As today's claim professionals deal with multiple catastropheclaims in addition to everyday claims, we are bombarded with avariety of news and social media signals. This bombardmentemphasizes the need to develop our communication skills as well asprovide value to our employers and customers. With Superstorm Sandyand Blue Ocean strategies, it's hard to keep up and keep your headabove water. And what about us? Don't we get to have an active sayin our careers? How can we plot a course through these rough seasand gain footing on career terra firma?

It's often not until we reach the sunset of our careers that wereflect on the decisions that got us there. Yet our careers—ourlives—are nothing if not the sums of the decisions we make (ordon't make) every day. Given that, how can we moreproactively manage our career outcomes?  

You can map your 21st century voyage by using these destinationpoints: 

Set goals. What's your final destination? Youhave to at least think about it before you launch. It'sokay to be flexible; create supporting, intermediate goals thatwork toward that final destination, understanding that youcan make adjustments. Maybe it's okay if you never arriveat your ultimate destination, as long as your journeyprogresses. Whatever your career goals are, tell peopleabout them. Your manager can't help you advance if she orhe doesn't know your goals. 

Track with professional development. Make thisa lifelong journey, and not a “once and done” trip. Targetthe type of training and development that supports you at everystop along your career journey, as  well as optimizes yourcontinuing education (CE) opportunities. The Institutes' Associatein Claims (AIC) designation provides practicaland relevant claims-handling skills and technicalinsurance knowledge to help you advance in yourcareer. 

Use mentoring. Are you a mentor? Are youwilling to be mentored? Consider both roles, including gettinginvolved with young people, and you'll be sure to benefit fromboth. 

Do you have klout? An article in the October29, 2012, edition of Fast Company magazine observed that in today's competitive business environment, thedifference between success and failure on the job is finding theproper balance between traditional intelligence and socialconnectivity—networking. Even the professional organizations you'reinvolved with should be online. In the new economy, hiringmanagers may increasingly favor those individuals with ahigh “klout score,” which measures social influence. If youaren't visible on social media, then you areinvisible. 

EQ or IQ? If you don't understand the question,then you need to navigate the 21st century workplace. Highconventional intelligence (IQ) is just fine, but you alsoneed to develop your emotional intelligence (EQ) to succeed in theworkplace. Working with people means working with their emotions aswell as your own. The foundational research on this topic was citedin Daniel Goleman's book, Working with EmotionalIntelligence. Recently, Forbes magazine reportedon research conducted by the Carnegie Institute ofTechnology, concluding that 85 percent of one's financial successwas because of skills such as personality, communication,negotiation, and leadership.  

Dare to be different. Are you willing to stepup in your company or in life when the need arises? Do youhave the skills, knowledge, and attitude (SKAs) needed tobe that “go to” person? Sometimes this means being willingto invest in yourself for training and education to develop thoseskill sets, even if your employer won't. Or havingthe courage to make a move to an employer that values thesame things that you do. For instance, are you a thought leader inyour field? Do you have passion for what you do? Can yoube relied on in times of crisis management? Is your workethic beyond reproach? Are your core values in sync withyour employer's? Are you customer-focused? Do you have fundoing what you do? If you weren't who you are right now,who would you want to be? 

Cultivate collective wisdom. Do you understandthe power of teamwork? You are not on this voyage alone.Surround yourself with a top-notch crew. Use them. Consultwith them. Develop better decisions together as a team than youever thought possible struggling onward alone. Crewmateswill change over time, and sometimes the conversations willbe difficult, but the storm clouds will always clear inthe end. 

Voice of the customer. If your customer wereone of many voices in the crowd, then would you recognizethat voice? How well do you know your customers? How closedo you stay to them? Do you understand andanticipate their needs? Are you gathering signals from themarketing periphery that could influence theirdecision-making? Do you share their hopes and dreams?Steve Jobs knew that customers ultimately do not careabout products per se—they care about what productsdo for them. He believed customers care about “…themselves, their hopes, their ambitions.”

So focus on the dream, not the product.Steve  Jobs once advised an executive who askedfor advice when charged with reinventing the Disney Storeproduct line to “dream bigger.” Hemmed in by an ocean of claims, asa claim professional, if you dream bigger, keep your handon the rudder, and your eye on the horizon, you, too, cansteer your career successfully to your ultimatedestination over the long term. 

Know your customers. Make their businessyour business. When handling a claim, you must learn about     the insured and theclaimant, but it should not stop there. For claims professionals,the customer includes your employer. In this day and age, it is notenough to be good at your job; you have to understand all facets ofthe company's business. For independent adjusters, success dependsnot only on doing a good job but also on being a well-runcompany. If you work  for an independent, then you shouldknow the ins and outs of your     employer's business aswell as the insurance industry. 

Embrace change. The amount of change that isoccurring in the claims profession is staggering. Technologychanges the way we do business and the courts change the meaningsof the policies. Be on the lookout for the next big change, such asdigital recorded statements, and try to ascertain the impact itwill have on you before it gets to you. 

Set high ethical standards for yourself. Be anexample to others of how to conduct your daily activities. Ethicsare defined as the principles of conduct governing an individual ora group. Each of us has our own set of ethics that we haveinternalized. In addition to what each of us has internalized, asadjusters we have to avoid conflicts of interest and use good claimhandling practices. Ethical issues confront adjusters every day.What I want to impress upon you is the direct connection betweenethics and professionalism. It does not matter whether you are aChartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) or a RegisteredProfessional Adjuster (RPA) with a code of professional ethics youmust follow.

Everyone who wants to be considered a professional should strivefor a high ethical standard. Too often, we do what is expedient andexpected, rather than standing up for what we believe to be right.The deserving professional is one who meets and maintains theethics standards and competency standards that are significantlyhigher than the minimums required by the profession. To support andencourage the study and practice of business ethics, The Instituteshave added an ethics requirement to all of our designationprograms. We believe that ethical behavior is critical topreserving the trust on which insurance transactions are based andthe public's trust in our industry as a whole.

Mary Ann Cook, MBA, CPCU, AU, AAI, is vice president ofknowledge resources for The Institutes in Malvern, Pennsylvania.The Institutes are the leader in delivering proven knowledgesolutions that drive powerful business results for the riskmanagement and property-casualty insurance industry. Cook can bereached at [email protected].