When you think of customer experiences you have had with yourcable company, phone company, or services run by a governmentalentity, what are your typical feelings?

If you are like many, the words frustrated, annoyed, or maybeeven dreadful come to mind.

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I had a recent phone conversation with my cable company tochange my billing information for our monthly automated payment.Our debit card was compromised and I needed to give them updatedpayment information.

I thought this would be a simple conversation. Somethinglike, “Hi my name is Brent and I need to update ourautomated payment information because our current debit card wascompromised.” Then they would say, something like,“No problem, sorry to hear about that, let’s take care of thatright now.”

I should have known better.

Instead, this seemingly simple 3-minute phone call turned into a30-minute frustrating experience. I was told that I could notupdate the information from the phone and that I needed to login toan online account. The problem was that this online account wasattached to an email that I no longer had access to and I didn’teven know existed. I politely them told them that I didn’t know thecredentials to access this account and that I would be unable tomake any changes online unless they could help me with my onlinelogin access.

I was then firmly told that they could not do that as thatinformation would be sent to my email address. Again, I told themthat the email address was with a previous employer that I nolonger had access to. I asked if I could have it sent to anotheremail address, or if I could get new login information, or if therewas ANY other way to resolve this situation.

Remember, my goal was to make sure that they receive MYMONEY!

Finally, I asked the service representative if there was anyoneelse I could talk to and finally . . . after about another 10minutes, spoke to a supervisor. After explaining my entiresituation again, I finally was told that they could indeed makethis change on the phone. Say what! After all this time, you nowtell me that you can collect my new payment information on thephone?

Why? Because the first person I spoke with wasn’t empowered tomake that change on the phone. That was their policy. When peoplearen’t empowered to make basic decisions, it leaves everyonefrustrated.

People or policies?

The problem with the leadership at this cable company, which alsooccurs at many insurance agencies is that the focus is on the wrongthing.

Processes are important, but never more important than thepeople needed to carry out the process. High-achievinginsurance agencies understand that the emphasis shouldprimarily be on their people, not policies or procedures.

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Successful insurance agencies believe in their people, theyencourage them to achieve excellence and they release them to doit.

Author and leadership expert Tom Peterssays, “Techniques don’t produce quality products or pickthe garbage up on time; people do, people who care, people who aretreated as creatively contributing adults.”

What it means to empower others

My mentor and leadership expert John Maxwell states,“People under the influence of an empowering person are like paperin the hands of a talented artist. Not matter what they’re made of,they can become treasures.”

An agency that understands the effectiveness of empoweringothers realizes that true leadership is about working with and throughpeople. Growth agencies focus on helping their entire teamreach the highest levels in their personal and professionaldevelopment.

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Often agency leaders are hesitant to give away their power toothers on their team. It could be due to the fear of them making amistake or simply losing their power and authority.

Think of a lighting a candle. When you light another candle witha lit candle, your candle doesn’t go out, it simply creates anotherlit candle. That’s the magic of empowering others.

Steps to effectively empower your team

Let me be clear, empowering others in your agency is not a quick oreasy task. Nothing happens overnight and you must be selective inwho and where you will pour your time and energy.

Here is a 7-step checklist you can use to empower others on yourteam to reach greater levels of personal and agency success.

1. Evaluate them.

All people have the potential to succeed. Your job is to evaluatethat potential, understand their strengths and weaknesses, andbegin to equip them with what they need. This requires evaluatingtheir knowledge, skill and desire.

2. Model for them.

Even if people that you want to empower have the necessaryknowledge, skills, and desire, you must still be a model and showthem the way.

As a father of four children, I can clearly test that people dowhat people see. If I tell my children to remain calm while I amacting nervous and upset, the words are meaningless. The same istrue with your team.

You can’t lead people effectively without first modeling the wayyou desire them to lead.

I learned this first hand as a young agent. I had been throughnumerous sales and product training classes, but it wasn’t until Iwent on appointments with other high performing sales producers that I trulybegan to grow and develop as a producer.

I wasn’t told what to do or how to do things on theseappointments. I simply watched first hand from other leaders whowere modeling success. I learned about work ethic, communication,service and persistence. These first-hand lessons empowered me tobecome a better agent in my career.

3. Give them permission to succeed.

As a speaker, trainer, and coach, I realize that not everyone wantsto succeed at the same level I do, and that can become frustrating.I know the same is true for many agency leaders in working withtheir team.

However, one of the keys in empowering others is to first givethem permission to have success. Great leaders transfer theirconfidence to others through their attitude, their words andactions.

When you truly believe in others, they will begin to sense itand over time will begin they can accomplish more than they everthought possible.

4. Transfer authority to them.

Management expert Peter Drucker said, “No executive hasever suffered because his subordinates were strong andeffective.”

Your agency will only become strong and effective when you giveothers the opportunity to make decisions, initiate action, solveproblems, and meet challenges. This is especially true today asemerging leaders (millennials, and more) are continuously lookingfor ways to make their mark and make a difference.

Related: 22 ways to make insurance customers feelvalued

As your team becomes more effective in certain areas, start tolook for more difficult assignments. I was told that once that ifsomeone can do a job 80% as well as you do, it’s likely time todelegate it

5. Publicly show your confidence in them.

Belief drives behavior. When you publicly show confidence in othersyou are building their belief, which in turn produces moreprofitable actions.

I recall being at an insurance client meeting with my agencyprincipal several years ago. During the meeting, he edified meseveral times during the meeting in front of the client. Not onlydid that raise the confidence level of the client in my ability,but internally, my confidence level skyrocketed.

Because my boss would consistently praise me in public, I wantedto prove even more that I would live up to those expectations.

When you show confidence in your future leaders and theirfollowers, you will find that they quickly become empowered tosucceed.

6. Supply them with feedback.

Empowering others doesn’t mean telling people just what they wantto hear. Leadership is about telling the truth while allowing forgrace.

Making new mistakes should be encouraged, but repeating mistakesis a sign that you are not supplying them with honest and positivefeedback. Provide consistent and clear feedback at all times.

7. Release them to continue on their own.

One of the biggest responsibilities I feel as a parent is to equipand empower my children to become fully functional adults, who atsome point will no longer need me to make decisions on theirbehalf.

I will always be there as a father to encourage and assist mychildren well into adulthood, but they need to develop fullresponsibility and authority for their own lives.

As an agency leader, your goal should be to equipmembers of your team to a level where they no longer require yourinput in every decision. That is true empowerment.

The results of empowerment for your agency

Let’s face it, most insurance agencies talk and walk much the same.Many leaders ask me how to differentiate their agency in today’smarketplace. I truly believe that empowering leadership is oftenthe primary advantage your agency has over another agency intoday's competitive market.

When you empower your agency team, you will improve the agencyculture, build confidence, and most importantly, create aworld-class experience for your clients and company partners.

Let me wrap up with a powerful quote from leadership professorFarzin Madjidi that sums up the importance of empowerment:

"We need leaders who empower peopleand create other leaders. It’s no longer good enough for a mannerto make sure that everyone has something to do and is producing.Today, all employees must 'buy in' and take ownership of everythingthey are doing. To foster this, it’s important that employeesshould make decisions that most directly effect them. That’s whothe best decisions are made. That’s the sense of empowerment."

Brent Kelly is akeynote speaker, trainer, coach, and certified partner with theJohn Maxwell Team. He provides inspirational and purposefulbusiness growth for insurance professionals. You can connect withhim at www.brentmkelly.com or email himat [email protected].