| MANAGE & LEAD |
While the organization as a whole must be ready and
committed to the planning process and change, it is even
more imperative that the owners be similarly dedicated.
More than providing a vision that looks beyond the present
to the desired future, owners must help set the goals
to articulate that future and the processes to measure
progress toward it. They must have the integrity to know
what is right and proceed in the right way, both in the
planning process and implementation. They must have
the courage to initiate change and remove obstacles.
Owners must know themselves, be able to deploy staff
appropriately, be courageous and open to feedback, and
be able to use that feedback effectively. Staff members
need to have the confidence to challenge authority and the
status quo when appropriate.
horizon, which competitors could cause the highest level of
disruption, and what factors (economic or otherwise) could
impact the agency’s attainment of its goals.
If you think your agency is ready to take the plunge and
commit to creating a challenging but achievable set of
goals and strategies for agency growth, congratulations!
You have probably just moved your agency to a place
where many independent agencies in the country have not
gone.
In the words of the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “the
journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
One of the best starting points for developing your
agency’s business plan is the well-respected and
much-used SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats. For some agencies, this may
be as far as the planning process goes, still much good
can come from it even if it is the only
annual planning activity. Strengths and
weaknesses are internal factors – what
does the agency do well and in what
areas is there room for improvement.
This requires an honest assessment
of where the agency is today, what
challenges and issues need to be
resolved, and whether or not your
Bremen Farmers Mutual
internal environment will help you
Insurance Company
achieve your agency’s goals. This can
be the most time-consuming part of
Serving Kansas since 1888
business planning and is not without a
certain amount of pain. But from that
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pain comes greater insight into what
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must be done.
Understanding the external
environment is also critical to sound
planning. What opportunities exist
in the marketplace – new industries,
community growth, general economic
trends, and the like will form the basis
of this portion of the analysis. When
considering threats, what legal or
regulatory challenges may be on the
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Curtis Holle • President
Becky Scheele • Claims Mgr.
Bryce Peters • Underwriting Mgr.
201 Brenneke St. | Bremen, KS 66412
T: 800.562.5712 | F: 785.337.2414
www.bfmic.com
Email: [email protected]
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