Leadership Council

EPIC SYSTEM During our recent discussion, we reflected on the team’s readiness for the EPIC migration. We are truly impressed by the dedication and effort our team has shown in preparing for the 2/3/25 go-live date. While we feel as ready as possible, we acknowledge that challenges and unexpected situations will inevitably arise in the first year. A heartfelt thank you goes to everyone who has contributed to the process. Whether reviewing and cleaning data for conversion, evaluating workflows, or participating in various activities, each effort has helped us get as prepared as we can be.   We would like to remind all employees about an important upcoming training session. Derek Avera will be joining us on 1/13/25 at the Eden Prairie office to help prepare our mindsets for the system conversion. We strongly encourage everyone within driving distance to attend in person, though an online option will be available. If possible, we highly recommend attending in person—the more you engage in the learning experience, the more you’ll gain from it.   ‍

Spotlight on a 10-Year Vision:

• Go/No Go decision for a single system. If "Go," select and begin implementation.
• Clean up our data and establish consistent processes and protocols.

  ASSUREX UPDATE Charlie Christensen recently participated in a CEO Roundtable with over 10 other CEOs from different agencies. During the session, Charlie shared insights on how other teams are structured, how they recruit new producers, and how they maintain clean systems. Several organizations discussed conducting E&O audits to ensure their processes are functioning as intended. When issues arise, it’s either an opportunity for additional training or a chance to reset expectations. We’ll be sharing more details during our 1/13 Leadership Offsite and determining what (knowledge) nuggets we’d like to apply in our workflows.   ‍

Spotlight on a 2024 Initiative within the Products & Service Category:

• Engage and utilize benchmarking groups.
• Attend segment/department conferences to learn and build relationships with thought leaders in the insurance agency industry.

EPIC SYSTEM

The EPIC conversion remains our top priority for the entire organization. As outlined in our 2024 goals, we’ve committed to exploring a single system to improve decision-making through better data and streamline processes for future business operations. In November, we reviewed the progress of the conversion and discussed how to effectively communicate updates to the team, as well as how to support them in the months ahead.

We also explored leadership metrics to incorporate into EPIC dashboards, such as measuring sales velocity using EPIC data analytics. This idea was inspired by the Data presentation at the Assurex Global Leadership Conference (more on that below).

Spotlight on a 10-Year Vision:

• Go/No Go decision for a single system. If "Go," select and begin implementation.
• Clean up our data and establish consistent processes and protocols.

ASSUREX UPDATE

Tyler Simmons shared an update from the Assurex Global Leadership Conference he attended in October. During the conference, Tyler connected with leaders across the globe and deepened our relationship with Troy Johnson, a multinational leader at Assurex Global.

The conference highlighted the growing importance of segmentation and specialization as agencies scale. Key insights were also shared during the November Sales Meeting to further educate our sales team on the resources available through our Assurex Global partnership.

Spotlight on a 2024 Initiative within the Products & Service Category:

• Engage and leverage benchmarking groups.
• Attend segment/department conferences to foster learning and strengthen relationships with thought leaders in the insurance agency space.

In lieu of an Leadership October Update, we hosted the Fall Business Meeting on October 10.

For those who missed it, you can find the presentation here: 2024 Fall Business Meeting.pdf or watch the recording here: Fall Business Meeting-20241010_092746-Meeting Recording.mp4

GROWTH We continued our discussion about growth at Christensen Group. What things are working well as we grow and what things should we build better processes around to support our growth. While we don’t have any immediate decisions from this conversation, we landed on some questions that need more research.  We have built strong partnerships with Assurex Global companies and will use that network to continue to understand how other agencies support new and growing markets.

*Spotlight on a 10 Year Vision_: Adaptive Org Structure to Support Growth & Efficient Branch Operations _

FALL BUSINESS MEETING As a team, we determined key messages for our upcoming Fall Business Meeting on October 10. If you don’t have an invite, please ask Laura Wilde to forward it to you. We’re excited to share updates on CG’s Performance, progress towards the 10 year vision and 2024 initiatives, EPIC project updates and kickoff the 2024 Annual Review process. 

GROWTH We had an open discussion about growth at Christensen Group. What things are working well as we grow and what things should we build better processes around to support our growth. While we don’t have any immediate decisions from this conversation, we decided to bring the topic back to our September meeting. We’ll revisit again with more framework around sales, new markets, carrier relationships and employee onboarding.

*Spotlight on a 10 Year Vision_: Adaptive Org Structure to Support Growth & Efficient Branch Operations _

THE LAB UPDATE Each department leadership team will meet with The Lab to discuss findings on our Phase 1 work with the lab. This includes reviewing process maps and understanding where there is room for process improvements. Our goal is to understand what’s possible through both EPIC workflows and future automations. If we decide to explore an automated workflow, we’d likely pause on doing this work until after EPIC go-live. This is intentional to ensure we don’t add too much work and extra meetings during an already busy renewal season and EPIC project timeline.

*Spotlight on a 2024 Initiative within Operations category: Clean up our data and create consistent process and protocol.

ASSUREX UPDATE Ashley Kellerman, Kyle Simmons and Sam Olinger provided an update from the Assurex Operations conference they attended in June. Through the conference, they were able to learn about security practices, find other agencies to learn from in our EPIC transition and explore cultural and developmental tools used at other agencies. Sam Olinger presented on career pathing and development at Christensen Group. Sam recently shared the presentation with all the leaders at CG and you can expect an update from your manager on development opportunities in your area. *Spotlight on a 2024 Initiative within Products & Service category: _Assurex: Engage and utilize benchmarking groups, attend segment/department conferences to learn and build relationships with insurance agency thought leaders. _

ARDELLE UPDATE We discussed our nominees at the June Leadership meeting. We were thrilled with the amount of meaningful submissions and it was a difficult decision to make for the Leadership team. We can’t wait to celebrate all the nominees on the July 25 State of CG meeting. We will announce the winners during the meeting!   *Spotlight on a 2024 Initiative within People & Culture category: Launch a Service Recognition Incentive (to align with Sales Growth/Recognition incentives).