Here are some quotes I found that inspire me. Do you see a message in them?

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.” – Thomas Edison

“The only constant in life is change” Heraclitus (~ 500 BC)

The message for me is that change is part of life and change brings adversity. How we deal with adversity can define our success.

Sure, I’ve also heard that death and taxes are always with us, but that’s a bit dark, so I guess “change” is what I’m working with here.

My 1st point is, we got this. Changes come every year. We had this yesterday, we got this today and we’ve got this tomorrow.

We all know the changes our industry has gone through and what could be in store for us tomorrow. So, what can you do about it? What can we do about it? What happens if we can’t change? Won’t change? There is a lot of change coming, how do we deal with it?

I’m not sure there is one right answer, but surely those who adapt will survive … those who don’t … time will tell.

So, how best to approach change? (insert story mode) I did a trek in Nepal a few years ago and it was a long one. But I didn’t complete it all in one day and I didn’t do it by myself. We had a group and tour guides. So, my journey started with a single step, followed by another and another, but it was with other like-minded people and professionals to help guide us.

Now I’m switching my analogy from my trek to my son’s Lego … stay with me. Many of my mornings start by stepping on a Lego piece, followed by a few choice words. Once I’ve calmed down, I think “that little %&#@ing piece belongs to something bigger. That expensive %&#@ing toy won’t be complete without it.”

And to me, that’s what planning for change is. It’s little steps, little Lego blocks, that are worked on individually but add up to something more special.

Reflecting on all the change the industry has been through in the past few years, I firmly believe at Ausure we got this, because we are among the strongest in the business (brokers across the country and head office teams) working together, achieving all we’ve achieved so far. We can break down each change that comes up into practical, approachable pieces. Here’s to a strong and prosperous 2022.

Excerpt taken from the latest Ausure Magazine – Dec 2021

Mick O’Bree
General Manger of Operations & Underwriting

Mick’s career has included running a local brokerage to Managing Director Ausure Ruralco Pty Ltd. His experience and skill set include specialising in Risk Management, Business Insurance Planning, Insurance Advice and Change Management.