29 April 2024
/ Tiffani N. Palmer
Intrapreneurial Success: A Guide for the Self-Motivating Claims Professional
I recently attended the “Say It Loud, Say It Proud, I’m in Subrogation” webinar, by chief personnel officer Cortney Helfrich of the Wilber Group. During this webinar, a unique concept was discussed; an intrapreneur. This caused me to reflect on my career as a former claims adjuster and my work with many claims professionals. Typically those that are successful exhibit behaviors of intrapreneurs. However, first let’s define the term.
Similar to an entrepreneur, intrapreneurs are innovators interested in contributing to the growth and development of their business. An intrapreneur is a term that combines “internal” and “entrepreneur”. The term helps to illustrate the employee that utilizes entrepreneurial skills in their roles. The term was popularized by Gifford Pinchot III in his book entitled “Intrapreneuring”. As indicated in the book it refers to the employee that works with the corporation to obtain a mutual benefit by driving commercial vitality through fostering new ideas. These concepts apply to the claims professional, not only on a management level but also on an individual claims bases.
An intrapreneuring claims professional is one that does the following:
Doesn’t reinvent the wheel, instead builds a tele-porter
- When handling your subrogation claim, always look for ways to obtain recovery in a faster, less expensive, and more efficient way. This may involve thinking outside of the box, attending continued learning sessions through organizations like the National Association for Subrogation Professionals (NASP), getting the involvement of your subrogation counsel into the claim as early as possible, and networking with colleagues regarding best practices. Always keep the bigger picture in mind!
Keeps swimming
- Consistently seek out continuing learning activities from not only NASP, but from firms like Weltman that provide webinars and blogs on various topics associated with subrogation and recovery methods. However, acquiring additional education is only the first step in the process - be your own research and development team. Explore how new and trendy concepts can assist in your claims handling.
Becomes the water, not the sand
- It is important to adhere to the established practices and procedures of your organization, and it is just as important to be flexible when handling new or challenging claim issues. This may require you to step outside of your comfort zone. Never be complacent and rigid. A flexible claims professional has to wear many hats and flow with the file. Ensure that you are known as a problem solver.
Knows they are no island
- Successful claims professionals are ones that build a strong team. Establish rapport with your management team, building trust will afford you more leeway. It is also key to build relationships with co-workers. Get to know your vendors outside of normal work hours if possible, and attend as many NASP conferences as possible; it is a great way to strengthen your bench.
Our team is constantly monitoring changes in the industry. If you have any questions about this article or would like to learn more about our subrogation solutions, connect with shareholder Tiffani Palmer at any time.
These blogs are not a solicitation for business and are not intended to constitute legal advice on specific matters, create an attorney-client relationship, or be legally binding in any way.
