Communication

In my last blog, I talked about dealing with conflict in a group. I gave a method that groups might want to use try to solve the conflict in a reasonable manner. Since I have so many groups this semester, I’ve decided to talk about them again. But this time I am going to talk about conversations and communication within our groups. Conversation is something that happens in everyday life whether it’s just casual, school, or work related there is no way around it.  Without conversation, my groups couldn’t function and complete projects like we need to. I must admit that a couple of my groups have an easier time with conversation than the others do.

Personally, for me it depends on what type of group I am working with that will determine the types of conversations we have. In one of my groups we are very comfortable with each other and just have casual conversations every time we meet.  A couple of the others, it’s strictly school work and nothing else. Both of these methods work fine with me, because we still end up with the same result in the end a finished project.  Group 1 is the more casual group that can do both casual and school related conversations at the same time and still achieve our goals. Group 2’s conversations usually always have to do with the project we are working on and nothing else.  This is okay with me, but I just make it a little harder for me to get comfortable with the people at first. I think casual conversations let you get a feel of what the people are like and their thought process.

Without communicating in general, you cannot expect other people to know what you are thinking.  You can literally feel the tension in school when you get together with your groups for the very first time. Everything is new and for the most part people don’t really know each other too well. Usually the first person to start a conversation is the leader of the group and feels the most comfortable. That did not used to be me, but now I feel as though I have become more comfortable with just putting myself out there and taking the lead. 

With this said, insurance agencies need to have good communication with their customers.  This helps minimize mistakes, conflict, and other problems that could occur. Something that Nixon Insurance does that I really like, is that the agents log their activity with each individual customer in the customer’s profile. This way for example if Chad is out of the office Dave can look in John Doe’s activities and see what conversations have being going on.  It might not give Dave every piece of information he needs to know but at least he has a starting ground and can help the best way he can. It’s important for the customer to tell their agent when they pay off a car loan, get a new car, or have a new roof put on their house so the agent is up to date on everything. Communication between co-workers is important as well. People who don’t communicate well don’t work well together.  It’s important to remember that you have an opinion and a voice for a reason. Use it when it is necessary because only you can control it.

I have to remember this as well when at school. The people in my groups don’t know what I am thinking or wanting to do unless I communicate with them. There is nothing more frustrating in groups than when someone won't communicate at all. Communication is one of the keys to having a successful and fulfilling life.

An Excellent Opportunity

Hello everyone, I hope you had an awesome weekend and are off to a great start this week! This weekend I had the opportunity to take part in the the first annual Caterpillar Young Professionals-Bradley Engineering/Business Case Competition (what a mouthful!). What this ridiculously long-named event entails is ten teams of five people: three Caterpillar employees, one Bradley engineering student, and one Bradley business student. The purpose of the competition was to not only encourage continued education for CAT employees and networking for Bradley students, but to actually come up with a creative and sustainable solution to an issue CAT is facing (unfortunately I am legally bound to secrecy on the specifics).

To prepare for the competition, all teams met once a week for four weeks. We spent two hours together and discussed the process of Six Sigma (Six Sigma is simply a process that many companies use to improve processes and minimize defects) and what would be expected of us come competition day. Then, the big day came. We were handed the case on Friday at 8am and were expected to send in our solution by 6:59am on Saturday. My group spent almost 22 hours in the same room working on our presentation; there was copious amounts of coffee and takeout consumed. Around 5:30am we decided to call it quits so we could shower and get spiffy. We then met up at the CAT administration building at 7am and awaited the beginning of the presentations which were to be judged by panels of various Caterpillar specialists.  

In total, my team was up for 32 hours straight; we were literally sleeping with our eyes open. I don’t know about you, but that’s the longest I have ever stayed awake, and trust me, I was getting slightly cranky! I regret to say that we did not win, but I learned more about CAT, Six Sigma, and teamwork than I ever thought possible. If any engineering or business students from BU are reading this, I highly recommend you try to be a part of this soon- to- be annual opportunity. It was hard work, and it was tiring work, but in the end I think it was one of the most beneficial opportunities I have ever had the pleasure to take part in. If you have any questions, just shoot me a comment!

Thanks for reading! Stay warm and stay safe this Halloween season!

Jenny Walker

A Way to Manage Conflict

No one told me that is semester at Bradley would be the semester of groups! I have 5 classes this semester, and out of those 5, 4 of those have groups. That means I have to work with 9 different people and 9 different points of view. Now this may seem like a nightmare, but in reality it is not half bad. I mean yes sometimes differences of opinion, working styles, and personalities can make things a little difficult but nothing too horrible. One class I am taking is called Leadership & Behavior and we literally just sit and talk about just that leadership and behavior. Something I've learned after being in this class for over 2 months now, is that whoever your leader is can really change the group dynamic for better or for worse.  With that said, it is important to remember that a team is still a team not the leader doing everything and the other members just sitting there in the background. Everyone’s behavior can change the way the group works, thinks, and managements conflicts.

Luckily, all of my groups are pretty easy going and we can agree on almost everything even if there is conflict. Now when you first hear the word conflict, you probably think it's always bad but in truth there is such a thing a good conflict. Think about it without conflict, everyone would be the same, think the same, and do basically everything the same. How boring right? Good conflict needs to happen in groups, but it is your leader's job to make sure that good conflict management is put in place. According to my lecture from Leadership & Behavior, this is a model teams can follow to help resolve conflict:

1.       Define the Situation.

a.       Talk about what is going wrong and why things are the way they are

2.       Share Personal Impact

a.       Let each member of the team tell how this conflict is changing the way they see the group or how it is effecting them when the group is working

3.       Express Overall Effects

a.       Write down a list of things that have been effect by this conflict like group dynamic, work ethic, and cohesiveness.

4.       Present Desired Alternatives

a.       Come up with ways to resolve the conflict such as accommodating, compromise, or collaboration

This model may not work in every situation but it’s at least something to try.  The important thing to remember is that everyone is different and it’s important to discuss difference. Being a leader is more than just telling people what to do, it’s about being able to influence a relationship among yourself and the team members, keeping an open mind, listening, and being understanding. Next time you have a problem even if it’s with a friend, give this a try and see what happens!

-Brooke

"Insure" a Stress Free Life

I don’t know about you, but I am a bit of a worrier, and not just about the big stuff. I tend to worry about EVERYTHING. Don’t believe me? I had nightmares about trying to decide what to blog about today. Yeah, that bad. I am getting better at relaxing a little and letting life take its course, but I guess I still can’t control my dreams!

            So, what better to blog about then stress? Stress is a part of everyone’s life, maybe some more than others. I’m starting to believe it’s only as prevalent as you allow it to be. It has taken me 21 years (okay, maybe not that long) to gain the ability to manage it, but I can definitely say I have far from perfected the art.  I believe it is important to have some faith, just know God won’t give you something He doesn’t think you can't handle. It is also important to have someone to talk to when you are stressing. For me, it is my mom, but no matter who it is, sometimes you just need to be able to air everything out.

            I’m sure it is probably pretty hard to take a college student seriously when it comes to a life lesson, but I’d say I have become pretty knowledgeable about this subject. Faith and family are the two most important things I use for managing my worry problem, in a way, they are my insurance. Isn’t that the idea of insurance: manage risk to help alleviate worry and stress about the future?

Have a great day everyone. Enjoy the little things and love your family to “insure” a great life!

Jenny, Intern

A saying my mother sends to me when I am stressed to the point of pulling my hair out.

Oh How Things Can Change

Jenny's Blog

The homecoming excitement has died down, and now its time to get serious again. So, what’s more serious than insurance? Well, according to many people my age, not too much. Out of sheer curiosity, I took it upon myself this weekend to ask a few of my peers what they think when they hear “insurance.” The typical answer: boring, expensive, death, (and on a lighter note) something you just have to deal with throughout your life, or a necessity that gives people piece of mind. If you ask me, insurance is just something that most people my age (which is 21, by the way) don’t know very much about. How do I know this? Aside from the more entertaining answers already mentioned, most said they just didn’t know enough to comment.

Before I started my internship at Nixon, I was pretty much in the same boat. I mean, I knew some of the basics- insuring a 16 year old must be a parent’s worst nightmare and simultaneously insuring their older son and his motorcycle surely kept them up at night- that’s enough right? Okay, okay, so I definitely didn’t know much. Insurance wasn’t something I personally had to deal with, it was just always there. It was there when my brother ended up in the ER, his motorcycle in pieces, or when my father’s low blood sugar caused him to pass out at the wheel and hit a ditch.

Like me, many people my age can probably come up with times when insurance was a safety net for the unexpected, we just don’t know too much about the technicalities. Therefore, I look forward to continuing my internship with Nixon, learning as much as I can, and sharing my experiences via our social media. I also look forward to sharing what I learn with you in this weekly blog, bear with me though, it’s only my second month! By the way, my name is Jenny, and I’m a senior at Bradley University. J

 

Brooke's Blog

Insurance, the look on most people’s faces when they hear that word is a look of torture. Hey I’m not going to lie I did the same thing and only thought of horror stories I had heard about insurance. I’m Brooke, a Business Management & Administration major at Bradley University.  Since May 2012, I have been an intern at Nixon Insurance and let me tell you my perspective on insurance no longer has thoughts of horror attached to it. The old saying never judge a book by its cover really comes into play here. After just listening to our agents talk about insurance really let me understand what insurance is all about.  

It takes more than just one day to fully understand insurance and how it works. I’ve been here for almost 6 months and I still don’t understand everything.  Contrary to what most people think, insurance companies and agents do not want to take as much money as possible from their customers. Nixon Insurance is here to serve you, the customer, and to make things easier. Yes, insurance is an ever evolving industry and can be unpredictable. We as the agent do our best to make things easy to understand and help with any transitions the customer have to go through.  

In reality, insurance is always going to be here. You can’t even drive a car legally, without it, and I feel the more people understand it the less threathend they will feel by it. If you have questions call your agent, ask questions, or come into the office the door is always open. Remember there is no such thing as a stupid question and our agents will do their best to answer the questions. Our goal here at Nixon Insurance, is to show you that we really care about you and are not just the middle man. We want to know when you have concerns and want to be able to help you understand what is going on.

As an intern, my journey is just beginning and  I cannot wait to see where I will go from here. Until next time everyone have a great day!