Episode 175: Where There Is NO Vision, People Perish with Anthea Mumby

Welcome to the Unstoppable Profit Podcast. This podcast will give independent insurance agents all of the tools to grow your business and live life on your terms. Wherever you are today, if you're starting with nothing or well on your way to the success you desire, with the right people, processes and promotions in place, you will be unstoppable. And now I'd like to introduce your host, Mike Stromsol.

Foreign.

Welcome to the next episode of the Unstoppable Profit Podcast. This podcast could not be more timely for many of you out there. I know, and you're going to want to make sure that you've got something to write with and something to write on and pay very close attention. And if you happen to be driving, please take a listen. And then when you get to wherever you're going, then give it another listen and a watch. If you're on the YouTube channel, make sure you take copious notes because this is going to play into something that we have been doing a ton of study in the UP circles and helping people create the future of their business. And I'm excited and pumped to have back on the podcast again for round two in helping people with this exact subject, the Unstoppable. Anthea, Mumby and Thea, welcome.

Hi, Mike. Great to be here.

Oh, I'm excited to have you. And welcome. We had a conversation recently and I thought perfect. The timing could not have been more perfect based on what you're doing now to help entrepreneurial people out there in the world on this exact subject, which is, and this may end up being the title, where there is no vision. People perish.

And we don't want anybody that we have any connection to to perish. We want them to thrive and to grow. Would you agree?

Absolutely. 100%.

Yeah. Every single day in every single way. And we were also just having a quick discussion before we started the podcast about how we start our days. And that in itself is critically important. And we identified that how many entrepreneurs that we're connected to don't do this. So do tell us before we get going into the questions. How do you start your day, Anthea?

Well, I'll tell you how I don't start my day, Mike.

There you go.

And that is looking at my phone, seeing what's come in overnight. Right. I keep my phone in another room, not in my bedroom, and I've got to walk for it. And I only do that after I've done my morning ritual. So.

So not to get into the weeds on this because I want to get to the Subject matter at hand. But how long is the morning ritual time wise?

Usually about 20 minutes, half an hour.

Good. Love it. Fantastic. And so how long you been doing it that way?

Oh, wow. Years. I would say three years, four years, easily.

Yeah. And most recently you had some extremely high business success, which resulted in a ton of income and revenue. And shall I suggest that because you've been doing this, that was part of the reason you had that success, right?

Hugely. Absolutely. Big impact. Big impact. It's all about setting the day for success.

Absolutely. I 100% agree. And what we're talking about is what we do with our phones at night. And I said, I turn mine off. I also keep it another room. I turn it off and I don't turn it on in the morning till I'm ready to turn it on. Period. End of result. And I'm currently investing at least an hour and a half in the morning before I get to that point. Just working on the thing that's between the 8 inches is what I'm now calling it, the 8 inches between my ears, which is the key to everything. We got to work on that every day in every way, right?

Absolutely.

Because that perfect segue sets the vision.

Yes, it does.

And so let's dive into that because we were recently having a conversation and we were talking about agency entrepreneurs and vision and reverse engineering and everything else that's going on out there. And I mentioned that it's a very hot topic of conversation in our circles. And of course you said, this is what I do to help entrepreneurs out there. So I said, good, let's get you on. We want to share your wealth of knowledge because you can help in a lot of ways out in these circles. So, Anthea, my first question for you today. Why is vision so important? Why should anybody invest any time on setting the vision, if you will, in their business?

Yeah, great question. Well, it goes back to that quote that you just said. You know, where there's no vision, that people perish. And this is it. Like when you have that vision and it's compelling and it keeps you moving forward as an agency owner and your team alongside you helping to execute on that vision, this is what's going to move your business forward. And it's just, you know, so important to have that clarity in place so that you can move that business forward and achieve those goals that you have.

Yeah, agree. So in building the vision, you know, there's also a quote out there that we were talking about. I can't even maybe pronounce the guy's last name, but it's Frederick Niche. You know, how do you pronounce that? Yeah.

Yep.

And he said, he who has a why to live for can bear almost any how. And that's kind of been, in a way, something that I've piggybacked onto for many years. When your why becomes big enough, your how becomes easy. So if somebody is either watching or listening to this podcast and they've heard about vision and they don't have a plan, and you know what Ben Franklin said, right, Anthea, if you're failing to plan, you're planning to fail, right?

Absolutely.

So anyway, and they don't have a plan, but they wanted to start a vision plan or a process in their agency business from the leadership chair. What should they do?

Yeah, so the first thing is don't actually physically start it in the agency. Right. So for me, working with my agency co owner, we found the best work we did on getting clarity around that vision was never being in the office. It was often driving on a plane, going somewhere. So the first thing is, and again, put the distraction away, put the phone away and no distractions, and just get away so that you've got the space to really reflect on the vision, what it's going to look like. So start with that. Get clear around your values, because values, I always say that is the job of the owner of the agency, because everybody's gotta, you know, be on the same page when it comes to. To the values, for sure.

Yeah. So, I mean, as we've said for years, you want to work on the business, not necessarily in it, Right?

Yep. You got it.

So what does that look like for people? I mean, should they go somewhere that they're passionate about that gives them juice, if you will, like some people like up in the woods and the mountains, other people like the beach area? I mean, what should they do?

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Somewhere that's going to inspire them and get the creative juices flowing, Right?

Exactly.

Whatever it is that, that will help that brain engage and, and turn on, then that's. That's where you got to go.

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for that. And, and another thing, you said values. I mean, are you talking about things like core values as an example and, and how does that build into the vision in a business?

Yeah, so the values are really going to dictate what you're going to incorporate into that vision. So when you're writing that vision, you know, if you have a. A core value of integrity, for example, that's going to show up it. Because you're going to write something about, you know, serving clients with integrity as an example. So those values will permeate the vision. And that's why you want to have clarity around the values in the first place, because they're going to influence how that vision plays out.

And the core values themselves. What's your experience in working with people on this? That in itself, the core values themselves. It takes a time to come up with the right core values to support the vision in an organization, correct?

It absolutely does. It does.

And so really. And this is the visual that I. And if you're watching this on YouTube, you know, take my fingers and put them into my chest and rip my chest open. It reveals the inner workings of a business. Right. Who they are.

Yes.

If you will, at the core.

A hundred percent.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Fantastic. That's great stuff. Thank you. Anything else on core values?

Well, the other thing I would say on core values, if you're struggling with how to get clarity around the core values, is look at your actions, look at the decisions you've already been making in your agency, and as you reflect on those that will give clarity, that, you know, oh, here's how we're actually behaving and what's happening. And that will leads to clarity around the values, because you're already showing up, already showing up with values.

Exactly, exactly. And you know, they're the direct contributories, if you will, to the culture, Right?

Yes.

And we know that culture eats strategy and everything else for breakfast. And, you know, it only takes one bad apple. Right?

That's so true. So true.

So speaking of that, speaking of culture, core values, let's jump back to the vision of an organization and how culture and core values contribute to the vision. And we talked a little bit about starting the process by getting away to work on the business, not necessarily in it. So once you begin to set the vision, I mean, does it change.

Once you set it? What's been your experience there?

There may need to be some tweaking, but overall, the big picture should always stay the same for three years is always what I recommend. Now, if something needs to be adjusted or flexed because of something outside of your control as an agency owner, fine. But really, you want that big picture vision to pretty much be, this is it. It's carved in stone. It's not cast in jello. It's carved in stone.

I love that. Cast in stone, not carved in jell.

O.

That's fantastic.

Yeah.

So, okay, so once we set it in stone, not cast it in jello or cast in stone, not set in jello or whatever. What did you just say, by the way? Do you remember?

Carved in stone, not cast in jello.

Right, Carved in stone, not cast in jello. Love that. Yeah. Okay, so we've got it carved in stone and we've set the vision for the agency. And again, to reiterate, the vision and the core values of a business are generally set by the leadership, correct?

Yes, correct.

Okay, correct. Do you take feedback from the team at all that contributes to that, or is it generally a leadership situation?

Yeah, generally leadership. But before you execute, I always say, you know, you don't want to come in with something that, that your whole team is. Is going to say, okay, like, we didn't, we're not buying in because we didn't have any voice in this. So when you're at the point where you have that framework, then is the time to bring the team and to, you know, they're going to have insights and things that you may not have realized or even thought of as the agency owner. So get it to 80%. Get. I say get it to 80%, then bring your team in for the, the, you know, 20% to finish the 80, 20 rule.

That's awesome.

You got it.

It's always in effect. Yeah. The Bretto principle.

Yes.

Okay, so you, you get the vision set and you got the core values and, and you're working on your culture to create something that's super special, that you can work within and you can grow and thrive from within and around. So why is it important to constantly communicate the vision? I mean, based on my experience and what I know, that's critically important. What do you have to add?

Yeah, because there are so many things going on all the time, and, you know, people get distracted or disrupted or off track, and it's just bringing them back to this is where we're going. This is what it looks like. And, you know, we need your, your participation and, and contribution on this because, let's face it, you know, it's just so easy to come right off track. And what is it we're here to do? Oh, I thought I was just a CSR answering phone calls every day, you know, as an example, so. Yeah, yeah.

But bigger than that, to what we were talking about a couple minutes ago, it's why we're answering the phone calls, right?

Yes, so true, so true. Why are we here in the first place?

Yeah, exactly. And so you know what, it's been my observation, and we've talked about this as well, also yours, that it's a crazy busy, if you will, polluted world out there, meaning as far as the amount of information that's coming at people every single day. So it's important to remind them all the time.

All the time.

So.

How often is it recommended that we revisit or remind, et cetera, et cetera? And what does that look like in a business based on what you've learned in working with agencies and other businesses?

Yeah. Yeah. So I always recommend sitting down with the team once a month and just looking at where are we at with the vision? Get their feedback, get their perspective. I like to have. Do a little scoring exercise and say, okay, for each part of the vision, how do you feel we're doing on a scale of 1 to 5? And then kind of get the overall feel of what that number is and then say, okay, well, first of all, let's recognize the progress that we've already made and what do we need to do in that between now and the next month to move the needle on that, to keep. Unless it's already five out of five, in which case we're celebrating.

Exactly. We got to celebrate those wins.

We do. We do.

Yeah. So what do you do if, you know, you announce the vision, you set the vision, everybody's on board and everybody wants to go forward. Fantastic. You start working towards it, you hire upon it, you discipline upon it, you.

You know, sometimes terminate upon it, and you praise and recognize upon it. Right.

Yeah.

What do you do if somebody flat out rejects the vision that you've set right off, you know, right after you set it?

Yeah. So if, if it's a team member that you're hiring, probably a good indicator that they're not going to be successful in your agency because they're telling you right off the bat they're. They're not interested in the vision.

If it is. I always say, look at, look at who the feedback is coming from. Right. Because that may influence how you handle that. I'm not going to say change the vision because I think you've already done the work as a leadership team and you've committed to this. And you may ultimately need to say, like, we're just not aligned here, and that's okay. Right, that's okay. Then there's other opportunities, other employers. Maybe it's a market, you know, maybe there's another agency that would be a better fit for that market.

Right.

So, yeah, be prepared to kind of say, okay, I understand, we're not aligned on this, and. And that's okay. Moving on.

It's A business decision, right?

Totally. Business decision.

Yeah, exactly. So. And. And we're. We're not for everybody. In fact, we have a plan, we have a vision. We know where we're going. There are millions of people out there, and, you know, we might not be the right fit, and that's okay.

So business decision. Love that.

Yes.

So let's go back to celebrations, and let's talk about the wins as an example. So why is it important to celebrate vision as a defense about possibly going into the gap? And when we talk about going into the gap, did you learn that also from Dan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy?

I absolutely did, yes.

I, too. Great minds, rare finds. Right. Fell into the same circle of learning. But do tell more about why it's important to celebrate vision so we don't fall in the gap.

Yes. Okay. So in my experience, a lot of entrepreneurs, a lot of agency business owners are very much achievers. We like to win. We like to go on to the next. Yes. 100%. We want to win all the time. And the thing is, when things don't go exactly the way that we had planned them to, sometimes we get into this gap, which is the difference between our expectation and the reality. So it's when you feel like that's happening and you're kind of going into this gap place, this dark place as a. As the business owner, as the agency owner, this is where it's time to celebrate by actually looking behind you at the progress that you've been making against that vision and celebrating those wins. Right. It's one of the things I learned from you, Mike, is like one action every single day that you are implementing in your agency, like, compounding. Right. 365 days a year. Huge, huge impact.

So looking at those and actually celebrating them and bringing your team into that celebration as well, so it really can impact your culture as an agency that they feel like they are contributing to that, to that vision and where you're going.

Yeah. And small choices plus consistency over time exactly equal massive results. And whether it's one per day, two per day, or three per day times five times 50 equals 750 in just the first 12 months. That's fantastic stuff. So, yeah, we got to remember to celebrate that. And. And what I want to jump into next is.

More disruption, but I also want to veer off path for just a second. You and I both squirrel pretty well. So.

As far as vision is concerned, celebrating the wins.

And let's talk about the gap for just a minute.

So.

So the book referenced is the gap and the Gain by dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy. So why is it important if you fall into the gap to get out as quickly and get to back. Get back in the gain. Right. Because the gain is progress.

Yeah, right, Absolutely. Absolutely.

Yeah. So it's the high achiever's guide to happiness, confidence and success. We've studied Dan Sullivan for quite a, quite some time. Super high achieving guy. And Dr. Benjamin Hardy is a great companion. So the Gap in the gain. Absolutely recommended. Read and study. It's on audible and book form. Whatever works for you. So back to the vision for just a minute. So it's important to have a vision, to have a plan, because people are silently waiting to be led. Right?

Absolutely. They are, they are. And that's what the best leaders always do. They have, they have a compelling vision and people say, I want to be part of that. And they get on board and they.

Contribute and they, and they stick to it. And it's documented.

Yeah.

And it's taught and it's taught about the why. I mean that's, that's a vision plan that we've got as well. And I know you've got multiple versions as well, so great stuff. So what does one do, however? And I, I can't imagine this happening in any workplace, but things like drama and trauma and chaos and the such. When your vision gets disrupted by this drama and trauma and chaos, how do you ride the waves to higher achievement and success regardless of these things going on, based on the vision you've set?

Right, okay, so the first thing is we have to look at our own mindset, right? We need to remind ourselves that we are the leaders and we are creating something powerful and it is going to make an impact and a positive impact. And we've got to sometimes come back to our vision and say like, okay, like this is what we're doing, this is what we're committed to. So recommit to that vision is the starting place for dealing with, you know, the drama and trauma. The second thing is the team. Having that team around you that again, these are, these could be your, your staff, they could be fellow entrepreneurs, they could be people on your advisory, they could be external, you know, consultants, coaches, whomever, and get them, get their help, seek their wisdom to let them know, here's where I'm at, I've got this issue, I'm stuck and I don't know what to do right now. And hopefully they've already bought into your vision in the first place and they will help you get back on track with what it is that you're doing. Right. Because sometimes we, we just need that, that extra support.

And then the last thing is, you know, like I said, sometimes you might need to adjust it. You might need to make some things that, you know, something hasn't worked out completely outside of your control. Okay. So maybe there's a pivot or an adjustment that you need to make to get back on track towards that vision. So that's, that's how you ride those waves.

Fantastic. And. And we've got some resources to share with everybody if they are interested in learning how to ride the waves or just quick insight into creating that dream team. More specifically on the vision. Right?

Absolutely.

Because I can tell you this based on the work that we're doing with agency owners all over North America. The vision is absolutely critical. And I know what I was going to mention a minute ago is also. Let's talk about this for just a moment. Reverse engineering. Because isn't the cool thing about designing a vision for an organization. I heard you say three years out.

Yeah.

Right. So you designed a vision three years out based on where you want to be. So, you know, three years from now, we're almost at the end of the year. Take the end of the year, fast forward three years into the future and design where you want to be then, and then work backwards or reverse engineer it.

Right, exactly.

Based on your experience. Why is that so powerful?

Oh, well, because it'll give you that clarity that, you know, you're moving, you're looking at it from a different place. You're kind of out of the weeds of today. You're. You're in three years from now, and then from there you can go back and go, okay, well, what decisions did I make as that agency owner?

Right.

What actions? How did I behave? You know, was I, was I on my phone, you know, first thing in the morning? Or, you know, what, what was my leadership like? Which carriers was I, Were I, who was I working with? Did I have any niches? Like, all of those decisions can be influenced today by what you're creating three years from now.

Awesome. Exactly. And you know, when things. You encounter an obstacle in the road or God forbid, you fall into the gap because you've got that set.

Yeah.

You're able to jump right out of the gap and get back into the game.

You got it. Exactly.

That is fantastic. So, Anthea, this has been rock. Awesome. Thank you so much for jumping on. I want to give everybody that's either watching or listening some info they can use as a resource but before we do that, do you have anything else you'd like to add?

I think that was, that's good. I mean, I think that was a good overview of the, of the vision. And the other thing that I didn't mention is just the questions that you ask yourself when you, as it pertains to your vision. Don't be afraid to ask powerful questions. Like really, you know, questions that may be a little disturbing or upsetting. Like that's how you're going to get to the good stuff.

So 100 agree. And you know, one of the things that I, I've been shouting from the rooftops, if you will, a lot lately, and I'll suggest it's going to continue even through the holiday season.

Is the better the question, the better the result.

Yes.

Because I learned this from John Maxwell, who you and I have spent a lot of time with over the years. He wrote a book called Good Leaders Ask Great Questions. And then I added on Good Leaders Ask Great Questions. They shut up. But really, back to planning, right. Our buddy Ben Franklin. If you're failing to plan, you're planning to fail. The more you plan.

With great questions, those probing questions, if you will, then you can start uncovering some of the good stuff, right?

Yeah, exactly.

So that's fantastic. And I know that's at the core of what you do to help people. So anyway, thank you so much for that. You've got a URL if somebody wants to have a conversation with you, a dream, DreamTeam Consulting CA. Right, absolutely.

Yeah.

So if somebody goes to DreamTeamConsulting CA, you know what happens? What should they do?

They can book a call with me, book a 15 minute chat and you know, whether it's to talk about vision or just talk about, you know, what's, what's going on in the agency or, you know, just I love to meet new people and it's a great way to connect and.

Fantastic. Yeah. So you are from, you're one of our long time. We've known each other 12, 15 years, something like that. And we've been in the agency growth circles, etc. Etc. Learning and growing together. But I love our Canadian friends, all of them. And I've never ran into a bad attitude out of Canada and what I, what, I mean, did I tell you about that with the cousins camp?

Yes, you did great. Yeah.

So anyway, there's a patitude which is positive attitude and a bad attitude which is a bad attitude. And every Canadian that I've ever run across always has a patitude. So I'm not sure what you guys are eating or drinking up there, but keep it up. It's. It's awesome. And I love being around our Canadian friends. They're always so positive. But that's where the CA comes from. It's dream Team D R E A M Team T E A M Consulting ca. Just reach out to Anthea there. She'll be happy to connect with you and see if there's a synchronicity fit to be able to help you with the vision. And it's just the beginning of everything that we're trying to help agency owners with in the Unstoppable Profit Producer program. Because I couldn't agree with you more. As you said, off the get go, Anthea, where there is no vision, people perish.

Yeah.

Great stuff. All right, well, thank you. Thank you so much for joining us. And the vision conversation is so long and detailed and it definitely warrants some hard work. Right? Because, yes, as we've both learned, it will result in significant monetary and other success in life. Right?

Absolutely it does.

And it will allow you to live life on your own terms like you're living right now. You and Douglas and your family. Congratulations.

Yeah, thank you, thank you.

Super excited for you and your future and everything you're doing out. Thank you for serving entrepreneurs and other agency entrepreneurs and the way that you do. It's fantastic.

Thanks so much.

You're welcome. All right, everybody. Hey, thank you and thank you and welcome to the podcast. If this is your first time on the Unstoppable Profit podcast, welcome. My name is Mike Stromso. I'm widely recognized as a leading author, speaker and coach for the independent insurance agency industry. You can find me atunstoppable profit producer.com and if you're interested in attending one of our virtual or live events, you can join us. Our virtual event portal is up fast start.com or our live event is be unstoppable boot camp dot com. Both events are designed with some of our best money making strategies developed over 35 years of research. In your industry, 100% of the time is a proud independent insurance agency. Again, all designed to help you grow your business, create wealth so you two can have more freedom to live life on your own terms. And that's right up the alley of what Anthea is doing for people. And we're grateful for her as well. And please make sure that you subscribe to our podcast if you haven't yet, go to Unstoppable Profit podcast dot com. Go up to the top hit subscribe so you don't miss one game changing session like the one that you just experienced. And I recommend go back and either watch it or listen to it again to make sure you don't miss any of the gold nuggets that Anthea just dropped on us. Thank you again for that. And remember the podcast available on Stitcher, Amazon, now Spotify and on our YouTube channel where it's out there to help you and thank you. I hope this has made a difference for you. And again, Anthea Mumby, thank you for joining us today. Absolutely awesome.

Thank you.

You're welcome. You're welcome. All right, everybody. Until then, until next time, thank you. Get out there, make a difference, be unstoppable, leave no regrets. And remember, you got this. We believe in you. We'll see you next time.

Can't get enough of the Unstoppable Profit podcast. Come join our next live three day boot camp in warm, beautiful San Diego. Invest in your ticket today at beunstoppablebootcamp.com that's beunstoppable boot camp dot com.