Giving thanks ... and some advice

Earlier this year, I hashed out several Big Aims to drive transformation in my team. I did this to help them push harder individually and set the expectation that we are and will be a high-performance team.

It’s nearing the end of 2012, and we didn’t meet every one of our goals. But I’m happy to say we pushed through times that were uncomfortable, times when we just didn’t seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel — we pushed through the turn.

I’m thankful for my team, our clients and their customers. I’m also thankful that so many of you found value in our consumer dynamics study, “Life Insurance Marketing at the Crossroads.” We hope to provide you with more quality content as we move into the New Year.

And now it’s time to share. Below, I’ve outlined some of the Big Aims for my team that I think you might also find helpful as you begin planning for 2013.   

• Walk away. If a thing or a person isn’t right for your business, walk away. Simple.
• Be more creative than you’ve ever been before. This year, I took on a greater thought leadership role within our company, and it’s paid off. I even gave video a try.
• Be relentless for your customers. Bust through the bureaucracy; be nimble; have bias toward speed in getting new pricing developed, new media channels opened, deals closed and products launched. It’s critical.
• Be disruptive. Break the rules of engagement to get in front of the right people at the right time.  
• Celebrate loudly. Get funky. Get happy and dance.

• Listen and learn. Listen to your customers; learn what they need; study the emerging space. Think of sophisticated marketing technology as an esteemed colleague. It can help you understand your customers and communicate with them in ways you can only dream about.

• Be accountable. Everyone wants to be part of a winning team, which means everyone has to perform at peak levels.

• Have the courage to change. Overcome your fear. Don’t be afraid of trying new things and maybe failing. Change is necessary, so embrace it and shape it. It’s going to happen, with or without you, so get on board!

I’ll leave you with words from William Jennings Bryan, “Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.” What are you thankful for? Is there anything you’d like to share?