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Meet McConkeyProfessional Development

How to Manage the Transition of Leadership

By January 15, 2022June 22nd, 2023No Comments

As I transition to my new role as Chairman, I’ve had the opportunity to look back on my time as President & CEO. I became President and CEO in 2019 and needed to fill some pretty big shoes for this role. I was fortunate enough to have had really great mentors. Throughout my years as an owner, I’ve been able to watch my predecessors and coworkers accomplish great things and learn from each of them. I also was able to find inspiration from external individuals who work in the insurance industry. From what I’ve learned during my time as President and CEO, here are the things that can help other organizations best manage a leadership transition:

  • Have 4-5 reasons for doing everything that you do. For every action, you want to ensure that there is a reason that you are doing it, because if there are no reasons- then why are you doing it?
  • Create a positive and cohesive environment for your team.
  • If you make a mistake, come forward proactively. If others make mistakes, use a positive measured accountability focus where you allow them to learn and grow from it.
  • Be aware of what’s going on, whether in your teams’ projects or their personal lives. This will allow you to be a compassionate leader.
  • Push people to do things authentically and seize all opportunities for growth, connection, and empowerment.
  • Create opportunities for your team to improve and develop, get them outside of their comfort zone, and support them.
  • Think about why you are doing things instead of just doing them. It’s easy to lose sight of the human interaction and become detached from what’s going on, but you need to stay connected.

These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to filling big shoes, but it’s important that you focus on your team and helping them through this transition just as much as you’re helping yourself.

Steve Buterbaugh, CPCU

President & CEO | Principal sbuterbaugh@ekmcconkey.com717-505-3113

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