A few years ago, my husband started telling me I should listen to a guy named Cody Johnson, a country singer from Texas. I listened a little, and it was good, but his music didn’t make it into my frequent playlist. A few months ago, I surprised my husband with tickets to a Cody Johnson concert, and experiencing his music in person was absolutely AMAZING. Every song was filled with passion, conviction, talent, and overall care.
As the concert was nearing its end, the song “‘Til You Can’t” started to play. The premise of the song is you don’t get time back, so you should take your chances now. The guy standing in front of me turned around, handed me his phone, and asked if I would take a video of him … so I started filming. A few seconds later he got down on one knee and took a deep breath. He got the attention of the woman he was with and asked her to marry him! I will never forget the emotion that crossed her face. I kept filming as she started crying (yes, I was crying, too), and she told him yes! He stood up and gave her a long, tight hug. It was beautiful, and it was real life.
I shared this during my opening talk at our first AgriSompo Agency Conference last week, and I went on to tell the audience ― filled with our agent partners ― that the story of the proposal aligns perfectly with our AgriSompo team. That man was extremely intentional ― he planned and waited for just the right place, the right person, and the right moment to change both of their lives. Through all the change over the past few years, while it may not have been visible to all, we at AgriSompo have been extremely intentional about creating strategy and aligning around a new vision. We have been focused on building a culture that reflects who we are, and we have been waiting for the right time to show our partners who AgriSompo is today.
Humans don’t like change. Our minds will always see a loss as more significant than a gain. It’s just the way we’re programmed. Think about when you receive negative feedback. That feedback often is much more significant in our memory than the praise you might have received the day prior.
I challenge myself and anyone reading this is to stop and consider not just the negative or what was lost, but also the positive and what has been gained through change. Change is everywhere, and by altering our perspective to consider the gain over the loss, I believe we will find success in business and in life. The future is bright for those who are willing to change and adapt and see new possibilities and potential.
In my role at AgriSompo, I am challenged to not just manage what is happening today, to not live in the fires and the problems we all have. My job is to look to the future to ensure we have the right people, structure, system, and processes aligned to support our vision today and tomorrow.
At the conference, there we stood as AgriSompo, as a partner, in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. Our feet are firmly planted on the ground. We are listening, we are watching, and we are continuously improving as a stable and successful partner to the agents and the American farmers and ranchers we serve, today and tomorrow. Thank you to all who took the time away from their businesses and lives to attend our first AgriSompo Agency Conference. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings and to see you all again at another conference down the road.
I wish you all a merry Christmas and happy New Year!
