Field managers help to enhance industry standards

| 27 Sep 2016

The value of field leaders has become much more critical to the success of the insurance industry and a lot of companies are starting to understand and embrace that.

According to Ms Bonnie Godsman, CEO, GAMA International, in an interview with Asia Insurance Review, companies are seeing the return on investment in leadership development. The stronger the managers, the more they are able to nurture their teams and set high expectations which will ultimately benefit the industry by enhancing its standards.

As a result, greater expectations and requirements are also placed on these leaders. While there was a focus on skill set in selecting and developing field leaders in the past, it has started to change in recent years.

“GAMA has really spearheaded the mind-set that it really is about the behaviours of the leaders which determines whether a field manager will be successful,” she said.

That is not to say that skills are not important. But skills are viewed as a core competency and a “given” to being a leader now.

“Before, people largely spoke only about skill set. There is a lot more importance being placed on attitudes and values in selecting and developing leaders now. This is also a reflection of the evolution in our society, such as the emergence of social media and greater regulatory supervision, which places a greater emphasis on behaviours and attitudes that we need to adjust to,” she said.


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