Meet Kate Current. As Director of Employee Benefit Operations, Kate oversees the delivery of employee benefits insurance brokerage services to ensure that they meet or exceed the Hausmann Group’s quality standards. She also leads, develops, and manages employee service departments. Kate has spent many years in customer experience and has led using the model “scalable, repeatable, reportable.”
Kate describes herself as “daytime outdoorsy.” She loves to run, bike, kayak, hike, and garden. She is also a certified running coach. The most important thing that she’s learned through coursework and coaching clients is that everyone needs something different: different training plans, different goal-setting, and different support. She’s found that this relates well to leadership; a leader needs to take the time to understand each team member individually.
A fun fact about Kate: She was the Parliamentarian in her college sorority. By definition, a Parliamentarian is an expert in rules of order and the proper procedure for the conduct of meetings. She loves how this little choice she made years ago impacts her career in unexpected ways!
What is your background and how did you get into this line of work?
I jumped into the insurance field after a summer internship at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Working at a call center seemed like a much more lucrative job than vacuuming rental cars in a suit. While my first full-time role was at an agency, I’ve spent most of my career in the insurance technology field managing broker-facing teams. I’m using the same principles of scalable, repeatable, and profitable to build an awesome client experience at Hausmann Group.
What are your leadership principles?
I’m a running coach and have coached athletes in half marathons, marathons, and ultramarathons. You need to understand the motivation of your athletes, what has worked (and not worked) in the past, and what success means to them to write an excellent training plan. I apply the same principles to leadership. Everyone brings different strengths to the team and as the leader (or coach), it is your role to bring out the best in them.
Why are you passionate about BAN? What value has it brought you/your business?
Best practice sharing with other operational leaders. We are in the process of transforming our Data Analytics strategy so learning from other agencies and Directors has been invaluable.
With ongoing inflation, higher interest rates, and a shaky economy, are you worried about the economy? If so, are you taking steps to prepare for a recession?
Risk management is critical to our industry so inflation or not, we’re regularly looking at ways to make sure that our business is performing in a healthy way. We’ve spent considerable time in 2023 defining our target market, identifying key differentiators (“crown jewels”), and creating efficiencies. Internally, this means that our associates can be more flexible in responding to client needs. One of our differentiators takes significant work off HR’s plate, allowing them to be more agile within their own businesses.
Where do you see the industry headed for the balance of 2023 and in 2024?
More options in the pharmacy and specialty services spaces. Navigating pharmacy programs for the employer can feel like trying to learn a foreign language. Many clients choose embedded options for the simplicity but are leaving thousands if not more dollars in savings on the table. Education needs to be a year-long process where savings vs. employee disruption are carefully measured.
We’re also seeing new solutions enter the market to address categories of care. By combining a sound analytics strategy with a prescriptive “now what”, brokers can implement programs that manage costs and make employees happier.
What are the industry’s biggest challenges?
Creating exciting career paths for non-selling roles. I left the insurance industry after seven years due to what I perceived as a lack of career development. We need to do better to retain our top talent by providing skills and compensation growth.
For the younger generation, what are one or two lessons you’ve learned that you can share with them?
Take some calculated risks. You will learn more and build resiliency through taking chances and making mistakes.
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