082: Crafting a Business Culture with Emily Kenna

Changing the Conversation: The People in Insurance

Are you a new business owner, or intrigued by the possibility? Are you unsure about the nuts and bolts of ‘work culture’, and how it can be effectively constructed in a new business?

In this episode, we’re thrilled to be speaking with Emily Kenna, founder of Sense Risk Solutions, a community broker aiming to provide high quality advice and support to corporates when managing their risks and insurance. In conversation with Boston Tullis’ Sarah Myerscough, she explains the importance of establishing a welcoming, encouraging, and challenging work culture within your business. This is accentuated by her desire to empower the next generation of insurance professionals, and she describes various ways in which businesses can facilitate this goal.

Quote of the Episode

“To develop a culture… bring in a network of people to challenge you. Think about how you go about making decisions and [determine] what's the right thing to do. I'm always open to listening to people, and I find it amazing to get those different viewpoints. I hope, as our business grows, that that diversity of thought through the people that we employ will be the making of us.”

Work culture is an intrinsically nebulous concept. It emerges, first and foremost, through the relationships between people. If an open environment is fostered within a business, with opportunities for discussion and debate regarding different strategies and ideas, your staff will be more willing to express their own individual ideas. Enabling ‘diversity of thought’ within your business in this manner will eventually heed great results, and will create a satisfying work environment in which everyone’s opinions and suggestions are heard and valued.

Key Takeaways

When Emily’s son was born, and subsequently diagnosed with nonverbal autism, her approach to collaboration and communication within the industry fundamentally shifted. She recognised that we’re all wired differently; we all have different methods, ideas, and approaches, none of which are intrinsically superior to any other. Achieving a work culture such as that articulated above may seem to be a utopian notion, but it can be achieved by implementing an environment guided by and imbued with empathy.

Another means of creating a positive work culture, particularly in a new business, would be to enable one’s staff to invest in their work/life balance. Emily recognises that business growth is not a sprint, but a marathon, and that, as long as achievable end goals are in sight and are being actively worked towards, staff should not feel encouraged to overwork themselves to the detriment of their personal lives.

Emily is also highly passionate about providing the next generation of insurance professionals with the tools to succeed. It’s easy to feel out of one’s depth in the broking world. The next generation should not be made to feel discouraged from entering our sector by this. As such, Emily advocates for mandatory professional qualifications, similar to those introduced in the financial advisory sector, giving new graduates or apprentices a grounding in the industry, and empowering them by testing their knowledge and affirming their understanding.

Best Moments/Key Quotes

“I love our sector. I think it's a really fascinating sector. So many people fall into it. And I don't know why so many people fall into it as opposed to choose it. I don't think we advertise it well enough.”

“We're all wired differently and [we need] to be more accommodating around that. I have to challenge myself on this all the time – ‘why has that person reacted that way?’”

“Ultimately, the most important thing is that it would be positive for the client if you've invested in your staff, and got them up to a certain level. Nobody gets experience overnight.”

“We should really be advising our clients around all their risks, and insurance is just a risk transfer mechanism. But I do see us more as risk advisors, and insurance as a way to transfer risk. So, I think qualifications are a really good way to test knowledge and to feel empowered yourself, when you've had your knowledge tested.”

Resources

Sense Risk Solutions - https://senserisksolutions.co.uk/

About the Guest

Emily Kenna is the founder and director of Sense Risk Solutions. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in the industry, beginning as a graduate trainee for Zurich, before entering the broking sphere.

Emily’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilykenna/

About the Host

Sarah Myerscough is the Sales and Marketing Director of Boston Tullis Group. The founder of The Insurance Brokers Podcast, she brings a wealth of marketing experience and a fresh perspective on marketing in the insurance sector. Boston Tullis works with insurance brokers to offer solutions to business development ceilings, particularly in the rapidly developing fields of video marketing and thought leadership.

Website: https://bostontullis.co.uk/

Evaluation Link: https://s.bostontullis.co.uk/s/podcasteva