Insurance is all about transferring risk. While it’s warranted for insurance professionals to think risk adverse thoughts in the day job, it’s important not to let those thoughts block your professional development. Sometimes, taking a risk and trying something new is the only way to advance your career to the next step.
How to get out of your comfort zone and further your career is one of the key panel discussions at Insurance Business Canada’s upcoming Women in Insurance conference, which is returning to Toronto on September 09. In this panel, four esteemed industry leaders - Jill Fratpietro, senior account executive, employee benefits, Canada Life; Asima Zahid, executive, national distribution and market conduct, Lloyd’s Canada Inc.; Mark Morency, SVP, financial institutions practice leader, Gallagher; and Linda Regner Dykeman, chief agent of Canada , Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty – will share how they’ve navigated risks in their insurance careers and how they’ve challenged themselves to grow as leaders.
Fratpietro, the panel moderator, is an employee benefits specialist with more than 18 years of industry experience – all of which she has spent at Canada Life Financial Corporation, a Canadian company that offers life, health, and disability insurance for groups and individuals. It may come as a surprise that someone who’s had such a stable tenure with one insurance firm would moderate a discussion on risk-taking, but Fratpietro feels uniquely positioned for the task.
“It may seem a little bit ironic because I’ve been in this role at Canada Life for such a long time, but I’ve been reinventing that role the whole time,” Fratpietro told Insurance Business. “I wouldn’t be able to succeed in this role if I didn’t keep reinventing it, while also challenging myself to bring new things to the table and be a better leader.”
One thing Fratpietro has done in order to grow as a leader is hire a leadership coach. She described that as having a “huge impact” on her professional development because it helped her hold herself accountable for advancing her skills, her relationships, and, ultimately, her career.
“It’s almost like a game of golf, when you’re against yourself on the course and there are parts of your game that you really need to improve. Well, what are you going to do about that?” she said. “It’s the same if you want to work on your leadership skills or advance your career. What are you going to do about it? A current example from my career would be that I’m heading out to meet with lots of team members over the next few weeks in order to find out how I can help them in their roles. I’m branching out from my standard business development role to get a better understanding of how I can better interact with the team and improve my leadership.”
Before having a goal, it’s important to work out your ‘WHY?’ according to Fratpietro. When asked why she’s stayed at Canada Life for so long, Fratpietro said that not only does she “really enjoy” the role but she also understands the importance of her role for her clients across Canada. She works with corporate accounts and she’s seen first-hand the claims that would crush people if they didn’t have a benefit plan in place.
“I know the difference we’re making – it’s huge,” she said. “Plus, the interaction that I have with clients and with advisors - I enjoy that a lot - and working hard to develop the solutions to help those people is why I do what I do. That’s why I’ve stayed in this role, and that’s why I constantly challenge myself to reinvent it and to make myself better.
“I hope that attendees at Women in Insurance Toronto will walk away from the Taking a Risk panel knowing that they can strive towards something different – maybe it’s a new role completely, maybe it’s a leadership role, maybe it’s business development – whatever that goal is, I hope they have the confidence to go after it.”
Learn more about how to further your insurance career by attending Women in Insurance Toronto at the Arcadian Court in Toronto on September 09, 2020. To sign up, click here.
