Since 2004, our risk management and insurance agency has invitedour valued colleagues in the underwriting community to join us onetime each year at our “National Holiday Celebration.” While theexact nature of this “national holiday” has become somewhatobscure, the reason for the celebration becomes clearer to me witheach passing year. Getting together gives us a chance to thank ourunderwriters and referral partners for their steadfast support,while celebrating our mutual partnership.

With this year's celebration now in our rearview mirror, Ihave been reflecting on the vital importance of all our agency'spartnerships with underwriters, insureds, employees andvendors.

In the absence of a productive partnership, very little work canget done. We need look no further than Washington, D.C., where theinability of the Republican and Democratic parties to forge aworking partnership has resulted in massive gridlock. Before thetwo parties can even begin to untangle the federal government'sfiscal labyrinth, they must first forge a productivepartnership.

It has been said every journey begins with a single step. Infollowing the steps along a successful journey, we often see a blurof footprints. In our agency business we can trace the footprintsof our agency partners, insureds, employees, underwriters and manyothers who are vital to our ability to do business.

In all shared journeys to a common goal, to partner you mustbegin with a relationship. At what point does a relationshipbetween an underwriter and an agency or an agency and their insuredbecome a partnership?

These are the relationships characterized as including a highlevel of trust. In some instances, this can take years toestablish. During days, weeks and months of working together,agents and underwriters, or agents and their insureds, form a bondof trust as they realize they can depend on each other to speakaccurately about the facts and provide unflinching advice andsupport.

In other instances, a high level of trust can be reached betweenpeople who have known each other for only a short time. Ask anyveteran about the people in his or her unit, no matter how long agothey served, and they will recount details about persons not seenin years. It is the result of a bond built on shared sacrifice andtrust.

Trust is not time sensitive. It can build slowly over time, likegood single malt scotch, or it can be placed on a fast track, liketwo souls in a foxhole, scared to death and utterly dependent oneach other.

Of course, in some instances, little more is needed from therelationship. While it may be a nice bonus to trust your drycleaner or handyman, you usually don't expect more than technicalcompetence. There are times, though, when a relationship requires alevel of trust before it can reach its full potential. Inasymmetrical knowledge transactions, where one party counts on theother for information—such as a broker and her client, or anunderwriter and his agent—it is a foundation stone. But sometimes,it just doesn't happen.

Why do some relationships evolve to a level of trust, whileothers never reach this favored state?

Trust can be lost, or never found, for many reasons, includingdeceit and self-interest that doesn't allow for the interest ofothers. In my experience, a lack of transparency deters trust inthe insurance profession. These are the instances when we suspectsomeone we are dealing with has not fully embraced the benefits offull disclosure. In the agency world, it could be when the wordingon an endorsement from a carrier isn't fully revealed, or when aclient doesn't provide full disclosure about certainexposures.

A lack of transparency can sometimes be the result ofinexperience. When someone doesn't fully understand the product orservice he is selling, he may wish to hide his ignorance byavoiding detailed explanations. While this is understandable, it'snot forgivable.

What is neither understandable nor forgivable is when a personknows better, but deliberately conceals the full set of facts. Thisperson seeks to deceive the other party; depriving him of the thingevery person deserves: the truth. While there may be short-termprofit in such a relationship, there is no long-term value.

During my career as an attack helicopter pilot for the U.S. Armyand later, as a businessperson, I have had many wonderfulpartnerships—from helicopter mechanics whom I trusted with my life,to business partners, staff, underwriters, clients and professionaladvisors. What characterizes each of these partnerships is awillingness to share the truth and a commitment to excellence. Allof my partners generously share information, ideas, advice,guidance, resources, time and more. A good partner will bravelytell the truth, even when the truth is uncomfortable. This partnerwon't stop there, though. Instead, he will help to developsolutions leading to a more favorable outcome.

In addition to a willingness to share, a good partner is alwaysready to place the interests of others ahead of his own interests.Revenue goals, new business targets and personal achievement are ofno interest to a true partner when they do not result in mutualwell being. And here's the happy irony: When one partnerseeks the well being of another, both parties benefit. Partnershipsare symbiotic relationships. When partners treat each otherhonestly and selflessly, partnership thrives.