How can insurers develop more women leaders? Four RGA executives share insights from their experiences and offer tips for women looking to step up on the career ladder.
RGA has cultivated a supportive environment where women can thrive in leadership roles.
This article contains snippets of wisdom from a recent episode of the InsHER podcast hosted by Megan Bell featuring four top RGA executives, who shared their insights on developing women leaders in the industry:
Sandi Hubert: Fifteen years ago, it seemed like it was typically only males who would speak up and advocate for you. It felt like everyone was competing for roles. Now, women are really lifting each other up, giving advice, and supporting each other to achieve the next level.
Stephanie Koch: Navigating a career is hard enough without tearing at each other. When we help each other, we definitely get further faster.
Laura Cockrill: It’s all about how we get things done together. It's never about how I succeed. It's very much about a team effort, one focus. We don't have a cutthroat mentality. It's about “How can I help you? How can you help me? And let’s just get it done.”
Tonya Blackmore: Culture runs deep. It's deeply rooted and persists because it's modeled throughout our organization. We don't carry a lot of ego, so collaboration comes naturally. When we're hiring, we really try to hire for cultural fit, so people who aren't collaborative probably wouldn't last very long.
Laura: It's about ensuring people feel comfortable talking about their ambitions. I want people to feel like they can talk to me about their ambitions or if they want advice on how to grow in their career. I regularly have people come to me for advice on how to message their goals or what they should do to get to the next level.
Tonya: As senior leaders and women, we're natural advocates. I'm always looking out for representation of women on projects, in succession planning, and among top performers. We need to advocate for talented women coming up behind us, making sure they get visibility, experiences, and challenging assignments that prepare them for senior roles.
Sandi: We need to cast a wider net when sourcing candidates, not just for women leaders but for broader diversity in all roles. We should be looking at new ways to reach potential candidates and showcase the opportunities in insurance.
Stephanie: We need to get the message out earlier about the types of careers available in insurance, even at the high school and college levels.
Stephanie: Be realistic. Sometimes we, as women, try to do it all. We need to be willing to ask for help and accept help when it's offered. Don't feel like you have to go it alone. Lean on your network and support system.
Laura: Trust your gut. Know what you can handle at that time in your life and don’t be super worried about the impacts down the road. Opportunities come and go all the time. Embrace those that you should embrace at that time. It's okay to say, “This is not right for me right now.”
Laura: You just have to go for it. It can be scary, and you might not feel totally qualified, but if you're comfortable, you're probably not challenged. If you're challenged, you're growing. There's never going to be a role that you're 100% ready for. You need to accept that and be willing to take the leap.
Sandi: Don't wait until you feel like you have mastered every aspect of a role. Look at your unique skill, your superpower or expertise, and line that up to what is needed for a new role. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Be bold and be brave.
Tonya: It doesn't matter how senior you become in an organization, you're still uncomfortable when you're taking on new tasks. Embrace that there is discomfort. It's part of growing; it's part of learning. And you need to rely on the skills that got you there – your intelligence, your ability to problem-solve, your relationship-building, your ability to learn. Those are the skills that you need to rely on to get through those moments.
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