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... a future ideal) of sufficient grandeur to attract and motivate followers, together with a commitment to this Vision and the discipline to pursue it. An Organizational Architect: the leader must build a foundation that will define and support the organizational infrastructure and operations. Every member of the organization should be able to view this foundation and infrastructure and determine if they fit' This foundation includes the Vision, Values, Mission, and Standards of the Organization. An Environmental Engineer: the leader must remove toxins from inside the organization and protect it from poisons in its environment. A Coach: the leader must find or develop the people to build the infrastructure, design its systems, and operate the processes. Coaches condition, train, develop, reward, and discipline the team, write the game plan, and scout the competition. Coaches know their team in the context of the game — when to substitute, when to kick butt, and when to pat it. They control the pace of the game and influence its outcome. Consider these definitions of leadership: Max DePree: the first role of the leader is to define reality. Henry Kissinger: the task of the leader is to get people from where they are to where they have not been. Peter Drucker: the one absolute of a leader is followers. Let me offer a reason for the ambiguity in the role of leaders today: followers have changed! Yesterday's world and its organizations were built by the generation that won World War II ( 'to the victors go the spoils.) . These leaders were trained in the military for war. Command and ...

... who are consistently exceeding their value creation quota. Assuming that the shareholder will choose to increase efforts (selling off stock generally isn't considered an attractive option), how can he or she know which activities to focus on? In our valuation and consulting work over the years, we've observed a Value Creation Hierarchy. Some activities are more potent value creators than others. Here's a list of value-building activities, listed in descending order in terms of greatest to lowest impact on value. Your largest shareholders should engage in activities near the top of the list. A shareholder trying to create increased value can concentrate on becoming more effective at current activities or migrate up the ladder and focus on higher levels of value-creating activities. VALUE CREATION HIERARCHY 1. Rainmaking Recruiting producers and managers (raising human capital') Scouting mergers and acquisitions Developing products or programs Selling jumbo accounts 2. Production Sales leadership and management Client generation 3. Support Top-tier technical support (account executive) Middle-tier technical support (customer service rep) Administrative support This list isn't all-inclusive. For example, it doesn't cover a chief financial officer or a chief operating officer. They build value in many ways and might fit into several categories in this hierarchy, depending on their particular talents. We also acknowledge that measuring the value created by shareholder efforts isn't a task for the faint-hearted. It can be extremely difficult, for example, to measure the value created by a sales manager or a chief operating officer. That misses the point, though. The compelling benefit of this approach, despite some of the practical difficulties, is that it focuses ...

...ganization, writes the game plan, scouts the competition, and monit...

...ver. Compare that junk to the Boy Scouts' 'Be prepared.' Which mission stateme...

... " using various ingredients — "leftover" ideas that still apply in the world of people and work. The other articles use the same series of ingredients and a fresh approach to create nutritious food for thought. &# 160 &# 160 DISCLAIMER &# 160 This is one man's view/opinion of leadership. It ain't right and it ain't wrong; it's just an opinion. The fact is that, all too often, leadership is studied in terms of personalities, policy, and performance — and all too seldom as a process. Leaders vary. Elvis, Jesus, Joan of Arc, Idi Amin, Hitler, Martin Luther King Jr. Bill Clinton, George (W . or H. W.) Bush, Napoleon, and Miss Jones, the Master of her Cub Scout pack, are all leaders. Although they're diverse as a group, leaders share one common denominator: Followers! This is the one absolute of leadership, says management guru Peter Drucker. &# 160 This article focuses on the process and roles of leadership, not the policies, personalities, or performance of leaders. &# 160 IMPROVING LEADERSHIP PERFORMANCE &# 160 Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, trying to define pornography, stated simply, "I know it when I see it!" Leaders are like that, too. If I try to define "leader" and then compare a list of recognized leaders to this definition there's almost always a conflict. The love that was Jesus is at odds with the hate of Idi Amin. Hitler was the antithesis of Martin Luther King. ...

... writing. Sprinkled in everything from brochures and newsletters to ads and Web sites, clients' words of praise may give prospects the push they need to try your product or service. Here's how to make the most of customer remarks. SOLICIT CLIENTS TO SPEAK UP Why wait for someone to say something nice about your business? Elicit positive feedback as a regular part of your customer service. Send each happy customer a satisfaction form via regular mail, E-mail, or fax, and leave ample space for comments. If you use the U.S. Postal Service, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. If you call on the phone for kudos, do so only when clients have the time to spare. Otherwise, their glowing comments might quickly turn to unflattering criticism. Then cull through your responses, scouting for spokespeople your prospects would be interested in hearing from. Potential customers are most likely to believe testimonials from trustworthy clients. Choose customers who are credible or who hold an esteemed position. If you can, obtain written permission to use their photos in your materials. The credibility of your testimonials will increase if you cite experts. Although your words of praise needn't be from clients who hold Ph.D.s, you'll pique your prospects' interest if you quote people in positions of authority. To make sure you pick the perfect spokesperson from among your satisfied respondents, include enough room on the form for the client's full name (avoid using initials), address, job title, background, and other credentials. Better yet, if someone of high esteem has sent you a positive letter, include a ...

... George Washington? What is the capital of Nigeria? Protoceratops was about the size of: elephant, horse, pig, or ostrich? Who is Shorty LeFeuw? On what date did president Abraham Lincoln die? What is the name of the largest asteroid in the Solar System? How tall (to the nearest 1,000 feet) is Mount Everest? In what year will Halley's Comet return? Bill Wilson is a "big, BIG fan" of what rock band? What's the secret of life? You'll note that these have nothing to do with insurance. That's for two reasons. First, I wanted to select things that most people are unlikely to know and would have to use a search engine to find. Second, these are the same questions I used with my Cub Scout den, so let's see how you do compared to six 10-year-olds! The goal of the CompleteMarkets editor is to bring valuable content to the CompleteMarkets members. Providing content to insurance professionals to enhance their sales process, increase revenue streams, understand their clients and provide value to their agency. Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers. Negotiate lucrative contracts with carriers and wholesalers. Net result. More revenue for your agency! Clients & Prospects will research you, your co-workers and your agency here. The most comprehensive online ...

... your ability to offer more information or greater convenience than the competition. Focus on how your site can make life easier for clients and prospects, and then deliver specific information or services to accomplish this goal. For example, offer clients who might not be able to phone in policy changes, certificate requests, and so forth during business hours the ability to enter this information around the clock. Your site might also provide online information on various coverages or offer e-mail links to the agency employees best qualified to answer specific questions. TIP #3 : ALLOCATE YOUR TIME ONLINE You can't just open a Web site storefront and then watch the business flow in without having to go online again. Maintaining online visibility requires continuous effort and participation. Constantly plan new ways to make your business visible, whether by scouting out new advertising sites or directories, adding to your Web site, participating in discussions, or planning an online publication or conference. Implement these recommendations on your site and you'll see your sales and profits grow! Jack Fries can be reached at Fries & Fries Consulting, P.O. Box 66, Alexandria, KY 41001; phone (859) 441-4528, fax (800) 887-5874; e-mail: [email protected] , or Web site www.jackfries.com Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers. Negotiate lucrative contracts with carriers ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. CSR's Who Sell: Should They Be Treated Like Producers?4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Virginia Bates This content has not been rated yet. "Put your money where your mouth is." Whether principals and managers assume that employees understand what the agency expects of them or that they should explain every employee's responsibilities in detail, your employees must believe they are being fairly compensated in exchange for meeting the agency's expectations. COMPENSATING CSRS FOR SALES: REALITY CHECK Frequently, management can't convince CSRs to sell. They tell CSRs about account rounding, scouting for new clients, and showing more enthusiasm when they receive drop-in clients. To bridge any gap between performance and compensation, managers design attractive sales incentives to motivate employees to increase production. Even when this strategy succeeds, it often sacrifices the agency's goal of good, continuous service for the sake of nailing the sale. When the CSR becomes a producer, the entire office hears the underlying message that sales are more important than the high-quality service that satisfies customers and builds the agency's reputation. Furthermore, this policy seems to say that CSRs must be bribed to solicit new business actively — that without strong monetary incentives, CSRs will settle into the traditional role of waiting for customers to contact the agency with questions. With so many female CSRs, this assumption appears sexist (it's against the CSR's nature to pursue prospects aggressively) . On the other hand, this concept might arise from the principal's or manager's personal disdain for sales and the belief that employees deserve extra compensation to do something so denigrating. ...

... visions are simple, like the Boy Scouts': 'Be Prepared.' Now, that's one ever...