A Career of Connection

What do you do when you’re approaching retirement? You look back, before moving forward.

As I spend this time reflecting, my thoughts are filled with faces, conversations, and the countless connections that have highlighted my career. Working with people truly has been the best part of my job. It’s why I’ve always been in sales, and it’s what I’m going to miss the most when I retire in July. 

Learning and Growing Together

I’ve been with HM Insurance Group (HM) for the past 12.5 years, serving as a Regional Sales Vice President. Before that, I was with our parent company, Highmark, for 25 years in National Accounts. 

That’s more than 37 years dedicated to sales! It’s been quite the ride alongside my fantastic team and the regional brokers and national consultants we’ve collaborated and strategized with to help employers get the coverage they need. Through it all, the human element has been my driving force. 

When I joined HM, I inherited an extremely tenured, experienced, and talented sales team that was responsible for our Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regions. While I did bring experience to the table, I quickly discovered that I had so much to learn from each and every person on the team. They generously shared their knowledge and helped me to acclimate to my role, and I’m forever grateful for the help they offered.

I had been drawn to HM because of the company’s reputation for an excellent culture, something that continues to be the foundation for our success in the market. This culture is built on a commitment to collaboration, and there is an extraordinary willingness of our teams to support one another, working to ensure everyone thrives. It really is special. 

I’ve gathered so many nuggets of wisdom from each team member and our various leaders over the years. I’ve learned that when you get to know the diverse personalities within your organization – and pay attention to the details – the rewards can be profound. 

Just watching my team grow, mature, and greatly contribute to the success of HM overall has been such a high point for me. I am so proud of all of them. I also appreciate the energy that the new folks have brought to the team and look forward to seeing them make their mark.

The Principles of Enduring Connection

When you’ve been in the business as long as I have, you get a sense of what is necessary for lasting success, and these principles work well for both professional and personal interactions:

•    Treat others as you would like to be treated
•    Be honest and earnest 
•    Take initiative and be proactive 
•    Always be professional and ethical 
•    Anticipate and respond to needs

As a sales leader, I’ve learned that “customers” extend beyond our external producers to our internal colleagues as well. Earning trust and respect is central to working well together and, ultimately, accomplishing goals. But, you do have to be prepared for some very honest conversations with your team, your leadership, and your clients in the marketplace.

It is so gratifying when our producers comment on how much they appreciate the exposure they have to our senior management team. Our commitment to being accessible has helped to build so many long-standing relationships with partners and clients. This isn’t found with most Stop Loss carriers in the market, and it’s another reason I’m so proud to have worked at HM. We’ve built a reputation on doing the right things for our customers, and this can only be achieved when the right people are on board to deliver. 

Looking Ahead

Now there’s a new generation of carrier sales teams and producers coming up the line, and my hope is that people will see the value of in-person meetings and picking up the phone for conversations, even if they are sometimes difficult. 

As the Stop Loss industry sees unprecedented upticks in claim trends, it’s so important that we work to deliver educational insights that can help our producers to manage the expectations of our mutual self-funded clients. I’m so pleased with our sales team’s ability to deliver in this regard. You can’t put a price tag on the value of relationships and following through on your commitments. 

HM has been my family. As much as I will miss the excitement of selling Stop Loss, I will deeply miss the people at this company who shine and made working at HM my ultimate pleasure. I’ll also miss the producers across the country who I have the pleasure of calling friends.