Last week, as part of one of the industry young talent initiatives, I participated in and answered questions about my own career and, more importantly, on wider sector issues.  I find answering questions on one’s own career somewhat disconcerting but it does help you to focus on certain issues and on the future.

All the questions around current issues were very well thought through. It was, for me, very thought provoking and pleasing to see younger members of our profession engaging in wider issues and questioning aspects that do not present an image of a profession or the future impact of insurers owning brokers, to name but two issues. 

These initiatives that allow younger members of our profession to take an interest in wider sector issues and question current practices are very useful. Having spent an hour answering questions, I had to make tracks for another presentation but it occurred to me that it would have been very helpful for me to have spent time asking them their views on a variety of issues – something I will be suggesting to the organisers for future events.

This would have allowed me alternative perspectives on the industry.

My meeting with these younger, fitter individuals was inspirational for all manner of reasons not least because it made me resolve to revive my stalled exercise programme. I have always tried incorporating exercise in to my career believing you need to stay fit in order to be able to work hard and have fun. It is back off to the gym for me to improve my stamina if I am keep up with all this burgeoning industry talent. Now, where did I put my trainers?

I was thinking about all the ‘hoo-hah’ surrounding an independent Scotland and I wondered what actually was behind the latest increase in volume on the subject. Not that I think separation would be to the benefit of the individual. But I may be wrong.

Having been engrossed in the trade association ‘business’ for the last four years, I have become wary of political issues producing what I regard to be too much heat and light (they “protest too much”). I am a nationalist Scot and not a Scottish nationalist, so I have to ask what is best for the country and who is ultimately going to benefit?

Independence is great, but there are many areas where each party is stronger by being together. Some of my English colleagues are quick to remind me that the Scots are like haemorrhoids – painful if they stay down! I don’t for a moment think that they actually believe separation to be the way forward though.

Well I might have been painful for some time, but I believe the parts together are greater than separately and independently. Rather like in our sector where we are stronger as one! Like politics this means give and take on all sides. Unfortunately, self interest and the prospect of power are strong influences which do not often produce the right results!

It was inevitable that my broken fingers would not escape further punishment at BIBA’s annual conference – all that shaking of hands was bound to take its toll.

My digits were throbbing so ferociously that I visited my doctor who recommended another x-ray to see how the bones were healing (or not). He packed me off to Guy’s hospital with a referral form. Unfortunately, my doctor had not signed the form so the hospital was unable to carry out the procedure (something I discovered only after a lengthy wait). So back went the form to my doctor’s for signature.

The next day with the form duly signed I made a second visit to Guy’s where the x-ray was taken with a minimum amount of fuss and I was referred to another department. They took one look at the x-ray and referred me to a specialist at St Thomas’ hospital. I went there and waited and waited only to be told that I needed to see a different hand specialist at another site … and so the saga continues.

So here I am playing the waiting game and no closer to resolution. This sort of inefficiency must be happening many hundreds of times each day in hospitals up and down the country. The combined cost of all this tooing and froing must be phenomenal in terms of raised blood pressure, worn shoe leather, fuel, loss of productivity, not to mention the expense of having to treat the new illnesses that people contract while waiting.

I had time to reflect as I sat waiting frustrated for my appointment among the actual walking wounded. I felt as though I needed a bandage too! Was my NHS experience normal? Why was there not a friendly, knowledgeable person around who could explain the system to me?

Inexorably, my thoughts turned to insurance. There must be plenty of customers out there still who find buying insurance a bewildering experience because they do not understand how the market works. When using a general insurance broker or intermediary, the consumer can gain access to information and advice that they can trust. They can find a listing of members of the ‘Find a broker’ section of BIBA’s newly revised website.

Are we doing enough to facilitate access to brokers and insurance products? Have members accessed their firm’s details on the BIBA site to ensure that they are up to date? Do we explain our services fully?

Given my experience of the NHS, I am even more concerned that we at BIBA work harder to provide access to and promote the importance of insurance advice. If we don’t it may not be just our customers who end up in casualty.

I have returned from our annual conference in Glasgow reinvigorated – which given the amount of candle burning at both ends that generally goes on at this event is no mean feat.

I have had my conviction that we as individuals can influence the future reaffirmed if not strengthened. I have Bob Geldof, one of our keynote speakers, in part to thank for this. Sir Bob gave an energetic (he paced relentlessly on stage for an hour conjuring words out of thin air) and inspirational discourse on triumph over adversity and how if we all work together to share our business experience we can help others. It was stirring stuff.

I’m back in the office. However, my head is still buzzing with my many conversations with members at conference, which is proving something of a distraction.

A couple of members highlighted what they felt was a major issue for our sector where costs are rising and fees and commissions are under attack. They spoke about cost cutting and how an ‘unhealthy’ focus on costs can be to the detriment of a company’s soul. This is a particular challenge for larger companies, but not unheard of in smaller organisations.

We all have to focus on costs and BIBA is no exception, but there is a need to recognise when a company becomes soulless. Where the focus on cost cutting is so intense that there is no room for creativity, investment in the future and having a little fun then that point is close. When the accountants’ figures are the only thing that matters and customers do not seem to exist, they are merely just a number, then that point has been surpassed and the brand is damaged.

I’ve always felt that while anyone can cut costs it is much more difficult to manage growth. Retaining customers, cash flow, planning ahead, finding the right people, equipment and facilities are just a few of the issues encountered. Getting growth right can be a real challenge; but also very rewarding. Get it wrong and all too quickly you can see where Sir Bob was coming from when he sang: “It’s a rat trap … and we’ve been caught.”