Leaders Are All Around Us, Including You
By Dean Giem, Chair, NetVU Executive Board and President/CEO, Paradox Insurance Agency
Posted 8/3/2021
What’s your definition of a leader? During our Annual Meeting in May I made the statement that everyone is a leader. Not a leader like the CEO who sits in his corner office and gives orders, but a leader who makes everyone around them better.
If everyone is a leader, then your NetVU board is full of leaders. And I think I speak for all of us when I say our commitment as leaders is to you – to lead you to a better solution, to share what we’ve learned to help you succeed.
Insurance is a people business at the end of the day, and we can all agree that NetVU is “strength in members.” That’s a play on the words “strength in numbers” and to me it means numbers alone aren’t enough. It’s the human element that means everything; it’s people helping people. We see it every day: volunteers teaching new system enhancements, CSRs helping each other solve a problem and agency principals tackling challenges together. It’s an unselfish calling, really. And in the end everyone wins.
As I look at this year’s NetVU board I see a group of energetic, talented, generous people who are listening to our members, who are bringing their years of experience to the table and who are eager to create an environment in which you and your organization can thrive.
Our job is not to set corporate policy or dictate rules. We are here to serve. That’s why we all got into this great business in the first place – because we have a passion to serve others. NetVU leadership is committed to advocating on behalf of YOU, ITS MEMBERS and Vertafore solutions to build stronger relationships across the entire independent insurance agency ecosystem for the expanded use of technology solutions to drive further efficiencies and effectiveness.
Because we serve four-year terms we get to know each other pretty well. That familiarity creates a family-like atmosphere, where we can speak our mind and respect each other’s opinions. The result of these invigorating discussions? A better NetVU for you, our members.
We are not all CEOs. You probably didn’t know the board has a service manager and a accounting manager and a chief information officer. This cross-section makes for richer insights and ensures that all perspectives are represented. Our newest member, Bonnie Wood, director of retail standards and operations at Brown & Brown, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing MGAs.
We have a great brand in Vertafore, backed by an all-in owner, Roper. We have fantastic member volunteers like you. And our executive board is made up of the best people, bar none. It is an honor and a privilege to work with these talented leaders – leaders in every sense of the word.