Experience is Overrated

Foreign welcome to the Agent Leader podcast. My name is Brent Kelly, your host. Thanks so much for joining me on another episode. I will be flying solo today. This will be a shorter podcast as well, I would guess, unless I begin to ramble or pontificate, which I will try not to do. I want to get right to the point and share some valuable content and just thoughts and things that I've been learning over the past few weeks with some of our private client members and our producer camps and just general things that are happening certainly in the world. There's no doubt that 2020 has been an interesting year. Would that be a fair term? A challenging year? Would that be a fair term? I'm sure you have other words you might want to use as well, but you know, 2020 has certainly been been interesting. It reminds me of a quote by the great writer and poet by the name of Mike Tyson who said everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. And although it's kind of humorous when I hear that quote, I think for many of us 2020 has come and kind of punched us in the face right in different ways. Or maybe it's been more of a gut punch. I don't know what it is, but it's caused us to take some time and evaluate, adjust. It's kind of gotten us to have to maybe think about are there things we need to do differently? Are there things that we can do better? Whatever it may be, and I've shared this podcasts is that I think experience. This comes from learning from John Maxwell. Experience is a very good teacher, but evaluated experience is the best teacher and it always causes me to think about that because we've all gone through experiences. We all go through experiences every day, every year, but certainly over the past few months. And even if you're listening to this in the future and we're past some of the COVID 19 things, or at least it's not at the same level. We all go through different experiences. But as John also says, you're either going to go through life or you're going to grow through life. Which one do you want to do? Do you want to just go through it and you're going to pick up a few things here and there. Do you really want to learn, evaluate and grow through life? Talk before and this is out there in different places is that we all have comfort zones. We all do. I've got comfort zones and different aspects of my life and business, whatever it may be. And to get out of that comfort zone, you know Here you can only grow when you get out of your comfort zone. And I truly believe that that's accurate. But oftentimes we're not forced to get out of our comfort zone. And certainly in the insurance industry, it's a great business. It really is. Does it have challenges? Yes. Does it have frustrations? Yes. Are there difficulties? Yes. But it's a great, great business. And so because of that, and I did a whole podcast on this last year, is that it's very easy for us to stay in our comfort zone and not move out, which the next level is that fear zone. You've got to take on your fears. Well, with what's happened in 2020, many of us haven't had a choice. We don't say, ah, I don't really want to do that, or that's not really going to work. It's like, well, you're either going to have to change and adapt and adjust or, or you're not really going to be able to exist. Right. And so in some cases, although 2020 has been for many of us a challenge and I think the, you know, the long term effects, we're going to see it for a while. It's going to continue to be challenging. But I've also seen in so many ways in my coaching calls and through some of the camps that I've been part of, conversations I've had is that you're starting to see more growth from people, those that seek growth, those that want growth. And you know, like I said before, all of us have been forced in some way to change and adapt, but those that have embraced it and really said, okay, I don't really have a choice, I'm going to change. So now I'm going to figure out how I can really be an opportunist in these things, maybe see things differently, look at things differently. Had a coaching call just a couple weeks ago and with the agency, we talked about the idea and this was on a previous podcast from Warren Buffett that said, you know, when the tide goes out, we'll know who's been swimming naked. We had a call kind of around that and the fact that, you know what, COVID 19 and some other circumstances have exposed some things that we already kind of knew we should be doing better and it just exposed it. And so now that we have this level of awareness, we can make the proper adjustments, right. And take the right, the correct action. Talk a lot about awareness. And so I would ask you, and this again, just some things. Here's kind of my podcast coaching session from Brent. I want you to take some time and just think about these questions. Now, if you're sitting down and you're at a desk or somewhere, you can write this down. We'll write it down. If you're in a car, remember what you can and maybe come back and listen to it later. But as we think, and I'm recording this at the beginning of June, the coaching call that I had with that client, we were talking about the level of awareness. We talked about, maybe it's time for a June reboot. Maybe it's time for a June reboot. What do you mean by that? Well, we've been punched in the face, as I just mentioned earlier, the Mike Tyson quote, maybe a gut punch, whatever it is. And I think maybe some of us are staggering to get up. Some of us are trying to pop up quicker, whatever it may be. But it's time for a June reboot. Now, if you're listening to this in the future, maybe it's a October reboot or a March reboot, I don't care when it is. But we all have times where we need to take a step back, go, how do I reboot to make sure that I come back and come out of this better and stronger than what I went into it? Because the worst thing is to go through pain and frustration and then not get better at the end, right? It's like lifting heavy weights or doing some crazy workout routine that's really hard and it has no effect on you. Right. If you're going to do it, might as well get the results and improve from it. So here's some questions to consider, to ponder when you think back again whenever you're listening to this. But hopefully, you know, sometime in the 2020, when you think back for the. In particular the second quarter, but the first half of 2020, what are you most proud of during this time? What are you most proud of during this time? I think sometimes as individuals, I know as a coach, sometimes it's a very hard question for people to answer because it sounds like bragging or in most cases, high performers are very hard on themselves. That's what makes them high performers. Right. But we often have to take time to say, what am I most proud of during this time? And why am I proud of that? Just had a call recently. It's very interesting. I've had a lot of similar calls on this. But there's a frustration that we're not progressing in the direction we want to as fast as we would like. That's a Fair question. That's a fair concern. But oftentimes when you stop and think, you know, let's really analyze. What are some things that were victories in the past week, month, quarter, in this case, 2020? We can actually take some time to appreciate some things that we did do because it's easy to overlook some of our victories. We don't want to sit on our victories and applaud ourselves too long. But we do need to acknowledge there were victories because we also want to replicate our victories. We want to, like I said, grow through life. And one of the great ways to grow through life is to find out what did work, what did I personally do well as a leader, whether it's leading my team, leading my clients, leading my family, leading my community, what am I most proud of during this time and why? I think it's also important to ask yourself the question, what's been my greatest challenge? What have been some things that have smacked me or come up and I've faced that. Maybe I'm not as proud of what I did or how I reacted or how I responded, or the results that I got from it. What's the greatest challenge? Because we certainly want to learn from our losses as well. Again, these are pretty simple questions, but I talk about having a June reboot or whatever reboot you're going to have. It's not about just going through life. It's growing. And it's not about experience. It's evaluated experience. I know for me, and I probably have shared this in different podcasts before, but the power of journaling has been very important to me. I don't always like it. In fact, when I hired a coach a few years ago who really challenged me to journal and gave me some different tips and advice around that, I was like, I cannot do this. And part of it is it. First of all, it takes time and I'm not a very patient person. But secondly, it makes you to kind of go back and think through things. Thinking is a hard thing for most people because it may make us more aware of things that we know we should be doing better, right? And it kind of hits us in the face. But, you know, journaling for me has been very enlightening. So if you're not doing just basic journaling, I mean, what I do in my journal, I do some gratitude. But I also look back and say, what am I most proud of yesterday? What were my biggest challenges yesterday and why? And just that daily growth is important. So that all being said, a couple more questions I want you to Think about in evaluating your experience, what is one change or a change or an adjustment that you've made during this challenging time that you need to continue? You know, one of the things that we learn and I did a podcast on the comfort zone all the way to the it goes through the fear zone and then the learning zone and then the growth zone. But when you push out of your comfort zone, like I said, many of us have been forced out of our comfort zone. And you go to the fear zone, what happens and you push through. That is you start to realize, wow, there's some things that I didn't want to do, I didn't think I would like to do. Maybe I still don't love to do them, but they're really empower, really powerful. They really have made a difference, and I need to continue that. And I know my conversations with a lot of the agencies and agency personnel, professionals, producers that I've had is that, you know, I didn't really want to do that. And then we did it, and I don't know why we haven't been doing that for a while. And I've heard everything from daily huddles from agency leaders to reaching out to my best clients just to have a conversation, maybe even outside of insurance, to just the other day I had a call with one of our agency partners we work with in our private client group. And the service manager who I was on with, talked about the idea that this working from home for her service team, one of the things that she's learned is a, we've had less distractions. And that's pretty common, right? We don't have as many people interrupting our day. So how do we continue to have less distractions when we potentially, you know, some of us go back to the office. But the other one was really interesting. It was about empowerment. She said, you know, I've had people on my team now that would used to be insecure, whether it's to answer a question or get back with a client in a certain way, because I think they were always fearful that people were listening or would challenge what they had to say or whatever the case may be. And again, it's good to be challenged, don't get me wrong. But the point of this conversation that she was having with me was the fact that my people have been empowered to do some things, maybe because they had to, because no one was there to help them. And they've done really, really well. And they've gained confidence. And with confidence comes a momentum. So my question to her and I want you to think about your own life and your business of the agency business is the fact of, okay, well, how do we make sure when things go back to maybe more that they used to be right as far as logistically in the office, that they continue to feel empowered and they have those opportunities? And that's a really good question. And so she's coming through some ways to make sure that, you know, when they go back to that new normal. I hate that term sometimes, but when you go back to that, how do we continue to make sure that they're empowered? And I would ask you the same question. What is something that. That a change, an adjustment, a challenge that you've had, whatever it is that maybe you didn't want to take on, but when you did, you go, why haven't I always been doing that? Because the worst thing you do is come back to whatever new normal it is, and then you go away from it. And I'll tell you, this happens outside of any type of pandemic or any other crazy thing is the fact that so often we joke at Sitkins with our clients, many times that, well, it works so well that we stop doing it. What is something maybe in your agency that works so well that you stop doing it? And that's why I want you to evaluate just over the past few months. And here's the last question I want you to ask. And this comes directly from one of my absolute favorite books of all times, time, the One Thing, by Gary Keller, the One Thing. And that whole book is fantastic. We reference it all the time at Sitkins, and we ask our clients one thing questions all the time. But just the focusing question, which is the foundational point of that book, is so impactful, it's probably one of the best questions that you could possibly ask yourself. So if you're going to write down one question, and I may have referenced this before in a different podcast somewhere along the lines, but I would say write this question down or go get the book. The One thing. That's even a better idea. The one thing question is this the focusing question. What's the one thing? So that by doing it, we'll make everything else either easier or unnecessary. Say it again. What's the one thing? So that by doing it will make everything else either easier or unnecessary. Now, there is no doubt this is a. This is the focusing question for a reason. It helps us focus and gain clarity. What's most important. Like any business leader, there are lots of things that you can do and I should do this I should do that. I should do this. This would be important for me to do. But is it the best thing? And by asking yourself this question and taking some time to digest it and really think, and this is a hard question. I ask myself this question frequently because I plan my week and my month, okay? There are a lot of things in my head, a lot of things that I could do. What's the one thing? So that by doing it would make everything else either easier or necessary. And that's a personal question. You're going to get different answers. But I want you to think about that. Spend some time to think about the one thing to help you focus. So I'm going to leave it at that. Again, this podcast actually went a little longer than I thought. We're at 15 minutes. But I just want to share some things that have really been on my heart and mind over the past few weeks, and having very authentic coaching calls and camps and just learning from the people that we work with and learning in my own life. And, you know, I think again, it goes back to the Mike Tyson quote, which I chuckle every time I say it. But, you know, everyone has a plan until you get hit in the mouth. And that happens all the time. But we all have been delivered a blow, and this has been a very interesting year. And so you may have had a plan that you go, well, this plan's off, so I should just quit. It's like a New Year's resolution, right? It's like, well, you know, I'm going to do this in 2020. I don't know if you believe in those or not, but many people do. And if you have a 2020 resolution, you get to, like, February and everyone quits, and you got to forget. It's not worth it. So instead of doing something, we do nothing. So I just challenge you that if you have been struggling in whatever certain area of business and or life, they go together, maybe it's time for a June reboot or a July reboot or a summer reboot, whatever it is, as you get ready for the second half of 2020. And if you're listening to this later, whenever it is for you, and ask yourself those questions, you know, what are you most proud of during this time or maybe the most proud of the last month? Why is that? What's been your greatest challenge? Why? What's one adjustment that you've had to make in this particular time that you must continue? And what's the one thing? Right, the one thing? Question. What's the one thing? So that by doing it will make everything else either easier and necessary. And just to help you get focused. I truly believe the best solutions are our best questions. There's no doubt about it. And if you're leading a team, you can tell people what to do or you can ask really good questions and I can guarantee which one's more impactful, allows people to think and take ownership of their ideas and ownership of their solutions much more powerful. It goes back to a podcast I did a long time ago that says you can convince people or you can connect with people and I can tell you which one is more effective connecting with people. So hopefully on that note, I've connected with you to some degree on this solo podcast today. Thanks for being a listener. Appreciate it. If this podcast, other podcasts of the agent leader have provided value to you, your agency really would appreciate a review. Whatever platform you're listening on helps us get the word out. We don't do ads or anything on this podcast. We just want to help agencies truly become their best version possible. To help them gain clarity, to help them find ways to build consistency, to help them say, you know, I'm going to make a commitment to really be that best version possible. So thank you so much for being a listener. Talk to you soon. All the best in your success.