There is an old Polish proverb I’m fond of using (I even have it on a t-shirt).  It says, “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”  

In essence, it expresses a distancing from whatever you feel isn’t your problem or fault, especially those things that are out of your control.  And in this crazy world, that list seems to be growing daily.  The phrase helps me cope when I get twisted up about things that are well above my pay grade that I can’t really affect anyway. 

When it comes to owning and running an insurance agency, however, it is important to note that it definitely is your circus, and those definitely are your monkeys (metaphorically speaking, of course).  This may seem like an obvious point to make, but you’d be surprised at the number of times we come across the “Not my circus…” mentality with agency owners, and the effect can be detrimental if not downright devastating to the success of the agency.  

In our book “12 Agency Growth Pitfalls” (available here for free), we see this problem show up in a myriad of ways, each having a different impact on an agency’s growth. 

So exactly how does an owner find themselves in this position? It’s actually not that difficult to understand, and it all comes down to three things: Identity, Leadership, and Ownership.  These three things are critical to any successful agency, but unfortunately, they are unnatural behaviors that frequently must be learned. New agencies are generally started by successful producers who know how to sell insurance, service clients, and be the trusted advisor for their insureds. 

What they don’t generally bring to the agency is a deep knowledge of how the agency is defined, what leadership of the agency looks like, and how ownership expresses itself in the day-to-day operations.  

You can hear these issues hidden within comments like: 

• “…. nobody puts anything in the AMS”
• “I’ll take any revenue I can get”
• “Susan has always done things her way…”   

These statements and many more like them are very common, and although they express a deep frustration with how the agency is running, they also indicate a resignation to the status quo. Thankfully, there are things an owner can do to regain true ownership of their agency and put themselves back into the position of ringleader of the circus.  

The first one is a question of Identity.  

As we work with agencies in our Greenhouse program, we ask the question “Who are you?” This isn’t rhetorical – it’s a real question, and it exposes what the owner of the agency understands about themselves, frequently raising many questions in the process.  What do we stand for?  Who do we want to serve?  Who don’t we want to serve?  What is non-negotiable in how we run our business?  

The answers to these questions should come from the entire staff, but the agency principal needs to own them, believe in them, and live them.  All things roll downhill, and that includes the vision of an agency.  Staff needs that vision, and it starts at the top.  If the owner doesn’t set it, the staff will fill the vacuum.

The next thing is Leadership.  An owner who sets the agency’s principles also lives them and bakes them into every facet of agency operations.  This includes how employees are treated, how they interact with clients, and how they conduct business.  An owner who doesn’t provide this leadership is inviting someone else to do so, and the agency quickly falls to the control of the staff rather than to the owner. 

The third item is Ownership.  A leader who believes deeply in the agency’s principles must also own them rather than ceding that authority to someone else.  This sometimes means stepping up and being firm when agency procedures aren’t being followed, or agency values start to stray a bit.  Staff who see an owner do this feel secure that the agency they work for is founded on solid principles that go all the way to the top and aren’t going to change, even if (or when) things get uncomfortable.  And when things do go awry, as they always will, they know the owner will still be there guiding the agency based on solid values. 

So, if you’re an agency owner, tell yourself every morning when you get to the office – this is my circus, and these are my monkeys.  That does not mean you must do every job, solve every problem, or make every decision yourself. It does mean you are responsible for the direction of the agency, the standards it operates by, and the culture your team experiences every day.  You can delegate the work, but you cannot delegate ownership.

Your team is watching to see what you reinforce, what you tolerate, and what you are willing to protect. In time, those choices become the agency. So, step into the center ring. Set the direction. Lead with clarity. And make sure the circus becomes the one you intended to build.

Then go and do great things for your clients.