Is it possible that your smartest people may be impeding the smarts of your organization?

Are you waiting too long to remove the blockers?

I can’t even begin to tell you how personal this statement is for me. As a young agency owner I inherited the staff my parents had in place when I came back to the agency after my insurance company underwriting experience. Yes, it was a program designed to send me back to the agency and man, did I know the commercial underwriting world, but hadn’t a clue about running an agency. Most of the people who were on staff had watched me go through High School and college, then begin my professional career. Sure, I knew more about the Oil & Gas industry and could underwrite my way out of about anything and for a little while that was impressive to my new associates.

It wasn’t too long before I found myself in more and more leadership roles in the agency, though none were official until the 5th year when my parents made me President of the agency – which was when the “fun” really began. I was responsible for not only growing the agency, but now operating it as well. Sure, I’d been integrally involved in setting up our adoption of Applied’s TAM (20+ years ago) but really “running” the agency, including it’s staff was a mystery to me.

I’m not sure exactly when I realized that we had a problem, but boy when I did it hit me like a ton of bricks. This person was a strong personality on the outside, loud, boisterous but on the inside a marshmallow. Good with clients, impeccable customer service, but a nightmare among the staff AND the head of the department. Mind you, a department I had little idea how to operate because of my expertise in other lines of the agency – I was paralyzed!

Fast forward (way too long) but with the support of my leadership team and ALOT of prayer, I did what had to be done. Would you believe the staff applauded and I even got hugs! I was scared to death that those left to pick up the pieces and help cover the bases would be as scared as I was to take the steps, but in fact we had a better and more productive environment the very next day.

Long story short – whether a “cancer to the organization” or the “brightest bulb in the box” it isn’t worth the long-term health of your organization to let an individual effect your organization negatively. Step up and do the right thing – you’ll be stunned at the outcome.