Dispelling the Myth of the Shallow Talent Pool, Discovering a Deep Beautiful Blue Pool of Fantastic People

"There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together to work toward the same goals."
— Idowu Koyenikan

Happy Tuesday, it's a balmy 5 degrees here; the sunrise is making up for the low temperatures, amazing morning light show. I've got my 30-ounce YETI filled with ice-cold water; my coffee is to my right, dark and rich. My fireplace is kicking out some excellent heat, and my massage belt is working my lower back.

We had a great Monday; we had an interview with a prospect, we liked her, we are going to push her to step two. I've never interviewed so many people in my life, but it's fun; I'm meeting great people all over the country; I've learned that to have a successful company, you need to have a bench of talent ready and willing to join your team. So interview for the future is our new motto.

I think most people believe the talent pool is shallow, but I will tell you the talent pool is very, very deep; you just have to get off your ass and start looking for good people. So how does one find great people? There are many great tools for finding people. Choose your favorite platform, get an ad set, and wait for the resumes to roll in.

We use a three-step process in mining for talent; our first virtual meeting with is a couple of top producers and me, we frame it as a conversation, it's about who we are and who they are, and after that, we decide if we push them through to round two. In round two, operations and account managers take a deep dive into their skill set, attitude, past work experience, etc. If all agree, we have a couple of tests, and we offer and then use the test results to pick the person for the open spot on the bench. Then, as we grow, we can reach out to our talent pool and say, "you're up!"

Using this approach, I can find great talent, and if the person is looking for immediate employment and we don't have an open spot, I will connect great candidates with some of my other agency owner friends. For example, yesterday, we had a fit for an open position; we decided to hire who we thought was the best fit, but our second place was also excellent, so I sent out his resume, and I think one of my friends in the Midwest is going to reach out, I think he might be a good culture fit for my friend. So, hopefully, I made a connection.

Recruiting is something I've never focused on, but I'm having a blast connecting with insurance professionals all over the country. We had our management meeting yesterday with our business coach, and we began talking about training. We do a good job, not a great job of training. Thus our requirements to join our team are multiple years of experience in our given discipline.

I look for loyal people; you get selected if you have been with the same firm for over five years. Job jumpers or disloyal folks are not a fit for our culture. One of our newer team members had been with her current firm for fifteen years and decided to join the Rolling Stones of the Insurance Industry. If you build a unique culture, allow for the ability to work from home or join an office community, people will be open to joining your team.

Regarding the training, one idea our management team recommended was my other company, the Insurance Sherpa, expanding our offerings to include training for account managers. I would need to find a trainer, but offering this service to insurance agency owners would help me separate my training company from all others. I'll start looking to hire a trainer in the coming months; I'll teach the producers, and "Mary Jane" will work with the service staff, building consistency within insurance agencies.

As I was writing this word soup, I noticed that someone was on our Indy front porch. So I turned on the RING and watched an Indianapolis Police Officer escort a man off our porch. Thank you, IPD, for managing our house while we are away. We are starting to get a few more folks stopping by sitting on our porch; most look homeless, I feel sorry for them, but gang, please stay off our property. The Wheeler Mission has excellent programs if you can follow their rules.

Checking in on the news, President Biden will ban the importation of Russian Oil today. It is a wise move, but gas will soon be unaffordable to many. Mayor Pete spoke to this yesterday and said if you are upset about gas prices, you should just go out and buy an electric car. I think this could be labeled a Marie Antoinette moment. The average cost of an electric vehicle is $55,000.00, a little out of the budget for most middle-income families. I am sorry to say I think things will get a lot worse before they get better; I hope I'm wrong.

For my regular readers, I apologize; I thought it important to give some real-world experience about adding talent to one's team. I could teach a class on finding talent and the value of testing; let me know if you need help. I've had a few conversations with business owners the past couple of weeks; I'm here to help.  

Another beautiful day, the sun is out, the sky is blue, the winter wonderland below reminds me that something bigger than myself is at work, all the time, we are never alone. I hope you are in a good place; I hope you are enjoying your journey and if not, enjoy the ebb. Life ebbs and flows, and it is essential to remember to enjoy both today I'm flowing and I'm having the time of my life.

"He who masters the power formed by a group of people working together has within his grasp one of the greatest powers known to man."
— Idowu Koyenikan