Women in insurance are accelerating into leadership roles, setting boundaries at work

More than 100 women gathered in San Diego to discuss their experiences, network and learn during Digital Insurance's Women in Insurance Leadership conference on Dec. 8.

Sessions focused on how to negotiate pay, gender parity, setting boundaries at work and accelerating women into leadership roles.

Leaders
Debra Dunn, senior vice president, property general manager at USAA, said: “If you are in this room, you should be advocating for someone. It takes a community. How much more confident are you when you walk into a room and see a friendly face?”

Dunn spoke during, “How to accelerate women into leadership roles on board and the C-suite.”

The idea of creating a community was a running theme during the conference and several speakers mentioned confidence as a necessary skill for leaders.

Angela Klett, senior vice president, corporate development at Nationwide, said that at times people tend to lean too much on letting their work speak for itself.

“I have always operated like that,” she said, during the session. “I’m here because of that but at some point, you have to be able to talk about yourself and tie together your thought leadership, strategic thinking and the outcomes that come from that.”

Klett added that being able to tie the message together like that takes confidence and work.

Boundaries 
Kathleen Ellis, senior vice president at CNA International, said she is comfortable being vulnerable and sharing with her team. Ellis spoke during, “How to talk about mental health, wellbeing and set boundaries at work.”

“Being authentic and sharing things that are happening around you or experiences you’ve had make people realize they can trust you,” she said, adding that in the past feeling safe and comfortable with an employer or a manager may have been difficult. “We need to feel comfortable sharing more and helping others share.”

Mary Policky, vice president of employee benefits at USI Insurance Services, also spoke during the session. She said there have been real conversations happening about creating a safe space for people at work.

Policky often flips the typical, work/life balance phrase to life/work balance because she believes it’s important to have that clear priority.

“Life should be the most important thing and work should be geared toward that,” she said.

Ellis added that she is a person who loves working but she forces herself to step away.

“I make sure I don’t send things on weekends even when I want to,” Ellis said. “Once you send an email, you set people off. There is an added pressure to show that you’re always responding and available but take your time off.”

Ellis said she sees work culture changing and she believes that “we’re going to be better organizations and better people.”

Mentorship
During, “Inclusion & allyship: How to find the right sponsor/mentor,” several speakers discussed their experiences finding career help.

Sandy Ball, chief people officer at Aspida, said there are many opportunities available for mentoring moments.

“There are so many experiences we have to share,” Ball said. “I tell my kids, learn your mistakes vicariously through other people.”

Ball suggests creating a board of directors or a group of people who fit into various needs like a career coach, a person focused on development, a good listener to vent to, someone who will speak harsh truths.

Alex Ranney, area vice president at Gallagher, likes the idea of a board of directors but it is important to constantly be rethinking who is on your board and to make sure you have the right allies, mentors and sponsors for your goals.

Danielle Nichole Larsen, head of operations and systems for property and inland marine at Everest Insurance, said during the session that a good fit is important too when building career connections.

“Every leader might be helpful for someone but not necessarily for you,” Larsen said. “Find people who you find inspiring.”

Larsen added that it is a mentee's responsibility to have goals and an agenda in mind when meeting with a mentor.

Money
Kate Dixon, founder of Dixon Consulting and author of “Pay UP: Unlocking the Secrets of Salary Negotiation,” led a session, “How to negotiate your pay and ask for a raise?”

Dixon works with people on these specific challenges. She said that some people don’t feel comfortable negotiating pay and asking for things.

Dixon has a formula that can make the process simpler. It includes expressing delight for the job offer, asking questions, making requests and then ending on an up note.

Dixon suggests to her clients that they have a script written out and they practice it.

For example, Dixon suggests considering saying this during negotiations: “My research shows that jobs like this are paid a range of X to Y in the market and based on my experience I’m targeting the higher end of that. How close can we get?”