you're there, you can click on online community, you can get into the community, you can chat with other people, you can check out what brands are going.
00:08:22.011 --> 00:08:26.903
There's different space groups for different interests.
00:08:26.903 --> 00:08:32.969
But then, in terms of like, really getting involved outside of just starting and getting in the community is joining the mentorship program.
00:08:32.969 --> 00:08:38.128
Applications are open every fall and spring the spring program is getting ready to end.
00:08:38.128 --> 00:08:40.027
The fall program will be open.
00:08:40.027 --> 00:08:41.865
Apply for the mentorship program.
00:08:41.865 --> 00:08:43.166
It's a great resource.
00:08:43.166 --> 00:08:46.168
It's only a three-month commitment.
00:08:46.168 --> 00:08:47.855
It's only six meetings.
00:08:47.855 --> 00:08:52.034
We pair you, we give you guided questions, you get training.
00:08:52.034 --> 00:08:53.019
You go through the program.
00:08:53.019 --> 00:09:01.836
A lot of people continue on after on their own, but it's just a great way to teach you how to start a mentorship relationship and if you're looking for one, you can get one.
00:09:02.429 --> 00:09:04.809
Then we've got tons of educational series.
00:09:04.809 --> 00:09:07.359
We've got Wisdom Wednesdays you can tune into.
00:09:07.359 --> 00:09:10.600
We've got oh, we also do a Mentorship Monday series.
00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:15.981
So even if you're not in the program, you can listen in on our guest speaker for that with the theme of mentorship.
00:09:15.981 --> 00:09:20.057
And then we've got webinars that are coming out all the time.
00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:22.410
You can apply to be part of a committee.
00:09:22.410 --> 00:09:26.621
We have innovation education, a student committee and a DEI committee.
00:09:26.621 --> 00:09:28.850
They all have their member run.
00:09:28.850 --> 00:09:32.695
They all have their own agendas and different cool things that they're putting out.
00:09:32.695 --> 00:09:35.677
You can also get involved in our ambassador program.
00:09:35.677 --> 00:09:37.719
You can show up at some of our networking events.
00:09:37.719 --> 00:09:39.620
We do pop-up events around the country.
00:09:39.620 --> 00:10:10.583
But really, if you're just getting started, or even if you've been part of RISE, the big annual leadership summit is coming up in June coming up in June and so I would highly recommend, if you have any way to get down to that it is in sunny Fort Lauderdale on the beach, but that would be the best way to dive in if you're looking to get started, because that's two solid days of leadership training, two different tracks to pick from, and you get all the networking and the in-person pool surprises that we have planned.
00:10:10.789 --> 00:10:11.456
That's great, amy.
00:10:11.456 --> 00:10:15.578
I feel like this is one of the areas that there's a huge gap, especially since COVID.
00:10:15.578 --> 00:10:18.578
I think you know we saw in COVID two things happen.
00:10:18.578 --> 00:10:30.610
One was we had a whole generation of people who were like I don't want to do this anymore, I'm just going to retire, and maybe they were hanging on, you know, but COVID kind of was like a reevaluation of their life priorities.
00:10:30.610 --> 00:10:34.354
But COVID kind of was like a reevaluation of their life priorities and so we saw a lot of people who had not retired suddenly retire.
00:10:34.354 --> 00:10:38.017
And then on top of that we saw all the remote work happening.
00:10:38.017 --> 00:10:47.904
At the same time, a lot of people closed offices that never reopened and so a lot of those organic opportunities to grow, like Mike was talking about, disappeared.
00:10:47.904 --> 00:10:57.509
Have you noticed from your perspective at GB, at Gallagher Bassett, have you?
00:10:57.529 --> 00:10:59.495
noticed some of the same issues as far as finding talent that Rise maybe can help support.
00:10:59.495 --> 00:11:09.240
I think everyone's kind of had that challenge in terms of the perception of the industry and like the awareness of what insurance is and what is the job that you know like.
00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:10.484
Where could I fit in?
00:11:10.484 --> 00:11:15.618
Even if you get somebody convinced on working in insurance, sometimes it's hard to figure out where to start.
00:11:15.618 --> 00:11:25.634
I think at GB they've done a good job with bringing back their trainee program, so that's a great feeder of okay, it's hard to find good talent but we can create our own.
00:11:25.634 --> 00:11:27.475
So they do a good job of that.
00:11:27.475 --> 00:11:32.351
So do a lot of other insurance carriers have brought back these trainee programs, which I love.
00:11:32.351 --> 00:11:34.277
I think most of them are pretty successful.
00:11:34.277 --> 00:11:37.754
There's rotational ones, there's apprenticeship programs coming back.
00:11:37.754 --> 00:11:40.480
I love Tokyo Marines program.
00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:45.898
There's a few different ones that are like pretty standout in our industry that I think have done a great job.
00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:50.794
I think RISE aims to be an aggregator of these resources that exist.
00:11:50.794 --> 00:12:07.635
So, yes, we want to help polish and train professionalism, but also we want to funnel professionals and rising stars into some of these opportunities that the industry is putting out and maybe help just amplify what programs are out there, what are the cool things being done?
00:12:07.635 --> 00:12:09.355
You know you're interested in underwriting.
00:12:09.355 --> 00:12:12.816
Okay cool, here's five programs that you can get involved with.
00:12:12.816 --> 00:12:16.331
And those are some of the resources that we're trying to post in our community.
00:12:16.331 --> 00:12:23.917
So if somebody is a student, I go to the student center and I go find out what are some of these entry-level programs I can get involved with.
00:12:23.917 --> 00:12:25.501
Or where's an internship list?
00:12:25.501 --> 00:12:31.884
We publish a list of the top 50 internships the elite 50 every year we put internships and jobs on our job board.
00:12:31.884 --> 00:12:41.160
So we're trying to be like this aggregator of resources and help anyone who's looking for stuff find out about the good stuff that's happening.
00:12:41.923 --> 00:12:54.884
Do you guys work with and just because I brought it up earlier, I don't know the answer to this question, so sorry if it's a loaded question Do you guys work with any of the universities that have like the risk management programs or the insurance programs, so like get kids who are interested in insurance but still not there yet?
00:12:54.884 --> 00:12:56.131
Is that an area you guys work with?
00:12:56.312 --> 00:12:57.616
We do so.
00:12:57.616 --> 00:13:06.701
We send out the elite 50, that top internships list, to a whole huge, long list of professors and universities and colleges we have relationships with.
00:13:06.701 --> 00:13:10.033
So we're constantly sending that to go out to their students.
00:13:10.033 --> 00:13:19.385
We also send out scholarship opportunities and so we've gotten to build some good relationships with different schools because they like to tell their students.
00:13:19.385 --> 00:13:28.642
I also have a good relationship with there's a professor over at St John's and he has his entire class join our mentorship program as part of their course.
00:13:28.642 --> 00:13:36.461
I mean so it's pretty cool to see the students because every year they're graduating and now they're in the workforce and now they need RISE.
00:13:36.461 --> 00:13:39.778
We are right there, basically at the base of the tree.
00:13:39.778 --> 00:13:43.793
For the rest of the growth of the industry, they're going to come in through school.
00:13:43.793 --> 00:13:45.096
They're going to start with RISE.
00:13:45.096 --> 00:13:49.172
We're going to help them grow and then we're going to show them all the different ways they can go.
00:13:49.331 --> 00:13:50.633
Oh, you're interested in SIU?
00:13:50.633 --> 00:13:54.596
Here, here's a scholarship to this conference that focuses on that.
00:13:54.596 --> 00:13:55.376
Go learn about it.
00:13:55.376 --> 00:13:57.119
Make connections, see if you're interested.
00:13:57.119 --> 00:13:58.700
Or you're interested in tech?
00:13:58.700 --> 00:14:00.942
Cool, here's a partnership with ITC.
00:14:00.942 --> 00:14:01.942
Here's a scholarship.
00:14:01.942 --> 00:14:02.823
Go find out.
00:14:02.823 --> 00:14:06.846
Go get excited about what's cool and new and exciting in insurance.
00:14:07.809 --> 00:14:08.392
No, that's really cool.
00:14:08.392 --> 00:14:09.534
I think you make a lot of really good points.
00:14:09.534 --> 00:14:13.597
Hiring talent is like the number one thing any company can do right, whether it's insurance or anybody else.
00:14:13.597 --> 00:14:18.780
Hiring the right people and finding the right talent is one of the hardest things you can do but beneficially you can do for your company.
00:14:18.780 --> 00:14:27.515
And I feel like in insurance historically we were so I don't want to say bad, but we, like you, hired someone for underwriting and that's all they.
00:14:27.515 --> 00:14:32.964
And it was like, frankly, out of college you learn more about what you don't like to do than what you do like to do in your first position.
00:14:33.203 --> 00:14:41.138
I've always said that to people that are interviewing is like go in and realize what you're good at, what you like, what your strengths are, what your weaknesses are, what you want to work on.
00:14:41.138 --> 00:15:03.951
And it's cool that there's something like Rise that can help them see different tracks within the industry, different avenues, different things to do, because I feel like too often it's like well, I hired you as a claims person, so you're a claims person, that's what you do, and I feel like that's detrimental to people and that's detrimental to continuing a career when you're either told that's all you can do or you're like this is where you are and I don't want to lose you to this group or this group.
00:15:03.951 --> 00:15:14.024
It's finding the right talent and putting people in the right seat to be successful, and so it sounds like you guys are doing a lot of that, which is pretty awesome, because I think, historically, we have not done a great job of that.
00:15:14.024 --> 00:15:15.385
Greg, I don't know if you agree.
00:15:16.166 --> 00:15:18.668
Yeah, I think people sort of find their way into the industry.
00:15:18.668 --> 00:15:27.072
Like Amy had said at the beginning, we all sort of accidentally ended up in insurance and I think that the industry could do a lot better job being intentional.
00:15:27.072 --> 00:15:37.231
A lot of companies could do a better job being intentional on just getting folks into the industry, helping recruit, helping give them opportunities to figure out where they really can shine.
00:15:37.231 --> 00:15:47.370
Amy, when you're looking at different companies out there, what would be some of the advice you would give them when they're looking to add the next generation of talent to the industry?
00:15:47.370 --> 00:15:50.976
What are some things they could do that would really help them find those people?
00:15:51.457 --> 00:16:07.956
along with connecting to Rise, so I think one of the biggest things and it applies to anyone is mission-driven storytelling like really getting behind why what we do matters, why this is a good industry, and then telling our story.
00:16:07.956 --> 00:16:11.806
So if you're a company and you've got your personal lines focused, talk about how it relates back to their life.
00:16:11.806 --> 00:16:22.450
And if you're a company and you've got your personal lines focused, talk about how it relates back to their life and how you're trying to make their life better, or their family's life better and easier, or how you're there to support them through different incidents.
00:16:22.450 --> 00:16:28.456
So figure out a way to tell that story and I think that we can get more people on board with the industry.
00:16:28.456 --> 00:16:35.777
I think leveraging whatever you're doing in tech as a cool way to attract talent is definitely important.
00:16:35.777 --> 00:16:46.280
I mean, ai is what everyone's talking about now, but if people are excited about that and your company is one of those like oh, we haven't upgraded anything since 1965, you're going to have a hard time.
00:16:46.280 --> 00:17:00.110
So figuring out how to leverage or give people the autonomy to make suggestions for innovation or let them use tools that are going to help them in their job and keep them moving quickly.
00:17:00.110 --> 00:17:08.757
I think companies that embrace that kind of innovation and forward thinking are definitely going to have a better time, flexibility and work schedules.
00:17:08.890 --> 00:17:12.150
Most of Gen Z for the most, most part actually want to be in person.
00:17:12.150 --> 00:17:25.296
As a generalization from what we've seen or what we hear, even like on the rise team, we get together once a week in person because people want to be together because of that whole learning through osmosis and having camaraderie.
00:17:25.296 --> 00:17:34.119
But being flexible and not forcing people like you must be here five days a week, you're going to not be able to attract the top people, because the top people want to be trusted.
00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:40.461
They want to be treated with respect and be able to create their life around what makes the most sense.
00:17:40.461 --> 00:17:42.789
Most of the future leaders.
00:17:42.789 --> 00:17:50.839
They're focused on I want to be impactful, so don't have me come to the office and sit on Zoom calls all day Now.
00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:53.530
I just have to have a more inconvenient day.
00:17:54.071 --> 00:17:57.680
If you're going to be in the office, make the interactions meaningful.
00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:03.585
Create team days or create reasons why people should be there so that we can collaborate.
00:18:03.585 --> 00:18:08.018
Like let's put time together so that we're actually talking and working together while we're in.
00:18:08.018 --> 00:18:09.402
There's a lot of things.
00:18:09.402 --> 00:18:13.438
And then, in terms of like partnering with Rise, we have corporate membership.
00:18:13.438 --> 00:18:16.791
Companies that partner with us partner with us for a lot of different reasons.
00:18:16.791 --> 00:18:22.471
It's for getting their brand in front of these rising stars and creating that visibility.
00:18:22.471 --> 00:18:30.080
They also partner with us for thought leadership, for creating opportunities, for developing their own staff and creating loyalty.
00:18:30.080 --> 00:18:34.354
I've got all of these employees that want growth and want opportunities.
00:18:34.354 --> 00:18:37.318
Well, what if my opportunities are only so limited?
00:18:37.318 --> 00:18:51.195
I can get them involved with Rise and I can give them the ability to grow, to learn leadership, invest in them without having to give them a promotion every six months to keep them interested and engaged and loyal.
00:18:52.060 --> 00:18:57.109
I think those are really good points, amy, and I think that's something that we could do.
00:18:57.109 --> 00:19:04.496
You point at something that's really easy to do, which is giving people opportunities to grow, and a lot of times we get caught on that.
00:19:04.496 --> 00:19:08.403
Well, it has to be a promotion which is giving people opportunities to grow, and a lot of times we get caught on that, well, it has to be a promotion.
00:19:08.403 --> 00:19:20.086
But there's so many ways to grow and learn different things, and some of the positions that I've been in throughout my career even some of the ones one time I was switched over to GL for a little bit during a reorg those were growth opportunities.
00:19:20.406 --> 00:19:26.325
And it probably wasn't my specialty right, but I learned a lot from that and it stretched me.
00:19:26.325 --> 00:19:30.282
So I think anything we can do to help stretch and grow our people is great.
00:19:30.282 --> 00:19:33.111
It really helps them find what they're good at and where their passion is.
00:19:33.111 --> 00:19:36.709
You had mentioned some about this leadership summit coming up in June.
00:19:36.709 --> 00:19:41.087
If you could talk a little bit about what's going to happen there and who is that for?
00:19:41.087 --> 00:19:43.560
What's the right person to go to that?
00:19:44.261 --> 00:19:49.895
So the Leadership Summit is June 16th through the 19th in Fort Lauderdale, florida.
00:19:49.895 --> 00:19:53.965
It is a two full days of leadership training.
00:19:53.965 --> 00:19:58.103
I think I mentioned before there's two different tracks, so who should be coming?
00:19:58.103 --> 00:20:00.990
We have one track made for, like, more entry level.
00:20:00.990 --> 00:20:13.528
So if you're less than 10 years in the industry, or you're just started, or you're focused more on your professional development personally, like my presentation skills or manage a team, you could be a director, an AVP, vp, whatever.
00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:28.721
We've got this management track.
00:20:28.721 --> 00:20:37.815
That's a higher level track that's made to focus for how you're leading your team through change management, through different pieces that are relational to someone managing a team.
00:20:37.815 --> 00:20:41.490
So it's not just for young professionals per se.
00:20:41.490 --> 00:20:43.422
There really is something for everyone.
00:20:43.422 --> 00:21:03.681
Because leadership you could be a leader without the title Like, leaders come in all shapes and sizes, but the conference is really meant to pull together the top rising leaders of our industry have happened.
00:21:03.681 --> 00:21:07.154
The companies that are sending folks like we have a lot of carriers and even brokers that are sending groups of like five or 10 of their employees.
00:21:07.154 --> 00:21:09.423
They're doing contests and sending their top people.
00:21:09.423 --> 00:21:14.885
So it's basically you want to be in the room with all the top people in the industry, all the rising leaders.
00:21:14.885 --> 00:21:16.269
That is the place to be.
00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:17.540
That's awesome.
00:21:17.540 --> 00:21:19.384
I feel like that's how we learn.
00:21:19.384 --> 00:21:24.595
At least for me, is a lot of the different people that I've had the chance to meet that I would have never known.
00:21:24.595 --> 00:21:26.778
I even think about this podcast.
00:21:26.778 --> 00:21:30.006
I've met so many cool people that have given me new ideas.
00:21:30.006 --> 00:21:43.741
Then we have the opportunity to try some of them out and see how they work for us, and I think when you are with a group like that of people who are talented and are young and come from different places, there's so much growth that can happen.
00:21:43.741 --> 00:21:45.606
So it sounds like a really cool opportunity.
00:21:45.606 --> 00:21:46.810
That makes a lot of sense.
00:21:47.859 --> 00:21:49.085
Oh, you guys are invited.
00:21:49.085 --> 00:21:49.708
You better be.
00:21:50.500 --> 00:21:51.663
Amy, I have a quick question for you.
00:21:51.663 --> 00:21:56.864
It's not on this list, but if you've been in the industry a long time, how do you come to be a mentor for Rise?
00:21:56.864 --> 00:21:58.365
You have a lot of mentees, I'm sure.
00:21:58.365 --> 00:22:00.368
But, like, how do you if someone's listening to this?
00:22:00.368 --> 00:22:01.910
Like man, I'd be interested in working with somebody.
00:22:01.910 --> 00:22:02.811
How do you become a mentor?
00:22:03.551 --> 00:22:13.382
You go online to riseprofessionalscom, go to mentorship at the top and the application will open again, I believe in July, for the fall program.
00:22:13.382 --> 00:22:16.609
We train our mentors, so you have to go through our mentor training.
00:22:16.609 --> 00:22:22.329
But if you're looking for a way to give back, that is a perfect thing to do is go apply to be a mentor.
00:22:22.329 --> 00:22:30.346
People continue to grow their careers, Like we've been around for eight years and, while it was slow taking off, you know people are getting promoted.
00:22:30.346 --> 00:22:33.877
They are now more senior as they are members of rise.
00:22:33.877 --> 00:22:35.403
Their roles with us change.
00:22:35.403 --> 00:22:45.492
So maybe you start off being a mentee but then you know it's been five years and now you want to give back and be a mentor and maybe you're mentoring someone who's brand new or a student.
00:22:45.492 --> 00:22:47.688
So there's a lot of ways to interact with us.
00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:49.586
I think, yeah, that's the perception.
00:22:49.586 --> 00:22:52.789
It's like, okay, well, Rise is only for young professionals.
00:22:52.789 --> 00:22:54.223
Well, we focus on that.
00:22:54.223 --> 00:23:09.092
But we need everyone involved and maybe your role with us is being a mentor, maybe your speaker, maybe you're one of our Wisdom Wednesday speakers, sharing lessons that you have from your career or just even skills, and giving back.
00:23:09.092 --> 00:23:09.633
In that way.
00:23:09.633 --> 00:23:13.428
It's going to take everyone to pull this industry forward.
00:23:13.428 --> 00:23:16.662
We together are shaping the next generation of leaders.
00:23:16.662 --> 00:23:17.845
It's not like Rise doing a.
00:23:17.845 --> 00:23:23.065
Rise is all of you, Everyone volunteering, giving back, making it happen.
00:23:23.425 --> 00:23:24.127
That's fantastic.
00:23:24.127 --> 00:23:24.809
That's very cool.
00:23:24.809 --> 00:23:32.539
Yeah, I would just encourage folks to take a look at what Rise has going on and look for how you could get involved.
00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:38.133
Amy, on your end, what's something you're most excited about with Rise upcoming?
00:23:38.133 --> 00:23:40.784
I assume the leadership conference is the most upfront thing.
00:23:40.784 --> 00:23:44.029
But what are you excited as you look forward for Rise's future?
00:23:44.089 --> 00:23:48.423
Definitely the leadership summit this year, because it's just less than two months away.
00:23:48.423 --> 00:23:54.163
But I also would have to say our growing corporate membership is what I'm really excited about.
00:23:54.163 --> 00:24:05.855
We have over a thousand companies that are involved with Rise and last year we launched corporate membership, which is giving companies a way to join and get involved in a more meaningful way.
00:24:05.855 --> 00:24:18.913
And because that just started and it's just taking off, I'm really excited to see where that goes, because, having so many big companies that are supporting our mission, I really think it's going to give us the momentum boost to make big changes.
00:24:19.380 --> 00:24:19.820
That's awesome.
00:24:19.820 --> 00:24:22.808
Really appreciate having you on this episode, Amy.
00:24:22.808 --> 00:24:30.105
I've known you for several years and you're just an amazing person and I appreciate your passion for helping move the industry forward.
00:24:30.105 --> 00:24:54.392
One thing that we've been doing, or I've been doing on every episode for several years now, is ending with asking every one of our guests something they're grateful for, and the main reason for that I feel like there's just especially during COVID, I felt like there was just a lot of darkness, a lot of people who are struggling, and for me anyway, one of the ways I stay positive is to think about all the things that are going well and the things I'm really grateful for.
00:24:54.392 --> 00:24:57.801
So I would love to ask that question to you, Amy what's something you're grateful for?
00:24:58.482 --> 00:25:09.115
When you first started asking, the first thing that came to mind is I was just thinking about all of these mentors, board members, supportive people that have been helping me.
00:25:09.115 --> 00:25:16.294
I am so grateful to have all the support, and it's for RISE and for our mission, but also me personally.
00:25:16.294 --> 00:25:17.521
I think you're right.
00:25:17.521 --> 00:25:25.865
Things can get dark sometimes it can be challenging and focusing on that can get dark sometimes it can be challenging and focusing on that.
00:25:25.865 --> 00:25:35.336
I could not do any of this without the support of the RISE team, my partner, all of our board members, all these people that have taken the leap with me and jumped and believe and give their time.
00:25:35.336 --> 00:25:42.952
I mean, when I think about the number of hours of volunteer time that goes into making everything that I just talked about with Rise happen.
00:25:49.380 --> 00:25:49.760
Wow, I'm so grateful.
00:25:49.780 --> 00:25:50.162
That is awesome.
00:25:50.162 --> 00:25:50.481
It really is.
00:25:50.481 --> 00:25:58.265
It's amazing how many amazing people there are in this industry who give their time up to help others, and that's for sure where it's at, and I really appreciate you sharing that with us.
00:25:58.265 --> 00:26:00.631
I know, like I said, gratitude is huge.
00:26:00.631 --> 00:26:04.163
Man, I'm on a mission to make a part of my life and everything I do.
00:26:04.624 --> 00:26:18.000
I was driving to work yesterday morning and I was stopped at a light and just you know no normal morning traffic and I looked over at the median which had all this grass that hadn't been mowed and there were like a bunch of wildflowers that just had popped up there and I thought you know what?
00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:19.862
That is something really small.
00:26:19.862 --> 00:26:28.926
It's like the smallest thing ever, but I was like that's actually really beautiful this morning and I'm just coming into work and thinking about all the things I need to do on a Monday morning and it was a gift.
00:26:28.926 --> 00:26:31.128
So I love you sharing about people.
00:26:31.128 --> 00:26:58.482
I think that's where it's at is the people who we work around, the people in our Rise, and I would encourage folks to take a look at the Leadership Summit, take a look at how you could get involved, whether that's wanting to be mentored or being a mentor or taking part in some of the resources that they have available and trainings that they offer, and just remind our folks to do right, think differently and don't forget to care.
00:26:59.025 --> 00:27:01.712
And we'll be releasing episodes every two weeks.
00:27:01.712 --> 00:27:03.017
We always release on Mondays.
00:27:03.017 --> 00:27:16.046
We hope you'll join us and we also hope that, if you like this episode, that you'll take a couple of minutes and leave us a rating, a five-star rating, and share this so that other people can find their way here, just like folks are finding their way to rise.
00:27:16.046 --> 00:27:18.172
So with that, we'll catch you next week.
00:27:18.172 --> 00:27:19.221
Thanks, everybody.