Raising the Standards:
A Speech by NAIFA President John Davidson
New NAIFA President John Davidson, LUTCF, made the following presentation during NAIFA's 2006 Annual Conference and Career Conference in San Francisco.
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Inspiration is a big part of why we meet every year. These past four days, we were moved by the dramatic accounts of our Multiline panel who survived tragedies and also by the realLIFEstories that touched our hearts.
We were inspired by John Maxwell and others, who challenged us to raise the standards in our leadership roles by conducting ourselves with integrity and purpose in all facets of life.
The camaraderie has been wonderful and the venue was spectacular. I certainly hope that you have enjoyed this meeting as much as I have. Now, it's time to refocus on the job ahead.
Rapid change is the new landscape of our lives, whether we like it or not. We must choose to manage change or change will manage us. NAIFA can and will manage this constant change by Raising our Standards of Leadership at all levels.
First, we must "Raise the Standards of Leadership" at the National level to conquer both internal and external challenges. Our main internal challenge is the very nature and governance of our own association. The Transformation Task Force that crafted the revitalization of NAIFA in 2002 has put us on a path of ever-evolving self-evaluation.
Our new Strategic Plan, "NAIFA in the 2001 Century," has already been put in motion right here in San Francisco with focus groups and individual interviews completed at this convention.
We will ask many more of you to participate in this vitally important research in the months ahead because this research will become the foundation of the crucial decisions about our governance, membership, and finances.
I would like all of you to take out a business card right now and make sure it has your email address and phone number on it, turn it over and write in your local association and the position you hold in your association.
Our goal is clear: Remain relevant at all levels and ensure NAIFA's vitality and growth in the coming years. Your elected leaders are ready and eager to work along side our professional staff at NAIFA headquarters and are ready to make the difficult decisions and necessary changes.
Our main external challenge is in remaining a strong, united voice in the halls of government.
As you know, we have just experienced a period of unprecedented legislative attacks on our profession and on the tax-favorable products that we provide for our clients.
With a growing national budget deficit, an increased demand on social benefits, and the uncertain, ongoing cost associated with protecting our homeland, the federal government really has limited options on where to go for revenue. So, regulatory and legislative issues will remain our battleground.
We have already come through some very difficult times together, and now we find ourselves at a new crossroads that will test our resolve.
The issue of meaningful and appropriate regulatory reform will occupy the attention of the industry for the next few years. We must take a stand that will be in the best interest of our clients, our association, and the future of our profession. I promise you that we will consider all of the facts very carefully as we formulate our position, and that we will communicate our process with you clearly.
Those are the challenges that we face at the National level. Together, we will stand strong. And, because of the way the world has changed in the new millennium, we will also prepare for the unknown.
But we must also "Raise the Standards of Leadership" at the State and Local Level, too. Our biggest internal challenge from the local perspective is membership. You've heard from our CEO, David Woods, about the consequences of our membership situation. Your board is committed to do whatever is necessary to reverse this trend.
I know that we can count on your support as we position NAIFA for decades of future growth. And we will succeed by being proactive, relevant, and resourceful.
Be proactive! By the time you return from this convention, we will already be two months into your leadership year. You should be implementing the plans that you formulated earlier this year. Put into use the ideas and insight that you gained from the NLC in April or from your state ALC meetings. Be relevant!
Recognize the specific needs of your local or state association and then deliver those bottom line benefits to your members. It is vitally important to keep NAIFA relevant to each member. Our member benefit package is already so rich that it is impractical NOT to be a member of NAIFA. It is available to ALL agents, and the challenge to each of us is to get the message out to members and non-members alike.
Be resourceful! Take advantage of the resources that NAIFA is already providing. Utilize many of the programs that have proven to be of such great value to our local and state associations across the country. Pursue the LILI program for leadership development. Implement the LSP for ongoing local association success planning. Create a Young Advisor Team program and reach out to newer agents who are the future of our industry.
What will you get? You'll get members who are stimulated and revitalized, and who value your association as part of their personal success strategy. Our biggest Local external challenge is strengthening one-on-one relationships with our legislators.
Remember, all politics is local. As my good friend Mike Dixon says, "We must be: insistent, persistent and consistent." That counts double for building relationships with our legislators.
Be personal! With the midterm elections just a few months away, we have an exciting and unique opportunity to strengthen our relationships with our legislators and educate the newly elected representatives about the value that our industry brings to our nation. Most of them really do not know.
Show the "The Fabric of America" video to your member of Congress. It is a compelling presentation that hits at the heart of what it is that we do in our industry and the far-reaching impact that our products have.
Be persistent! Don't forget that these are your representatives, if you don't know them yet; this is the perfect time to get to know them. They should be back in your district now preparing for the election. And, by the way, maybe they, or one of their staff, might just have an insurance or financial need you may be able to meet! (I have give you a sales idea!)
Our success in establishing solid, ongoing relationships with these legislators is the key to our strength as the premier grass roots organization in the insurance industry.
Last year we made a dramatic impression at the Baltimore Convention by sending 1,000 well trained members to Capitol Hill to deliver a united message. And you may have heard that plans are already underway to shut down the entire Washington D.C. Convention next year on Tuesday so that we can send nearly 2,500 members with a message that will resonate in the Halls of Congress for years to come: We are serious about protecting our client's futures and the future of our industry.
Finally, we must "Raise the Standards of Leadership" at the individual level. It all begins with you. You are the key to our success. You are the leaders that create the environment for success and who breath life, excitement and vitality into your membership.
That is our role, our mandate. One year at a time, one meeting at a time, one person at a time. You are the greatest member benefit that NAIFA has. And it is through your talents and enthusiasm that we will "Raise the Standards of Excellence" and be proud to proclaim, "I am a member of NAIFA."