The Agent Leader Podcast

I’m guessing there are some things in your life and in your business that you have put off because you didn’t feel you were ready. Maybe it’s calling the big prospect, or adding a new team member, or just launching a new campaign for you business. This could be due to the fear of failure, or maybe it’s due to lack of confidence. Regardless, at some point, to grow, you will have to begin to do thin...

Most insurance agencies talk and walk much the same. Many leaders ask me how to differentiate their agency in today’s marketplace. I truly believe that empowering leadership is often the primary advantage your agency has over another agency in todays’ competitive market. When you empower your agency team, you will improve the agency culture, build confidence, and most importantly, create a world-c...

At the very top-level of agency leadership develop is significance. My leadership mentor believes that only about 1% of organizations reach this level. After synergy, many agencies feel that they have accomplished their mission, but significance is the last step. Significance is where multiplication occurs. Leaders of significance develop and reproduce leaders who stay with the agency, help them r...

Leaders are learners. Leadership experts Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus wrote about the relationship between growth and leadership: “It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers.” There should be no goal to attend an event other than it provides you with greater ability to improve and build on your current progress every single day. It’s been...

We influence someone everyday of our lives. Is your influence positive or negative? There is no neutral. You are either adding emotional deposits into others lives or you are making withdrawals. Leadership is one thing…..influence. It doesn’t matter if you are influencing your team, your clients, or your community; you have the ability and responsibility to become a person of “positive” influence...

Every organization reaches their lid at various times. The key is to having the awareness to understand when you have hit your lid so that you can look at ways to improve your leadership. When most organizations are stuck they focus only on ways to work harder and dedicate themselves to success. While this is a noble pursuit, at some point, you will run out of time and energy for only a small leve...

How does the 30-second rule motivate people to achieve more? *Motivation helps people who know what they should do…to do it. *Motivation helps people who know what habit they should break…to break it *Motivation helps people who knows what commitments they should make…to make them *Motivation helps people who know what path they should take…to take it When you apply this rule, you will create more...

The question I ask you today is, “Are you ready to grow?” “Are you ready to maximize your potential?” Are you ready to be more, do more, and have more in your life?”

"There is a monumental difference in practice and deliberate practice." Deliberate practice builds good habits and prepares your for your next opportunity. Average practice usually reinforces bad habits and wastes valuable time.

I firmly believe that an insurance agent is a highly noble and critical profession. It is vital that the industry not only find new and young talent, but give the necessary tools to help new and young agents succeed. For new agents, understanding these three areas of why many agents fail will be critically important to make sure talented agents will be there in the future to serve others with pass...

Developing the mindset and learning the skill of connecting is the most profitable thing you can do for your business. When you increase your ability to connect, doors will unlock that you never thought possible. Connecting is truly all about others. You must get off your own agenda and try to understand your audience. When you improve your relationships, you will grow your business, discover new...

Effective leadership communication and influence, whether it’s with your team, your clients, or your company partners is 87% people knowledge and only 13% product knowledge. Think about that for a moment. 87% of our success is based on people knowledge, not product knowledge. Yet, insurance organizations spend the majority of their time training only the technical side of the business. Developing...

The 7 Traits of Authentic Insurance Leadership by Brent Kelly

Life is a series of stretches. Every stretch pushes you forward into growth. Abraham Maslow stated, “In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety.” You must stretch. You are wired to stretch. You were created to stretch and become the person you were designed to be. You are fully equipped and resourced, but you have to start. You just have to tak...

You can’t go up without first looking within. This starts with knowing your purpose. As author and speaker Simon Sinek says, “Why do you get out of bed everyday and why should anyone else care?” That is your purpose. Too often I see insurance professionals only focused on what they do and how they do it, but not really sure of why. As my mentor and leadership expert John Maxwell says, “What if you...

What 5 things could you do every day that would bring you the greatest return?

Growing agencies grow more leaders. Stuck agencies grow more followers As my mentor and leadership expert John Maxwell teaches in the Law of the Lid. “Your effectiveness will never surpass your leadership ability.” If your leadership skills are a 4 out of 10, your agency will never rise above a 4.

Can you communicate effectively what is is you do in a way that establishes you and your business as an irreplaceable value to those who could buy from you? If you haven’t already, begin to make a list of all the things your clients would lose if they didn’t have you as a business partner. Here is the kicker, you can’t list anything that someone else is doing or can do. What do you do that is uniq...

Momentum is hard to describe, but easy to identify. Momentum makes everything look bigger and brighter when working for you, and makes everything twice a difficult when it’s working against you. Your business is much the same way. Every small win, every accomplishment, every positive decision creates momentum.

In my continual study of developing my leadership skills and helping others become better leaders, I have found that one of the most challenging aspects of leadership is courage. Leaders are hard to find because as a leader you are accountable not only to yourself, but to those you lead and serve. So how can you become a courageous leader? Here are seven principles that are found in leaders who sh...

On a scale from 1-10, if you think that you are a 5, you will never perform at a 6 or higher. It just doesn’t work that way. As psychiatrist Nathaniel Branden states, “No factor is more important in people’s psychological development and motivation than the value judgements they make about themselves. Every aspect of their lives is impacted by the way they see themselves.”

Leadership is the ability to influence and one of the qualities of an influential leader is charisma. Charisma may seem like a God-given natural ability, but any person can display the traits and build charisma to positively attract others.

Doing or Being? by Brent Kelly

You will never be ready, but you must always be willing. When you want something bad enough, there will be times when you will have to act in faith and confidence even when you think you are not ready. What things are you waiting for?

To achieve anything worth significance, you must be willing to endure criticism Most of the criticism your receive you will have to block out, but you will also need to find the people you can trust who will offer you feedback even when it doesn’t always feel good. In fact, sometimes it will downright hurt.