It’s a possibility that Yiana Stavrakis (pictured) is aware of nicely as the top of an insurance coverage firm. “The extra you bear [the problem-solving process], the extra you notice a mixture of social and analytical expertise are required,” noticed Stavrakis, president of Monarch E&S Insurance coverage Companies.
That blend of social and analytical expertise contains emotional intelligence, teamwork, and sound decision-making. “Not as soon as have I successfully solved an issue in a vacuum,” Stavrakis admitted. “A singular perspective will result in incorrect assumptions, incorrect decision-making, and in the end an absence of credibility. The issue-solving course of takes longer utilizing a staff method, however the outcomes are all the time value it.”
Earlier than becoming a member of Monarch in 2020, Stavrakis supplied strategic gross sales and advertising steering as chief gross sales officer for Specialty Program Group. However her insurance coverage journey began with Metro Insurance coverage Companies, an actual property MGU, the place she honed her underwriting and claims administration expertise.
She is amongst a stellar line-up of insurance coverage leaders talking at the Girls in Insurance coverage Summit in San Francisco subsequent month. Because the chief of a full-service MGA and wholesale brokerage, she applies her personal five-step problem-solving course of on the job, which she shared with Insurance coverage Enterprise. Step one, she stated, is figuring out the issue whereas guaranteeing an surroundings of transparency and open-mindedness.
“I strive to not soar in charge and even solutions instantly, so my staff feels snug coming to me with points and are engaged in serving to discover a answer,” she careworn.
The second step is contemplating attainable options and forming a working group of stakeholders to collaborate with. For Stavrakis, making a secure surroundings for sharing concepts and artistic brainstorming is important for this stage.
The third step, and essentially the most troublesome, is making a call. Pulling a set off on an answer will be scary, however Stavrakis cited clever phrases from the pilot Amelia Earhart: “Probably the most troublesome factor is the choice to behave; the remaining is merely tenacity.”
She defined: “There’ll by no means be an ideal reply, ever. In case you are open-minded to suggestions, analysis totally, and monitor outcomes persistently, you’ll make the most effective resolution with the data you’ve gotten at that second.”
The fourth step is to create a plan to implement the answer. Throughout this section, correct communication is integral to success, Stavrakis stated. It’s additionally greater than seemingly that errors will happen at this stage, however leaders ought to stand agency and preserve pushing ahead towards the aim.
“There can be instances once we should take possession of missteps, however this makes us human, and if we act rapidly primarily based on legitimate suggestions, there can be minimal collateral harm,” she added.
Lastly, the fifth step is to solicit suggestions and monitor outcomes. A sturdy plan at this stage ought to establish roadblocks and alternatives rapidly, permitting for course correction on the fly, Stavrakis stated. Leaders ought to have the endurance and suppleness to pivot when issues aren’t working as deliberate.
Stavrakis additionally favors a “conceptual” method to problem-solving, which entails prioritizing primarily based on influence and strategically tying options throughout numerous issues. Insurance coverage leaders must also have the foresight to think about how every resolution impacts one other.
Although decision-making requires tenacity, she cautioned fellow insurance coverage leaders towards prioritizing velocity and making calls primarily based on private impulse. “Don’t soar to options rapidly and get the best individuals engaged, so you’ve gotten well-thought-out proposals,” Stavrakis suggested.
“You don’t have all of the solutions alone, however you might be accountable for guiding the ship there with the best individuals rowing in the identical course.”
Insurance coverage leaders are addressing a few of the business’s most impactful points on the Girls in Insurance coverage summit in San Francisco on October 4 on the JW Marriott Union Sq..
Go to sanfrancisco.ibwomenininsurance.com to study extra concerning the occasion.
