Sounding Board

• The Multi-Faceted Path to Leadership

  By Demmie Hicks  |  April 25, 2012

  When you consider your organization’s approach to leadership development, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

• Lessons from Oz

  By James R. Hackbarth  |  March 28, 2012

  Each independent agent has a Yellow Brick Road to follow with plenty of uncertainty and challenges.

• Implementing NRRA

  By Brady R. Kelley  |  February 27, 2012

  In the 18 months since Congress passed the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act (NRRA), the NAPSLO Board, Legislative Committee and staff have been hard at work, with the help of stamping offices and state associations, advocating for the law’s proper implementation.

• Different is Good

  By Leonard C. Brevik  |  February 1, 2012

  If the late Steve Jobs had thought that the best way to succeed in the computer business was to emulate IBM or Microsoft performed, hundreds of millions of people today would not be using iPhones and iPads.

• Build Strong

  By Brent Bahler  |  December 21, 2011

  2011 is in our rearview mirror, but that huge sound of relief coming from the insurance industry has been heard before.

• The Death of Agent Customer Service?

  By Bernd G. Heinze, Esq.  |  December 1, 2011

  There is a developing current of debate in today’s sale of insurance products that due to economic constraints and market dynamics, the buyers of insurance are now focused solely on price—and that customer service is a thing of the past.

• You and Technology: A Beautiful Friendship

  By Gregory A. Maciag  |  November 1, 2011

  Technology isn’t the enemy. It also is not the silver bullet for all that ails a business. So what is it?

• Pay it Forward With Customer Service

  By Anita Z. Bourke, CPCU, AINS  |  October 1, 2011

  Do you remember the last time you received really great or really bad customer service? Think about those interactions. How did they make you feel about the company?

• Let's Move NRRA Along

  By Ken A. Crerar  |  September 1, 2011

  It’s been particularly frustrating to watch what has been happening with the state implementation of the Dodd-Frank provisions regarding surplus lines insurance—the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act.

• Prepare to Exit

  By Tim Cunningham  |  August 1, 2011

  Agency principals have left thousands—and in some case millions—of dollars on the table by failing to properly prepare to exit their businesses.