It can be hard to progress your career when you’re not being “seen”. How do you build strong working relationships from behind a computer screen? How do you put in that extra little bit of effort to get noticed by your manager when you’re also home schooling your children, caring for relatives, and dealing with all of the other daily distractions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic?
While COVID-19 has thrown up some unprecedented challenges, it has also presented many opportunities for professionals to stand-out and be “seen,” according to Jodie Kaufman Davis (pictured), corporate vice president at H.W. Kaufman Group and managing director of Burns & Wilcox Canada, a speaker at this Thursday’s Women in Insurance Toronto event.
“Don’t get lost in the background,” she said. “That’s something I tell individuals, both in-person and in a virtual world. It’s really important to take initiative, to utilize your voice, to speak up and take risks, and when you’re working from home, don’t hide behind the screen. Showing up by video is something we’ve been really pushing for at Burns & Wilcox. If there’s an option to participate in a call or a meeting by video, whether it’s internal or with a client, we encourage all associates to show up by video. It’s also important for associates to show up professionally and to present themselves as they would if they were attending a regular in-person meeting. I’ve found that has definitely made a difference and that it can really enhance relationships.”
Kaufman Davis acknowledged the struggle that some professionals, especially those who are striving to advance their careers, are feeling as a result of the pandemic. She said: “It could be deemed there’s been a bit of a halt on an individual’s ability to develop their career because they’re not in person and they’re not being ‘seen’.” But the managing director also stressed that a little bit of extra effort in the virtual environment – including presenting yourself on camera – can be a real asset in relationship building and career development.
“At the start of the pandemic, the leadership team at Burns & Wilcox Canada called everyone in the organization multiple times to check-in and make sure they were OK and had everything they needed to work remotely,” Kaufman Davis told Insurance Business. “Even if they were individuals with whom we did not regularly converse, we made sure to reach out to them so that they became comfortable communicating with us. I had one young woman who called me on a Friday evening just to ask how my family was doing and to wish us a nice weekend. That really stood out to me because she was young and very junior in her career, but I know she wants to develop and that she’s trying to build relationships.
“Taking initiative, reaching out, and continuing to build your relationships internally and externally is absolutely critical at this time. We’re currently in re-start time, with kids going back to school and so on. This is a good opportunity for our associates to check in with our clients and see how they’re doing. They don’t need to have a specific business purpose; they can simply check in to see how the client’s summer is going, or how the back to school situation is looking for them. Just connecting with people on a human-to-human front will help to build relationships, and clients will remember that for a lifetime. I think doing that will enhance an individual’s career into perpetuity.”
One area where Kaufman Davis has been excited by the amount of virtual collaboration and communication throughout the pandemic has been within women in insurance circles. She said that both within Burns & Wilcox and in the industry as a whole “the pandemic has been an equalizer” in that every single person is working remotely and networking from behind a screen. In essence, the playing field has been levelled.
“It removes situations like entering into a room full of people you don’t know or feeling too junior for the room. Everyone is remote when they come into these calls. It’s a much different environment, and I’ve found that it has really enhanced the ability for individuals at all levels – in particular, women – to network, communicate and collaborate,” Kaufman Davis said. “I’ve seen that on a number of internal calls and at virtual industry events, and it really excites me because I can see the incredible potential in our industry. I can see on my screen all of these bright women who really want to make a difference in the industry, either by coaching, mentoring and developing others, or by being coached, mentored and developed.”
Even though the coronavirus pandemic has thwarted traditional in-person calls, meetings and networking events, there has been a boom of progress in the virtual environment. Kaufman Davis pointed out: “There are many ways to present yourself and to continue developing your career even though you’re not physically present with your team on a regular basis. I’ve participated in and worked on a number of industry events that have been open to anyone and everyone to advance their careers even though we’re in a virtual environment.”
Jodie Kaufman Davis will be speaking on ‘Taking a Risk – How do you further your career’ at this Thursday’s (September 17) Women in Insurance Toronto – a virtual event. Find out more here.
