Antonio Canas, CPU, ARM
Financial Leadership Rotation Program (FLRP) Associate,Nationwide
Years at company:2.5
College: Iowa State University, BS ’06,MBA ’11
Organizations: National CPCU Society,CPCU Society New Designee Committee, Columbus CPCU Society Directorof Good Works, Nationwide’s Gen Y Associate Resource GroupCommunications Chair

Read Antonio’s previous nGI Q&A

How can employers recruit young talent?

Recruiting from the few RMI programs is the right place tostart, but they tend to be highly sought after so you need othersources also. As an industry we face an interesting dichotomy whereon one side we offer exactly the kind of career Gen Y favors [quoteMcKinsey Study] while ironically we suffer from a negativeperception as boring and being too traditional. There needs to beindustry-wide concerted efforts to market insurance as an excitingand rewarding career that is well aligned with Gen Y values.

How does technology fit into your workstrategy?

I’m a complete technophile. My day starts and ends with myiPhone, and my entire life is coordinated on Google Calendar. Ilisten to audio books or business podcasts during my commute.My websitealso plays a primary role in my digital strategy.

Who do you look toward as a mentor in thisindustry?

I studied several leaders in the company and the industry foundthat they shared a dedication to continuously growing themselvesand great people skills. I have been working on mirroring that inmy own career.

What legislative issues are you interestedin?

The National Flood Insurance Program and whether it willcontinue to be funded.

What are your main priorities as a young agent(work/life balance, charity support, legislative issues,etc.?)

My main priorities are professional growth, education, andkeeping a strong personal brand. Helping the industry recruit andretain the best young talent is also one of my passions.

How do you balance work and personal life?

As a single professional with no kids I’m embracing work/lifeimbalance for now. I love the work I’m doing, and I’ll continue toput in lots of hours as long as it continues to make me happy.

How does your office reflect how you work?

I struggle to keep my desk organized. It really reflects thefact that I’m juggling several projects at once and that as atechnophile I tend to accumulate papers and never look at themagain. This is something I’m constantly working to improve.

What is an important lesson you learned when joining aprofessional working environment?

I learned that it’s not just about getting the work done; youalso have to make sure the right people know what you’ve done andhow well you’ve done it. I also learned that regardless of howsmart you are networking is incredibly important, at the end of thegame, you can’t get everything done if you don’t have the team inplace to help you and support you along the way. Nobody can do itall by themselves.

What do you see Gen Y/Millennials struggle with in aprofessional environment? What advice do you have?

Realize that even if you’re part of the most educated generationever you still have a lot to learn and much of it can only belearned from experience. Be humble and appreciative of those whocame before you and are willing to share what they’ve learned.Realize that your personal brand matters and manage it from thebeginning. Finally, become a lifelong learner and an expert in yourfield. In insurance, we are very lucky because the educationalpossibilities to continue your training are almost endless. Don’tjust knock off your CE hours with the easiest class you can find,instead really focus on getting a quality technical education. EachCPCU test gives you 25 hours of CE!

Where do you hope to take your career? What directionwould you like your career to go?

I’m very open to different opportunities, but the goal is to geta very broad general management experience to best prepare me torun an insurance company.

Have you ever experienced any "generation gap" issueswith your carriers in terms of personal interaction or the productsthey offer?

It has been very surprising to find how outdated the computersystems in every company I’ve worked for are behind what I haveavailable in my personal life. Every insurance company needs to getits system to a place where interacting with the younger agentsfeels natural and intuitive to them; otherwise they’re likely totake their business elsewhere.

Many young agents enter this industry because otherfamily members work in insurance. What advice do you have whenworking with family?

I’ve never had to deal with working with family since mine isback in Costa Rica. I’d recommend they treat it like a normal job,from 8 to 5 it’s not “Dad” it’s the boss, treat him as such.

What do you see young agents struggle with in theirfirst years in this industry? What advice do you have?

I think the worst problem my generation has is short-termthinking. We are used to immediate rewards and that is very hard toget in the working world. They need to learn that their career is amarathon not a sprint and start investing early into making theircareer a long and successful one.

What sales strategies worked for you this pastyear?

Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. Make sure youillustrate the benefits of the product in a way they can relatewith and in simple terms. Tapping into your network for potentialclients is very powerful as long as you keep in mind that you’retrying to solve their problems, not just to make a sale. Don’tthink about what commission you’ll get from this sale but ratherabout how thankful they’ll be. Do the right thing and the moneywill follow.

What was the biggest challenge you faced as a youngagent, and how did you handle it?

Figuring out that this is a relationship based business, andit’s not about being the smartest person in the room, but ratherabout knowing how to create those connections and make the most outof them. Once I figured that out I started asking myself “What canI do for this person or company?” and my career just took off.

What do you see as your biggest strength in thisindustry?

My passion to understand it and improve it.

Similarly, what is your biggest weakness? How have youaddressed that weakness?

I have struggled with coming across as arrogant or cocky, afterreceiving feedback on this I have worked hard to come across asknowledgeable and confident without crossing the line. I’m verythankful to have managers and mentors who truly cared and werewilling to give me the tough, honest feedback to help meimprove.

What are some of your career highlights?

Currently my most treasured career moments are: Being featuredin the National CPCU Society’s The Edge publication and later inthe CPCU Society of Iowa’s newsletter. Getting to shake hands andintroduce Nationwide’s CEO during an event where he spoke to thecompany’s younger employees and getting selected for Nationwide’sFinancial Leadership Rotation Program, an amazing accelerateddevelopment program meant to accelerate the development of the nextwave of leaders in the company through cross functional rotationalexperiences.

How does social marketing make you a more productiveemployee?

Nationwide has an enterprise social network called Yammer. Ihave been very involved in helping it grow by recruiting people tojoin it, being helpful and coming up with new and innovative waysto create value on it. I post a daily motivational quote everymorning and I run a Gen Y Career advice column that has been verysuccessful. I’m also constantly recruiting other Nationwiders intothe CPCU program through the site and have made a name for myselfas the go-to person for those interested in the program. FinallyI’m currently working on launching “Walls of Nationwide”, acrowd-sourced initiative to celebrate the beautiful architecture ofour many buildings around the country, and “Ted Talks Talk” a groupto discuss interesting Ted Talks. I know my social networking hasworked when I introduce myself to someone and they say “You’re Tonyfrom Yammer!”

Antonio Canas was featured in the May 2013 issue of AA&B. He is an associatefor Nationwide.