Building a High Performance Culture Raymond E. DiDonna, FSA 05.14.2019

Session Description The true value of any leader is measured by how much they are able to accomplish through the work of their team. Actuaries in leadership roles are no different. But, to get the most out of your teams, leaders must first focus on building a high-performance culture. One that rewards measurable success and challenges everyone to reach farther all the time. There is no easy path to building a high-performance culture, but the benefits of a leader’s efforts will pay substantial dividends for the team, the leader, and the company. This workshop is intended to educate leaders of large and small groups on how to build a high-performance culture and achieve outstanding results.   At the conclusion of this workshop, attendees will: Learn the critical steps necessary in building a high-performance culture, Understand how to combat the inevitable resistance to change that will occur as new ways of operating are implemented, and Be able to easily distinguish between high-performing and lower-performing teams. Almost nothing is black and white once you finish your exams Focus on selling your point of view (influencing)

Great What do leaders do? “Leaders produce results through the efforts of others.” Fill in the blank…. Your goal as a leader is to develop a _________team. Great Good Fair Poor Almost nothing is black and white once you finish your exams Focus on selling your point of view (influencing) Great

What are the Critical Steps to building a High Performance Culture? Acquire the Talent Build the Org Grow the People “Make sure the right people are coming in the door” “Make sure your company/business/ team has the right environment” “Make sure you focus loads of attention on staff development”

What are the Critical Steps to building a High Performance Culture? Acquire the Talent Build the Org Grow the People Before You Meet Candidates When You Meet Candidates What You Should Have What You Should Do Set Expectations Give Feedback Provide Opportunities

ACQUIRE THE TALENT

Acquiring the Talent Before You Meet Candidates… Build a Talent Pipeline Get Employee Referrals Look for Resumes that Show Results Get Ready to Pay Well

Look for Energy, Attitude & Initiative Look for Self-Awareness Acquiring the Talent When You Meet Candidates… Look for Energy, Attitude & Initiative Look for Self-Awareness Don’t Settle Don’t Hire Jerks

BUILD THE ORG

A Development Framework FUN !! Building the Org What You Should Have… A Compelling Vision Goals that are Aligned A Leadership Survey Visible Metrics A Development Framework

Building the Org What You Should Do… Recognize Reward Focus Model …employees in multiple ways. Reward …the best performers a lot. Highly differentiate rewards. Focus …on the TOP performers. Model Communicate …the behavior you want from your team. Be open, honest, and as transparent as possible—everyone should feel accountable.

GROW THE PEOPLE

Set High-Quality, Comprehensive Goals & Objectives Growing the People Set Expectations Set High-Quality, Comprehensive Goals & Objectives Measure as much as possible… Target Dates Productivity Quality/Effectiveness Turn qualitative into quantitative Define “stretch” goals in relation to targets—what does great performance looks like? CATEGORY: Customer Service Objective: Achieve outstanding service results Measure 1/Target: Avg. 2 day turnaround time for all new requests Stretch target = Avg. 1.5 day TAT Measure 2/Target: 3.5 / 4.0 on customer satisfaction surveys Stretch target = 3.75 / 4.0 Goals & Objectives

Growing the People Give Feedback Deliver feedback that is frequent, specific and candid Don’t shy away from providing critical feedback, but… Do it objectively Based on the employee’s goals and the expectations you have set Don’t over-reward performance that “meets” expectations

Growing the People Provide Opportunities Who should get new opportunities? Your Best People What kinds of opportunities should you provide? Lead new projects Exposure around the company Filling in for you Industry activity Research & Development What’s the toughest thing to do with your best people? Recommend them for new roles

The Pain of Change Who’s NOT going to like what you are doing? You’ll probably get some mutinies This attrition will help the team in the long run. Now you can go hire more top performers. Stay the course This is a test of a great leader. High performers will stay and others will want in. Almost nothing is black and white once you finish your exams Focus on selling your point of view (influencing) Building a High Performance Culture is Easy to Talk About But Tough to Do

How Do You Know if Your Team is… High Performing Low Performing - or - Things get done Everyone is accountable Collaboration High level of transparency Everyone is having fun Your people are sought-after People want in You get promoted Lots of excuses Finger-pointing Silos Information hoarding Coming in is a drudgery No interest in your people People want out You get demoted Almost nothing is black and white once you finish your exams Focus on selling your point of view (influencing)

WRAP UP

Company & Industry Exposure Acquiring the Talent Communicate Talent Pipeline Vision Stretch Goals Model Behavior Employee Referrals Metrics Measurable Goals Self-Awareness Building the Org Alignment Resumes  Results Expectations Energy, Attitude, Initiative Feedback Development Growing the People No Jerks Frequent, Specific, Candid Reward & Recognize Fun Opportunities Company & Industry Exposure R&D New Roles Projects

RAYMOND E. DiDONNA, FSA RGAX Americas T. 860.600.7432 | F. 000.000.0000 | M. 860.944.9639 www.RGAX.com