“You won’t ever change it.”
In 2004, I was in the middle of a company-wide system implementation project for a regional mutual insurance company. It ended up being one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my career for many reasons, mostly because I was surrounded by some of the best leaders in the business who had a vision and knew how to assemble a team and culture to achieve it.
During that time, I had the opportunity to visit various independent insurance agencies in the distribution channel to understand better how they were using technology to grow and operate their agency. After every visit, I felt defeated and disappointed. It was clear that the distribution channel was being left behind in the adoption and utilization of technology.
One morning, after returning from some agency visits, I expressed disappointment with our CIO about what I had witnessed. I was adamant that there had to be a better way and began ideating about value-added solutions we could offer independent agents. After much rambling, he said, “You won’t ever change it.”
Now, the CIO was a mentor to me, and he was always encouraging, especially when we were trying to solve for a better outcome that aligned with our mission, vision, and values. So I was more than surprised when I heard “You won’t ever…” come out of his mouth. To this day, I don’t know if he said those words to challenge and inspire me or if he was simply trying to keep my focus on implementing the full-suite policy administration system project on time and within budget. Probably both. The CIO was Todd Albert, and while he’s no longer with us, I know he would be smiling while reading this post. He taught me a great deal and believed in me like no other.
Ironically, it’s 2025, and those “You won’t ever…” words still inspire me in a slightly different way.
As we meet with agencies and brokers, we hear statements from like…
“I just hope I can retire before implementing a new AMS.”
“I fear that my employee of 15 years will leave me if we change systems.”
“We know we have to do something, but…”
The doubt and fears of adopting new technology are as strong as ever. But here is the good news…some agencies are doing what others say can’t be done, and it's working for them, and others are noticing. Our industry is evolving, and agencies are proving they can transform processes, people, and technology to serve clients better. They are raising the bar for others.
So, if you need inspiration to combat the “You won’t ever…” moments in your agency, just let me know. I’d love to introduce you to the agencies that now say, “Yes, you can.”
Regardless of what you do with technology, maybe the best takeaway is to mentor someone in our industry and challenge them to achieve what they think can’t be done.
Kevin Rall
Co-Founder, borrowedtyme