March 15, 2012

DBH's New Group Mentoring Program Develops your Future Leaders

Through DBH’s close work with leaders across the insurance industry, it is clear to us that organizations are invested in developing future leaders.

We hear this from our clients, and we saw evidence of great passion for engaging future leaders when we facilitated the Griffith Foundation’s industry collaboration to engage the next generation, held in Atlanta last September.

It is refreshing and exciting to be part of an industry with many forward-thinking CEOs, who are energized about instilling strong leadership qualities in its next-generation leaders. DBH is deeply committed to this mission too, and is partnering with top CEOs in our industry to create a much-needed structured leadership development program that is designed to foster growth and lasting transformation among our future leaders.

There are plenty of high-quality training courses covering the more technical aspects of the insurance business such as coverage, risk management, underwriting, sales, and claims, to name a few. You will find many one-off leadership classes, which often have strong takeaways, but don’t have a lasting transformational impact once the training is over.

What’s been missing in our industry is transformational, formalized training and mentorship to develop top performers as they move up the ranks into leadership roles. The industry’s future depends on the quality of leaders who will move us forward in the coming years – and that is too important to leave to “on-the-job” leadership training. This is especially true in the agent broker community as agency principals prepare to perpetuate their business both financially and with future leaders.

So we created Emerging Leader Groups, which is a 12-month training and mentoring program that develops the critical skills required to be an effective leader, and provides ongoing mentorship that will seed the growth of future leaders.

Through this program, your emerging leaders will gain a deep understanding of the values, competencies and skills that leadership demands.

Participants get the rare opportunity to connect with a small group of high-performing peers over an extended period of time, generating learning, insights, fresh perspectives, and support for these future leaders. DBH’s skilled facilitation creates a group space that invites rich dialogue and ensures impact.

Each group has a veteran insurance-industry CEO participate in a mentor role, sharing their insights, career milestones and stories of their transition through the ranks to CEO. Future leaders can learn so much from these experienced CEOs who have been on the path and have taken their organizations to new levels.

We are offering several types of groups:

• High Potentials Group – Your young achievers who have caught your eye as top performers and show promise of growing into leadership roles. Or maybe they are already serving in a leadership role and would benefit from a focused development opportunity. The stronger these young leaders become, the more effective producers they will be – an effect that will ripple out into your organization. Next group begins April 23 (click the link at the bottom to learn more and register)

• Next-in-Line CEO Group – If your current CEO will be exiting the organization in the next 2-6 years, it’s time to begin working closely with the leader who has been identified to transition into the CEO role. This group will focus on the unique concerns of a CEO transition, and participants will have the opportunity to form key peer relationships that can support them over the years. Next group begins in June 2012 (click the link at the bottom to learn more and register)

• Customized In-House Group – You may prefer to form a group within your organization, tapping the mentorship of your own CEO Leader. We can tailor the program model to work with your specific goals, within your organization’s culture. Contact lberryman@dbhconsulting.com to set this up (click the link at the bottom to learn more about the program content)
  

It’s so vital to make leadership development a top priority, whether you are developing your next-in-line CEO, or the younger generation of high-potentials – it’s not too early to begin teaching them how to be better leaders as they mature in the organization. This kind of development will keep them engaged, build their confidence and ensure that you are setting up your next C-Suite generation for success.

To learn more about DBH’s Emerging Leader Groups program content, see the roster of participating CEO Leaders, and register for a group, please visit our Emerging Leader Groups page.