In2Leadership Event Offered CPCUs Key Advice on Effective Management, Thinking Critically and More

Partnering with the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, the CPCU Society’s annual leadership education event in Tampa, Fla. was curated to provide business leaders with professional leadership education.

Courses were designed to match current trending topics and challenges facing global leaders. While insurance professionals were the main audience, the event was structured to benefit professionals in any industry.

Here’s a look at what attendees were able to glean from the two-day event held in March.

Six Educational Sessions Focused on Trending Leadership Topics

Six sessions were presented over the course of the two days, each designed to maximize engagement and education. All sessions were interactive in order to be engaging for adult learners and featured small-group discussions, exercises and Q&As. The classes included:

1) High-Performance Coaching

Taught by executive coach and facilitator Linda Simmons, this session was all about exploring professional coaching techniques and how to apply them at work.

Simmons provided ways for the audience to apply their new skills at work with concrete examples. One area of focus featured on teaching attendees to relate personally to the people they coach by asking the right questions, listening with intent and learning to identify how their protégé wanted to be coached.

2) Effectively Managing Change

Tom Hunsaker, clinical professor of strategy & leadership, taught this popular session.

In an industry that is constantly changing, how can leaders better manage change to accomplish results? Hunsaker discussed three types of change and how leaders can identify which type of change is needed based on situational awareness.

Knowing the way to approach change and the key actions to take improves the chances of success of any change.

3) Scoping Your EI Improvements and Action Steps to Achieve Them

Facilitated by Christine Pearson, professor of global leadership, this session tackled the challenges leaders face with emotional and social intelligence.

Focused on results, the session began with a self-assessment and finished with participants identifying their own top personal EI goals and leaving with personalized action steps to take.

4) Collaborating in a Hybrid World

Linda Simmons led this session concentrated on the new communication skills needed to motivate, connect and succeed in the hybrid work environment. Most of the attendees could relate to the challenges hybrid work can pose, especially when it comes to collaborating on creative projects.

Simmons helped attendees challenge their assumptions about the success of hybrid environments while providing tangible ideas to improve team collaboration. She pointed out small changes and practices that can lead to large results, which was a unique way to position the content.

5) Proactive Conflict Management

This engaging session led by Pearson addressed the ways that workplace incivility happens and how leaders can address it.

A show of hands in the room proved that the vast majority of attendees had experienced incivility at work in the past — issues that can affect performance, retention and employee satisfaction. Managing conflict before serious issues arise can be accomplished through some simple approaches, which Pearson identified.

The session included discussions, personal examples and critical-thinking exercises.

Ryan Reik, project manager, Liberty Mutual

6) Thinking Critically in a Noisy World

Taught by Hunsaker, this session helped attendees identify ways to think more critically — especially helpful when there is more data and information available than ever before.

With examples pulled from some of the world’s greatest and most creative innovators, the session was inspirational and provided key practices for audience members to deploy.

Seeing the positive opportunity in situations is a skill leaders can develop when they can cut through the noise to think critically.

Ryan Reik, CPCU, project manager at Liberty Mutual, and an attendee at this year’s In2Leadership event, said, “In2Leadership provides me with new leadership tools every single year. This year was particularly helpful given my transition through Liberty Mutual’s acquisition of State Auto. The presentations on effectively managing change and high-performance coaching are going to be extremely impactful over this next year as I get settled in my new role.”

Value at In2Leadership for New and Returning Attendees

Close to 300 professionals attended In2Leadership. Many people find value in returning year after year to update their leadership skills with trending and developing topics, as well as to enjoy valuable networking opportunities with other industry leaders.

One returning attendee, Becki Rabuck, CPCU, underwriting manager, personal lines underwriting at Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, described her experience at In2Leadership: “This was my second time attending an In2Leadership event and I absolutely took advantage of every single minute there. Speaking with other industry professionals who have held higher positions in the [CPCU] Society always intrigues me to expand my personal volunteer opportunities and extend my own personal reach.

“In addition,” Rabuck continued, “I look forward to taking the leadership skills gained from the Thunderbird School of Management back to my coworkers and sharing this knowledge to make us all better leaders. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with these amazing professionals in October for the In2Risk event!”

As Rabuck noted, the value of education gained at events like In2Leadership is amplified when attendees share their new knowledge with their teams at work. This knowledge-sharing helps magnify the reach of the content and allows companies to benefit from their investment in their employees.

There were plenty of first-time attendees in Tampa for the event as well.

“ ‘Activism’ would be my word to describe the conference in brief,” said Ladda Love Hawkins, transportation risk insurance professional, Lovejoy Risk Management.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to sit with the working interest group committee and contribute feedback on a few of the initiatives underway. The openness to hear new ideas from a new attendee made me feel valued. In fact, it gave me the courage to raise my hand to volunteer on two of the committees.”

Hawkins concluded, “It is my opinion that In2Leadership is the CPCU society hack to connecting with essential members to support long-term engagement.”

Watch for your next opportunity to learn and engage with the CPCU Society at In2Risk, October 5 to 7, in Washington, D.C. Registration is now open. &