Brent Kelly’s Agent Leader Podcast episode argues that authentic leadership in insurance is defined by ethical influence rather than title or position. He presents seven traits that build influence — character, relationships, knowledge, intuition, experience, past success, and ability — and explains how each contributes to a leader’s capacity to serve clients, teams, and communities. The episode closes with a call-to-action to apply these traits and a brief promo for Agents of Growth.
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What is authentic leadership? Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said it really well. She said, being in power is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't. On today's AgentLeader podcast, I'm going to talk about the seven traits of authentic insurance leadership. Well, hello there, friends. Again, this is Brent Kelly with another edition of the Agent Leader Podcast. I'm so glad you're joining me today. Well, I want to talk about authentic leadership because the idea of leadership is often misunderstood, especially in the insurance industry. In my 15 years of being an insurance agent, I rarely thought of myself as a leader. In my mind, I was just an agent. And that was a terrible mistake for much of my career. And that's really because I didn't fully understand the true definition and the role of leadership. See, I thought that leadership and that true leadership was awarded. It was appointed. It was a sign. I thought that leadership only came with an impressive title or a position. The reality is that none of these things are true. I believe that leadership can be boiled down to one thing. Influence. If you have ethical influence with those around you, then you are a leader. If you don't, no title, no position, none of that will make up for your lack of influence. As the proverb says, he who thinks he leads but has no followers is simply out taking a walk. Now, leadership comes in various shapes and sizes every day. You could be leading your family, you could be leading your team, your prospects, your community, your clients, your neighbor. Leadership is influence. So I want to go through what are the traits, what are the characteristics of real leaders? If leadership isn't about title or position, what is it about? If leadership is influence, then what are those traits, those things you can do to help you become a better leader? Regardless, if you are a CEO, if you're a vp, if you're an agency principal, if you're a sales manager, if you're a producer, or if you're a service rep. It doesn't matter your title or position. Remember, leadership is influence. So here are seven traits that I see of authentic insurance leaders. All shapes, all sizes. Those that have significant and ethical influence. The first one is character. The first test of any true leader is how they first lead themselves. Before you can ever lead anyone else, before you can ever influence anyone else, you must first be able to lead and influence yourself. Character is influence. Next is relationships. In today's fast and technological world, building authentic relationships often overlooked. It's easy to push a button. It's easy to click a mouse. But strong relationships are Foundational for any leader. Relationships are influence. Next is knowledge. Now, knowledge won't make you a leader, but without it, you can't lead effectively. An influential leader has vision, an understanding of the facts, and keeps up to date on industry changes. Knowledge is influence. Intuition is next. Intuition is very hard to define, but it's vital for any leader. You've got to be intuitive. You've got to know more than just facts and data to lead. You've got to also be able to trust your feelings and act when your gut is telling you that there's low energy or poor timing or lost momentum. Your gut is your subconscious, and great leaders recognize that and act upon it when needed. Intuition is influence. Next is experience. The more you experience, the more you can share. However, you can't just experience each day. You must also spend time in reflection to turn that experience into insight. See, evaluated experience allows you to add more value to those around you. Experience his influence. Next is past success. Every win you have in your life and in your business builds credibility and influence. People want to know, what have you done and what have you achieved? Now, you don't have to achieve and win these great feats right away. Small wins build into larger wins and they give you momentum. But your past success, small or big, is influence. And finally, ability. Your followers want to know that you can help them. They're asking questions like, how can you make my life better? And demonstrating your ability to serve others increases your influence. Now, maybe you're helping an employee, maybe you're solving a problem for your client, or maybe you're adding premium growth with a partner company. Those are all signs of ability. And ability is influence. As I said at the top of this podcast, leadership is often misunderstood, but that does not reduce its impact. Just because people don't understand it doesn't mean that it's not vitally important. If you have influence, and by the way, you do, you are a leader. So I ask you to apply and improve upon these seven traits of leadership to your life and business to increase your influence. Let me tell you a passion of mine and why I love to serve the industry like I do, is that I know that this world and the insurance industry needs your leadership now more than ever. Again, those seven traits, character, relationships, knowledge, intuition, experience, past success, and ability, will all raise your leadership lid and provide you with greater influence. Thanks again for listening to another edition of the Agent Leader Podcast. My name is Brent Kelly, and I am so darn glad you took time out of your day to listen to this. I hope it added value to your life. If you like it, share it. Or go to itunes or Stitcher Radio and leave me a positive review. Every episode of the Agent Leader Podcast is brought to you by Agents of growth. Go to agentsofgrowth.net to learn more about what we're doing for agents all across this country to help raise their leadership lead.
