Focus on adding value and recognition becomes a by-product

| 13 Apr 2018

Awards are wonderful recognition of the results and hard work you put in. Especially for insurance advisers, they can be great indicators and checkpoints on how your career is progressing.

Strived for in the right spirit, it can also give you the motivation you need to achieve what you had never imagined possible and in the process help you to touch and protect more families in narrowing society’s protection gap.   

But awards can have the opposite effects if you are fixated on them and adopt a “get it at all cost mentality”. Sooner or later your clients will come to the realisation that you are not working in their best interests.

There is no need to be impatient if you see this industry as a long-term career. Remember, even Ross Vanderwolf, MDRT First Vice President, took 7 years to achieve his first MDRT.

If you focus on adding value, awards and recognition become by-products of what you do. 

Asia Advisers Network & Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards

Personally, I’ve always been passionate about the importance of life insurance in helping to narrow the protection gap in society and also the under-appreciated role that insurance agents and advisers do out there to help families get protected.

Sure, there are bad apples in the industry (which industry doesn’t?) but by and large, most of you are truly the unsung heroes and heroines out there trumpeting the importance of insurance and protecting the financial securities of families.

Which is why, I’ve spent countless sleepless nights and waking hours doing my bit to shine the spotlight on the good that professional advisers do, driven by my desire to add value to the industry and society.

With the help of my colleagues, we conceptualised and brought to launch this very platform – Asia Advisers Network – to serve your informational and developmental needs to excel in your career through insights from C-suite executives and lessons from the best advisers and leaders in the industry.

We also launched the Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards which recognises the very best advisers and leaders in the industry across Asia beyond production figures, cutting across companies and markets. The third edition is underway with the final round of judging recently concluded. The winners will be announced on 7 May in Manila. So keep a look out for that.

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Finalists for the 3rd Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards announced

I also accept invitations to speak whenever possible if I feel I can help in shedding light on the industry and in helping to raise awareness on the importance of insurance and professionalism in the industry. And they often mean I have to put in the hours late at night or even over weekends as these are in addition to whatever day-to-day responsibilities I have.

Advocate of Life Insurance in Asia

Back to the point on value-adding and awards and recognition become by-products. I’ve been doing many of these things for years. Other than recognition internally, I wasn’t expecting any outside of the company, let alone the industry and the wider community. 

Which was why I was pleasantly surprised and honoured to be nominated and recognised as “Advocate of Life Insurance in Asia” by the Marketing Institute of Singapore at its MIS Glittering Awards’ Night late last year.

Founded in 1973, the Marketing Institute of Singapore (MIS), a not-for-profit organisation, is the National Body for Sales and Marketing. And judges on the panel comprises Mr Roger Wang, President, Marketing Institute of Singapore, and professors from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU), both highly reputable universities.

And over time, I’ve received more invitations and opportunities to speak and share my views because of the work that I do.

So remember, awards are not the be-all and end-all. Focus on doing your work professionally for a long sustainable career. And the awards and recognition will become by-products.

Photo: Receiving the award from Mr Roger Wang, President, Marketing Institute of Singapore (L). (Credit: MIS)

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