Results For Articles or Consultants

Employee Compensation/Management

Colby Allen

Colby Allen is a consultant with AgencyFocus who has over 10 years of industry experience in finance, operations, analytics, and project management. During that time he has worked with regional agencies, national agencies, and a regional carrier. Notable projects include refinement of agency finance and operational reporting processes as well as assist in acquisitions to…

The Conflict and Burden of Insurer Appointments for Brokers and the Need for Regulatory Reform

Brokers are supposed to be independent to represent the insured, rather than the insurer; yet, the law in many states still requires insurers to appoint a broker as an agent actually to transact insurance with the insurer. This dual agency creates well-known conflicts and burdens. We contend that the requirement that insurers appoint agents in…

Follow Up: Dressing Professionally

Last year I wrote a commentary, “To Dress or Not—Is Professional Attire Outdated?,” on whether or not students should be expected to dress professionally for interviews and career fairs. I asked for feedback and encouraged responses. I’m pleased to say I got a lot of thoughtful responses from a wide range of readers. Executives, claims adjusters, independent agents, corporate trainers, and many others chimed in.

COVID-19: Learning, Graduation, and the Job Search

To any students reading this—it’s time to show your very best, not your very bare minimum! Remember, what you do online is now all we have to grade you on. Sure, you completed half the semester before spring break, but there’s still this second half, and we can only grade what you actually do during it. Poor performance, even under these dire circumstances, will not only impact grades (yes, we still have to issue those), but it will also impact the references your professors give for you when employers call.

Musings of a Socially-Distanced Professor: New Habits

Remember the people who waste a lot of time bouncing up and down the halls, chitchatting at the water cooler and otherwise not working? They’re about to be found out. There’s no hiding a lack of output anymore. I’m seeing this in my students. I’m seeing who is taking responsibilities seriously and who isn’t. It’s as plain as the screen in front of my face.

The Value of a Mentoring Program

I write this smiling at the memory of three of the greatest mentors a gal could ever ask for. They were my guidance system in my early career. I got valuable advice from all three of them, and when they all passed away over the years, I found myself somewhat lost.

Dr. Brenda Powell Wells

Brenda Powell Wells holds both a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Ph.D. in Risk Management and Insurance from the University of Georgia.  She holds the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Accredited Advisor of Insurance (AAI) and Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designations.  She also holds a graduate certificate in Business Analytics from East…

PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS

It has always been the opinion of Agency Consulting Group that evaluations are important ONLY as a development tool for an employee.  Further, one should only evaluate performance that can be controlled by the employees.  This requires the standards of performance to be known, to be written and to be acknowledged by the employee.  …

Areas of Expertise