ADJUSTED

Top 10 Moments - Part 1

August 08, 2022 Berkley Industrial Comp
ADJUSTED
Top 10 Moments - Part 1
Show Notes Transcript

Welcome to Part 1 of the top 10 moments of ADJUSTED. In this bonus episode our host, Greg Hamlin, talks about some of his favorite moment from ADJUSTED. 

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Greg Hamlin:

Hello, everybody, and welcome to adjusted. I'm your host Greg Hamlin coming at you from beautiful Birmingham, Alabama. And I do not have a co host with me today, you're stuck with just me. We are recording a bonus episode as we take a little break between seasons, but didn't want you to forget about us. And so what we thought we would do is do a countdown of the top 10 best moments slash quotes in adjusted after almost two years of this adventure that we've been on together. And so I wanted to kind of take you through that. And count down from 10 down to number one my favorite moments and quotes on adjusted. So number 10 on the list came from Episode 18. And this was when I had the opportunity to sit down with our president now chairman chan Cox to talk about his journey in starting American mining. And then eventually having it become a Berkley company, and then pivot away from coal into the high hazard that we're in now.

Chan Cox:

But the segment that we were focused on the coal mining industry went through some very dramatic changes that were part of the Affordable Care Act, which was passed in 2010. Basically, coal miners are susceptible to a disease called black lung, and black lung is caused by an ailing cold us. And it can be disabling if you inhale a lot on it. And we have successfully underwritten this for cost 25 years, I guess. But there was legislation in the Affordable Care Act, that made it much easier for a coal miner to get a black lung claim award, it to be candid, that it was really turned into an entitlement program, as opposed to a loss exposure. And we simply could not continue to underwrite that class of business, and a profit. So we, in 2015 2016, we had some real come to Jesus moment. So about our future, the more we analyzed it, we realized that insured mining was really ensuring high hazard businesses, businesses that were highly regulated, most of the employees were highly skilled and highly compensated. So we began thinking out of the box of other types of businesses that had that characteristics. And so our pivot to our high hazard focus really started in 2015, we hit we appointed a long term planning committee that basically gave carte blanche to us if I don't, I'm not gonna sit in I don't want to restrict restrict thinking, the idea of gathering. And I said, you can come up with anything, except that I'm not going to change the name of the company. And I ended up meeting my words.

Greg Hamlin:

Yeah, I don't think we've said that. But the company's name was American mining insurance, correct? That's right.

Chan Cox:

That's right. But we had a very good committee, it was very different skill sets represented on the group. And in fact, Allison was one of them. And they came up with a plan to we've had to really jettison about three fourths of our premium revenue. So it was a really good decision to do that. And we ended up changing the name a few years later.

Greg Hamlin:

I absolutely love that clip from Chan. You know, when he talks about how hard it is, and the decisions he made to pivot, and thinking outside the box that really strikes a chord with me in that, I think that's sometimes the hardest thing to do is to stop what we're doing. And think about where we're at and understand when what we were doing, which was working in the past is no longer working, and that we have to change. And so his ability to realize that and change really stands out to me. The other thing I really liked is he actually admitted he was wrong. I know how strongly he felt about not changing the company name from American mining to Berkeley industrial comp. And I think a good leader understands when they're wrong and admits to it and I liked that moment to where he said you So as hard as it is, I have to admit I was wrong. And we changed and it was confusing to people if we had kept that name. So several things that really stood out to me there. So that's the number 10 moment which Hancock's talking about pivoting, thinking outside the box and admitting that he was wrong. So number nine on the list comes from Episode 30. With Bob Wilson, from this latest season, he is the CEO of workers compensation.com. And together, we sat down and really talked about what could change in the marketplace and workers compensation, like how workers compensation could look different going forward. And I was impressed one with Bob's energy. But also, he comes from a pretty unique viewpoint, and that he is providing a resource to all carriers and employers for forms, and making sure that people are following the correct regulations, which gives him the ability to kind of look at things from a different angle than a carrier or an employer. So I really enjoyed his take on things, I'm gonna share that with you now,

Bob Wilson:

we should market ourselves to new employees as an industry that can restore broken lives, we can actually take a broken life and help restore. I think a lot of it is our own language. You know, if you're coming out of high school, especially, or college generation, generations coming out of school, now they say, you know, they want to make a difference in the world, they want to have a difference. What you can do that if you want to take someone whose life has been injured and make it better, that's something but when you talk about being an adjuster who processes claims, it loses something.

Greg Hamlin:

So as you can see, I think what really stood out to me in that quote was just how important it is that we really focus on what we're all about the why behind workers compensation, which is restoring broken lives. And I really liked that Bob took the time to talk about that, and focus on that, because I think sometimes we can get so caught up on how do we be successful as a business that we forget that our mission, really, in this industry is to restore broken lives. And if we remember that, it can change the tenor of how we talk about our injured workers, and how we talk about what our adjusters do from a day to day basis. So really like Bob, and his thoughts there on that, and if you haven't heard that episode, it's definitely one to check out. So coming in at number eight, and I'm going to try to say her name correctly, but I believe it's 10, deca, num Vette. And she is the director of Q grads at Quest Pro. And she has so much energy. So for somebody to interview on the podcast, I really enjoyed how passionate she was. And I felt like this quote really helps to highlight her passion about bringing people into the industry. We know right now that we are facing what some call the silver tsunami as a entire generation of baby boomers retires. And unlike some other industries, we haven't had as many young people entering our industry, and so tineco really focused on that Episode and Episode 31, about how we do that, what can we do different that will attract young talent to this industry,

Tandeka Nomvete:

companies really need to take a look within themselves, and they need to make their companies a better place to work, right. So it's, it could be a number of things. It could be external things, superficial things, if you will. And then there's deeper things that we could look at. So some of the external things, for example, like we talked about with, you know, job descriptions, things like that maybe even salary, take a look at increasing salary ranges to stay competitive, or maybe just put yourself ahead of the curve, even if that means just adding a couple extra $1,000, you know, to the role of including entry level roles, so you could capture that population as well. You could take a look at office space, you know, is your company, one of those companies where you're still forcing everyone to come into work every day, right? You know, why not introduce hybrid options, or why not go 100% remote, why not leave it up to the individual so that they have that option to either work 100% remote, come into the office every day, if there's an office or work a hybrid schedule that suits them, and suits their family and whatnot, you know, I've I've connected with people who their ideal schedule would be coming to the office Monday to Friday for half the day 8am to 12 and then being able, you know, after lunch to go pick up their kids bring their kids home, have that little time with them and then continue working remotely in the evening. Why not allow your your employees that flexibility? Why not let them build their own schedule. So that's something that they could take a look at doing your Jesus something that we talked about as long as your company have an erg, you know, set some money aside for that provided with some funding, you know, and let let those energies build Um, themselves. So not just young professionals, but I see a lot of erg that are focused on minority groups, you know, so there's like African American ERG S, or Asian heritage BRGs, you know, things like that, or for the LGBTQ IA community, having those types of BRGs, where they can connect with each other and have more meaningful conversations about the struggles, just the struggles of being in corporate America, you know, and support each other through these difficult times. So I think that companies need to take a look at that summit, some even superficial things, if you haven't, if your company has an office, is taking a look at the office space, you know, when you walk into that office space every day? Is it a fun environment? Is it inviting? Is it friendly? Do you have any paint? Is there color anywhere, you know, in the building? Or is it just all brown? Is that a place that a young professional wants to spend eight hours a day? You know, every day? Are you offering lunch for your employees? You know, I've seen companies do that where they're like, every Friday, we're gonna buy lunch for everyone who comes into the office, you know, so that that was a way of bringing, you know, together and they're, you know, and it doesn't have to be expensive sandwiches, chips, or cookies. You know, it's really not that much to buy lunch for your colleagues every Friday and just show that employee appreciation. Other companies have gone above and beyond where they're scheduled time within the workweek for colleagues to do yoga, for example, or to have like a Wellness Hour. So they're looking for volunteers within the organization to raise their hands, or they're bringing in someone externally yoga instructor. So everyone knows, okay, Wednesdays, come into work with your yoga pants, your workout clothes, bring your mat, and from four to five, we're all going to be upstairs on the rooftop doing yoga together. How cool is that? It doesn't have to be something, it doesn't have to be a huge overhaul, it's just small things where if you focus more on the employee and employee experience, and think about how you can enhance that, that's going to increase your retention, because now that the person is going to think twice, you know, if we get another job offer different and be like, Oh, is this company offering yoga on the rooftops every Wednesday. I'm gonna think twice, before I accept that job offer.

Greg Hamlin:

I was just really impressed overall with her passion for for what we're doing in this industry. But I think what really stood out to me is that it's not necessarily one huge thing that we need to do as an industry to change. It's a lot of little things that to gather can make an impact. And I think that's what stood out to me was, you know, we think of these big, huge ideas. And actually, it's probably a lot of little changes that need to happen, that will bring in some of the young talent that our industry needs, whether that's hybrid options, inclusion, flexible schedules, fun environments, you know, office color. And I think that really stood out to me that she just being open to all the different ways that we could do business to make the work environment, a place where young people want to start their careers and want to spend their time. So definitely one of my favorite episodes and really one of my favorite people to interview just because of the energy she brings to everything she does. So coming in at number seven is episode 37 with Jamie Odom, and this was an interesting one because up until this episode, we had not interviewed an injured worker that was one of our injured workers who had recovered from a catastrophic injury. And so while we had spoken to many people engaged in workers compensation, whether that be through a vendor relationship, or even thought leaders in the industry, we had not heard from someone who was actually hurt, and a work comp injury that was one of our employees that we insured. And so this was a great episode. And it really stood out to me, I want to share this with you the importance of mindset and setting goals to overcoming a catastrophic injury. So I'll share that with you now.

Jamie Odom:

I got frustrated a lot because of course, I'm just wanting to always not ever ask for help or if I do need to put it frustrated me a lot not being able to because I for a while and I see you for three weeks on it three weeks, my body didn't get down and now you know I got weak, not doing that just laying in bed just don't do that. And I couldn't really physically I couldn't do really much at all. And that bothered me it frustrated me. And I guess I come back down the earth a little bit got a realization and I've set small goals. You know, don't don't reach for the door just set a small goal reached it. That's fine if I did, as always the more try better that day.

Hope Remetta:

Not that. So you said you've always been like this. You've always had a positive mindset. Is there something that you can think back to you that really kind of set that tone for you growing up and into adulthood?

Jamie Odom:

Oh, oh, guess there's nothing really I can reference so that's just the way I've always been, I've always tried to see the glass half full instead of half empty, you know, just trying to think positive about I could be in the most negative situation ever, and I'm gonna try to find best my ability, something positive in that situation myself,

Hope Remetta:

you don't have a crystal ball. So I get this, but how do you think that your recovery would have been different? Had you been somebody that, you know, woke up after being unconscious for three weeks and finding out your situation and having what feels like everything against you? And then not choosing to have that positive mindset? How do you think that that would have been?

Jamie Odom:

I feel like it impacted me a good bit, just trying to be positive. And I'm not gonna lie. I mean, I get down on out just couple times, but I always go back to the positive mindset, because it worked for me, you know, but if I wasn't positive, I mean, I easily could have laid in the bed or just sat in a recliner and just not really done a whole lot of nothing to try to better myself and try to get better, it would have been a more long drawn out process, as far as the recovery went physical, you know, for sure. And the mindset, that mindset is, to me that's more powerful than a physical, because I mean, I did get down on myself. And that was plenty times I've just been sitting there in a slump, you know, poor pitiful me, and the positive, pick you back up, because mentally, it could take you places you don't ever want to meet, I'm quite sure.

Greg Hamlin:

So what I loved about what Jamie shared there is that he set small goals every day, sometimes those small goals, were just getting up and walking to the chair. And then when he wasn't sometimes able to meet those small goals, he didn't get down on himself and give up. But instead, he continued to have hope that he could do it tomorrow. And I was just impressed from the beginning of the end of the episode of how important his mindset was, if you haven't heard the episode, I would encourage you to go back, you know, I remember him talking about his daughter at the time that was a baby and wanting to be able to hold his daughter. And that many of these goals that he was setting for himself was so that he wouldn't get down and out and give up. And it really impressed upon me how important mindset is, and goal setting is to achieving a positive outcome in a recovery, especially a difficult recovery, like the one that he went through. So I was impressed with that. And I think there's a lot of takeaways probably for my own life and and others to think about, what is our mindset? And what are we doing with the small goals we set each day to help us achieve our bigger dreams. And he says, don't reach for the stars, but I think he is when you look at what he was able to accomplish. So that was my number seven with Jamie Odom. Number six on the list comes from Episode 34. But it was actually my co host that shared the quote. So I'm kind of going a little bit of cheating, I guess on number six, but I really liked this quote, you know, at the end of season three, throughout the season, we talked about the moments when people were happiest. And one of the things that I've been on a mission this season on is to bring out some positive vibes in the universe. Because I feel like as a whole, there's a lot of negativity out there. We've been through a lot over the last two or three years as we think about, you know, crazy job inflation. COVID You know, so much change, and a lot of polarization in politics that has made it very difficult to find happiness. And so I wanted to make sure we were putting that out there throughout the season. And each guests shared a moment that they were happiest. And Matt actually chimed in after one of these moments was shared with this quote, so I'm going to share this with you and we can, we'll talk about it after.

Chris Moore:

Yeah, it was just a good time all around. And that's the vivid memory that sticks in my head. That's awesome.

Matthew Yehling:

Be Where Your Feet are. That's what we would say friends, and that's where we push each other. So if you're at work, Be Where Your Feet Are, if you're at home, be where your feet are. If you're on the beach, you know be where your feet are. So I like to manage that. I'm sure someone much brighter than me said it I just feel the quote.

Greg Hamlin:

I just love that ever since Matt shared this quote, Be Where Your Feet are. I really like that. I think I find that a good place to start in that I am often yanked myself in a many different directions from being a senior vice president of insurance company to being a father to being a husband. I've got six kids. I know I've mentioned that before. Also served in my church and volunteer elsewhere. And I think being present can be really challenging when we all have phones and we all have ways to be yanked many different directions and a fast paced world that we live in now. And so that's definitely going to be one of my goals going forward is to be where my feet are. And so really encourage you to take a listen to that episode and and want to share that quote with you because I felt like it really inspired me. So that's it from number 10 to number six. So we're going to do a second episode airing in two weeks, that will air the top five best moments have adjusted. And I encourage you to join us in that journey. And as we gear up for another season, feel free to go back and catch some of those episodes that you haven't listened to. And maybe one of these quotes inspires you to go back to a particular one and take a listen. So thanks again for all your support. I'm excited for season four. We've got some neat things in store and encourage you to just follow along. Thanks, everybody. Remember do right, think differently. And don't forget to care.