SOCIETY PRESIDENT MARSHA EGAN, CPCU SPEAKS ABOUT PERSONAL RESILIENCE TO CHANGE

By: Kristin McCuen, CPCU

You may think that you are positive and focused, but odds are you are not. You may think that you are proactive and organized, but it’s not likely. You may think that you are flexible. Sorry try again. These are the conclusions of Marsha Egan, CPCU Society President, based upon the surveys of thousands of participants in the Society’s "Building Personal Resilience to Change" seminar. Ms. Egan spoke on this topic and other CPCU Society news at the Philadelphia Chapter Breakfast Meeting in May.

The goal of the Personal Resilience seminar is to enable people to better accept and adapt to change. Most participants are stunned to learn that they are lacking in the following five personal traits that allow one to easily adapt to change.

1. Positive – Positive people have an easier time adapting to change than negative people. The more positive one is, the more readily one embraces the changes and shifts experienced in life.
2. Focused – Focused people can see change coming toward them and are able to find the positive parts of the change and move on. Focused people have a guidance system that helps them move forward.
3. Proactive – Proactive people anticipate change and prepare for it. Reactive people don’t prepare for change and instead just let change happen to them.
4. Organized – People who are organized in their thinking (sorry, not your color coordinated sock drawer) can readily embrace change. Organized thinkers see the next three or four steps down the road and realize that their reaction to change may be setting a precedent.
5. Flexible – We often fight change because it is human nature to like "what was" and be in control of our world. The challenge when faced with a new suggestion is to resist the urge to be negative and instead think of reasons to support the new idea.

Egan’s central premise is unassailable; success comes to people who are able to embrace change and resistance to change hinders any organization. The more people in an organization who have these personal traits, the better an organization will be at staying on top in its industry.

Egan also highlighted a few programming initiatives. A major program is underway in the Society to combat insurance fraud with the slogan "Insurance Cheats Are Deadbeats." The Society hopes to raise public awareness of fraud with the hope that a social stigma will attach to insurance cheats.

The Society will also be participating in the National Leadership Conference, a two and a half day event in Las Vegas. Members have consistently indicated that they want leadership training and the response has been much greater than originally anticipated. The Society hopes to participate in this annually.

Lastly, Egan spoke about her recent media training and the need for the CPCU Society to have a "headline" to quickly describe itself. The end result was the following: "the CPCU Society is a community of credentialed insurance professionals who promote excellence through continuing education and ethical behavior." Egan encourages all of us to use this short phrase to describe ourselves the next time someone asks that old question, "what is a CPCU?"

Also on hand at the May 18th meeting was Society Sections Manager John Kelly, CPCU who manned the Sections Desk outside the meeting room and was available to answer questions such as those posed by these two members.  This was part of the Chapter's recruitment drive to generate interest in Sections.

Photos below: (1st photo) Chapter President Pete Palestina offered either a white or tan Philly Chapter hat to Society President Marsha Egan. (2nd photo) Marsha selected the white cap and showed the audience how you're suppose to funnel the brim. (3rd photo) Pete later also presented an amused Marsha with an official Chapter mug for a job well done and for letting us know the proper way to break in a hat.