Yesterday I peeled the parking permit off of my windshield that my car proudly displayed for four years. I also removed the front license plate with the company logo that I have had on the car since the day I bought it in 2008.
It all started in November 2000 when I happened to meet an extremely energetic and bubbly lady at a job fair in Hartford, Connecticut. Trecia was very informative and I immediately knew that I would do whatever was necessary to impress her so I could join the company she represented. I was working for a prominent car dealer at the time so my study time to get up and running was slower than I would have liked. By February 2001, I was ready to take my tests needed so I could get my Connecticut licenses in Life and Accident/Health insurance. On March 31, 2001 my Associate Agreement was official and I was a legitimate agent representing a Fortune 200 company. My departure from the car dealer was bittersweet, but the company became my first client because the employees, all of which knew and respected who I was and what I hoped to accomplish, needed the products and services this Fortune 200 could provide. After that account under my belt, there was virtually no business that I would not approach. These products were so necessary to the employees and their families that I made it a personal mission to enlighten all that I could.
My mission drove me into management early with the company. In 2002 my team swept all the honors in our state and we were ranked in the Top 10 in almost every category in the Northeast Territory. We continued to thrive as we exceeded our team goals in 2003 and 2004. In addition to my district management responsibilities, 2003 was also the year I started training agents, both new and veteran, in specific company services and technology. This additional responsibility would later serve as my basis for what would eventually bring me to Columbus, Georgia.
In 2005 I took a promotion to manage the northeast region of Connecticut which forced me to reconsider climbing the ladder I originally had planned on in 2001. My role removed me from the excitement of working side-by-side with new agents in the field and I had to give up my extra responsibility of training statewide. By the middle of 2006 I decided to step down and go back to being an agent in the field. I focused on my original mission of enlightening the Connecticut residents of the programs our company could provide for them and their families.
I was content with what I was doing and continued to stay in the top tier of my peers. At the start of 2007 I was called upon to take over a district team because the existing manager was dealing with some personal health issues and she did not want her team dismantled. I agreed. Unfortunately, this team really never gelled or aligned with the goals or plans that I felt we needed to succeed.
Around this same time my children moved to Virginia. This meant I no longer had to stay in Connecticut if I wanted to branch out. I had heard about a team that worked out of Columbus, Georgia that was made up of field personnel of varying tenure that had the mission of training and certifying agents and managers throughout the country. I knew this was what I needed to do next. I told my regional and state managers about my plan and they both supported my decision and helped me while I persued and waited for the letter of intent to hire from our corporate headquarters.
I started as a Trainer III in late August 2008 and remained until July 2012 when my job was eliminated during a restructuring of the division and our department. In just shy of four years, I made some lifelong friendships, visited most of the country, and lived in a capacity that I am proud to say left a positive indellible mark on many agents, managers, and employees. The most invaluable lesson for me was everything I learned about relationships, leadership, friendship, and being part of a team.
I can only hope that my next chapter will be half as meaningful to those I interact with and that I will continue to develop my character and leadership qualities.
It all started in November 2000 when I happened to meet an extremely energetic and bubbly lady at a job fair in Hartford, Connecticut. Trecia was very informative and I immediately knew that I would do whatever was necessary to impress her so I could join the company she represented. I was working for a prominent car dealer at the time so my study time to get up and running was slower than I would have liked. By February 2001, I was ready to take my tests needed so I could get my Connecticut licenses in Life and Accident/Health insurance. On March 31, 2001 my Associate Agreement was official and I was a legitimate agent representing a Fortune 200 company. My departure from the car dealer was bittersweet, but the company became my first client because the employees, all of which knew and respected who I was and what I hoped to accomplish, needed the products and services this Fortune 200 could provide. After that account under my belt, there was virtually no business that I would not approach. These products were so necessary to the employees and their families that I made it a personal mission to enlighten all that I could.
My mission drove me into management early with the company. In 2002 my team swept all the honors in our state and we were ranked in the Top 10 in almost every category in the Northeast Territory. We continued to thrive as we exceeded our team goals in 2003 and 2004. In addition to my district management responsibilities, 2003 was also the year I started training agents, both new and veteran, in specific company services and technology. This additional responsibility would later serve as my basis for what would eventually bring me to Columbus, Georgia.
In 2005 I took a promotion to manage the northeast region of Connecticut which forced me to reconsider climbing the ladder I originally had planned on in 2001. My role removed me from the excitement of working side-by-side with new agents in the field and I had to give up my extra responsibility of training statewide. By the middle of 2006 I decided to step down and go back to being an agent in the field. I focused on my original mission of enlightening the Connecticut residents of the programs our company could provide for them and their families.
I was content with what I was doing and continued to stay in the top tier of my peers. At the start of 2007 I was called upon to take over a district team because the existing manager was dealing with some personal health issues and she did not want her team dismantled. I agreed. Unfortunately, this team really never gelled or aligned with the goals or plans that I felt we needed to succeed.
Around this same time my children moved to Virginia. This meant I no longer had to stay in Connecticut if I wanted to branch out. I had heard about a team that worked out of Columbus, Georgia that was made up of field personnel of varying tenure that had the mission of training and certifying agents and managers throughout the country. I knew this was what I needed to do next. I told my regional and state managers about my plan and they both supported my decision and helped me while I persued and waited for the letter of intent to hire from our corporate headquarters.
I started as a Trainer III in late August 2008 and remained until July 2012 when my job was eliminated during a restructuring of the division and our department. In just shy of four years, I made some lifelong friendships, visited most of the country, and lived in a capacity that I am proud to say left a positive indellible mark on many agents, managers, and employees. The most invaluable lesson for me was everything I learned about relationships, leadership, friendship, and being part of a team.
I can only hope that my next chapter will be half as meaningful to those I interact with and that I will continue to develop my character and leadership qualities.
that's the Brick Way...
No comments:
Post a Comment