We love reading the stories of the successful once their journey has reached a point that they can drop bombs of wisdom on us about how they reached a level that we can admire. But what does innovation look like at the ground level, while it is still happening? What does it look like when you have an idea, you connect with a few people who get it, you begin to collaborate and build towards conquering your dreams? Tony Canas and co-author Carly Burnham (read our interview with Carly HERE) have found a piece of the puzzle that they are skilled and passionate about, they have collaborated to create InsNerds and co-authored a book, Insuring Tommorrow, to share their insights and story. To interact with Tony is to engage with an aspect of innovation that is gaining momentum through hard work, creativity and collaboration within an industry (like all industries) that is in need of innovation. Tony is digging into a subject that many are reticent to touch, the recruitment, development and retention of Millennials. In doing so, Mr. Canas has become a known blogger, author and speaker on the topic with his session "Recruiting and Retaining Millennials" being delivered at the CPCU Society Leadership Conference and Annual Meetings for 2014. Our thanks to Tony Canas for taking the time to share with us. 

(Jon Isaacson / IZ Ventures): When kids are asked in high school what they dream of becoming, the insurance industry is not one of those top 10 career choices, what brought you into this field?

Tony Canas: Like almost everybody else I fell into insurance by accident. It was 2009 and I was living in Des Moines, Iowa, one of the top insurance cities in the US, and got downsized from my job as a fleet manager with a transportation company when the economy crashed. I started applying to a bunch of jobs and it just so happened I landed at the Farm Bureau Claims Call Center and immediately fell in love with the industry.

What aspects of insurance are you currently engaged in, what does your day-to-day look like? 

In my day job I’m a middle market underwriter for a major national carrier and I manage the state of Mississippi. We have a lot of verticals (energy, public entity, construction, healthcare, etc) so I end up underwriting a lot of manufacturing, retail chains, wholesales, restaurant chains and hotel chains.

You are building quite a presence through blogging at InsNerds.com, having written Insuring Tomorrow and with your speaking engagements, what are your goals with these entrepreneurial endeavors? 

I spend a lot of my free time growing and promoting InsNerds, our two podcasts and marketing our book Insuring Tomorrow. I also have keep evenings a week devoted to “micro-mentoring” other insurance professionals. I help them figure out where they want to go and how to get there and see if I can open some doors out of my 10,000+ LinkedIn connections. I’ve been doing it for a few months and some of my mentees have already scored better jobs which is incredibly rewarding! Anyone can grab some time on my calendar at ChatWithTony.com, although at times the wait can be a couple of weeks.

On the writing side I work on bringing in new authors to InsNerds and writing some of my own articles (mostly about career growth) and we’d like to write a second book. On the speaking side I speak at insurance conferences about Engaging Millennials in Insurance as often as I can. The speaking invites have really picked up since the book came out and I love it!

I've talked to several people that have ideas or some level of desire to write a book, for you what was the catalyst that brought you to writing Insuring Tomorrow?

I waited five years for somebody to dedicate a book to the important topic of how to engage Millennials in our industry, and nobody did. Finally one day my girlfriend came home and told me “It’s time to write the book”. I called Carly (my co-author) and said “it’s time to write the book”. Then we just did it. I’m not saying it was easy, but after years of being passionate about the topic and collecting reference material actually getting it done wasn’t too bad. We wrote it in about 90 days and sales have been better than expected and the reviews very positive.

In that process of formulating your thoughts into a book what was easier than you expected and what was harder than you expected in that process?

It was both… What I mean is that while it was hard to sit down and write a table of contents to plan the different chapters, once that was done it was easy to write the draft for most chapters. The tough part was having to cut some of the chapters we originally planned for because we couldn’t find enough data and outside resources to really back them up. We wanted the book to leave the reader with a pretty airtight case, not just our opinion, but rather ideas backed by tons of outside research. Overall it took a LOT of time, and we stayed up late very often during the process, but it was mostly enjoyable and incredibly worth it.

What have been some of the positive responses to your book? The topic of Millennials is rather charged, has there been much opposition to your publication?

While there is absolutely a lot of “millennial fatigue”, the response has been almost completely positive. I think most people in the industry recognize that while we have talked a lot about the topic, we really haven’t solved it and we MUST solve it. Some of my favorite reviews said, “It is truly outstanding.” “Every insurance CEO should read this.” and “Essential reading for insurance executives.” One early reviewer called it, “The best book on understanding culture since Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.” The book is available at InsuringTomorrowBook.com

The subject matter that you are speaking to centers around the topic of Millennials in the workforce, as such what is one key piece of advice that first you would give to leaders working with millennials and then to millennials who are either entering the workforce or seeking to better themselves?

It’s hard to digest five years of research into a 250 page book, let alone a one hour talk and even harder into a couple of sentences, but I’d say the best way to understand Millennials is think of them as a different culture. Not better or worse, just different. And try to understand them in that context. Also, look at the numbers and realize that this will be a MASSIVE change for our industry. The business world in general has been dominated by Baby Boomers for decades, there were 25% fewer Gen Xers so they will always remain a minority, as the Boomers retire business will have to reinvent itself to survive in an era where Millennials will be the bulk of the workforce for at least a couple of decades.

What is next for Tony?

Now that’s a hard question! My plans have changed a lot over the last few years and I’m sure they will continue changing. I do know that I’m staying in the insurance industry for the rest of my career and will continue running InsNerds. Chances are many other projects that I haven’t even imagined yet will emerge from the InsNerds umbrella. I will continue being a positive voice of change for our industry and will continue my efforts to help us recruit and retain a new workforce.


Tony Canas regularly writes for InsNerds.com, he is on LinkedIn and tweets as @TonyCanas4. Insuring Tomorrow has many applications outside of the insurance industry and is available for $20, you can find our review of the publication HERE. 

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We recently read and composed a review of the book Insuring Tomorrow: Engaging Millennials in the Insurance Industry, written by Carly Burnham and Tony Canas. Carly and Tony are leading by example in their industry by investing in their personal development as well as collaborating to assist others to grow in the industry that they are engaged in. The two founded the resourceful website InsNerds.com which seeks to be, "The go-to source for transformational talent development and career management serving the global insurance ecosystem." We reached out to the accomplished Carly, who holds her MBA in business administration and the insurance industry CPCU, was very gracious in sharing some of her story in reaching her current position as well as the efforts that went into co-authoring a respected industry publication. 

Jon Isaacson (IZ Ventures): I've been in the industry over 15 years and in that period of time I have only met one person who intentionally set out to get into the insurance industry, what brought you into this field?

Carly Burnham: I happened to find a part time job as an office assistant at an insurance agency when I was starting college. The agent who I worked for was truly committed to her clients and taught me a lot about coverage and the principles of insurance. She was a wonderful person to learn from. When my now-husband and I re-located to Iowa, I worked in banking for a few months, but I missed feeling like I was truly providing a valuable service, so I started working for Nationwide. At Nationwide, I had the opportunity to develop technically and start taking CPCU courses and learning about all of the different career paths available. This was when I committed to growing a long-term career in insurance.

What aspects of insurance are you currently engaged in, what does your day-to-day look like and what are your goals with writing?

I'm currently a commercial underwriter. I help agents place business by advising them on our risk appetite, coverages, and pricing options. I write because I enjoy it. I think the insurance ecosystem is going through profound change due to technological, generational, and market forces. My experience has always been that consumers feel intimidated by insurance, and many who have historically been tasked with explaining concepts to those customers would benefit from additional education. At InsNerds.com, we want to promote the idea that professionals can educate themselves in a fun way and that carriers and agencies would benefit from committing to encouraging greater education for their employees. Finally, I believe that not only can you build an interesting career in the ecosystem, insurance is truly an important, pro-social service, and I want to help spread that message.

I've talked to several people that have ideas or some level of desire to write a book, for you what was the catalyst that brought you to writing Insuring Tomorrow?

Honestly, Tony said "I want to write this book. I want to publish it by June. Will you join me?" And, I said yes. We had been writing and talking about these topics for years, so it seemed like the next logical step.

In that process of formulating your thoughts into a book what was a) easier than you expected and what was b) harder than you expected in that process?

a) We had a lot of material already at our finger tips, so filling pages was much easier than expected. b) The hardest part for me was promoting the book!

What was the timeline from inception, commitment, writing and then publication?

I would say the commitment to write the book was made late February, serious writing started late March, the draft was done by early May, and final publication was the beginning of June.

What have been some of the positive responses to your book? The topic of Millennials is rather charged, has there been much opposition to your publication?

We have gotten a lot of positive responses. Our audience has appreciated the compilation of information in one volume, that they can easily reference. Given the polarity of the topic of Millennials, I am surprised that there has been next to no opposition vocalized to me or Tony. I would venture to guess that it is because our audience does recognize the talent gap, and we focused on actionable tactics to help offset that gap. We also tried up front to set a perspective on why Millennials are different and why it matters. Finally, I think a lot of the things we recommend in the book are things that would benefit any generation!

What is one lesson learned that you can share about promoting a book? 

Build your audience before promoting your book. We've been blogging and working on this for years, so we had an advantage over anyone who is writing their first book without already cultivating an audience.

The subject matter that you are speaking to centers around the topic of Millennials in the workforce, as such what is one key piece of advice that first you would give to leaders working with millennials and then to millennials who are either entering the workforce or seeking to better themselves?

One piece of advice for leaders: Try to remember what it was like when you were starting your career. Unless you were very lucky, a lot of the things that seem obvious to you now were probably a surprise in your first role out of high school or college. For instance, when I worked at the agency during college, the agent who I worked for would take the time to have very direct conversations about the style she preferred in interactions with customers. A classic example: "Answer the phone with a smile. The customer will hear it." I still use this advice (and many other nuggets from her) today. For those who are entering the workforce or bettering themselves: Receive feedback as a gift and seek out people who will give you candid feedback. That being said, understand that you may hear something that doesn't work for you. Always be true to your own strengths and personality, but avoid being needlessly stubborn.

What is next for Carly? Thank you for your time and contributions, keep doing good things!

I'm working on my CIC, and I'll be pursuing the AIDA designation next. There is always more to learn in underwriting, and I love it! When it comes to InsNerds.com, the potential is limitless. We are still having a lot of fun writing articles, producing podcasts, and serving the ecosystem. . . I wouldn't be surprised if another book follows quickly.

Carly Burnahm regularly writes for InsNerds.com, she is on LinkedIn and tweets as @CarlyABurnham. Insuring Tomorrow has many applications outside of the insurance industry and is available for $20, you can find our review of the publication HERE. 

​There is a lot of noise surrounding the term millennial. Those reading this may well have their own strong opinions about what it means to be a part of Generation Y and the distinctives of that grouping of people as it relates to the workplace. Current postings in professional sites such as LinkedIn include respected publications with headlines the likes of “Millennials are Killing Countless Industries”, numerous guides on the “keys” to understanding millennials as well as articles with headlines that include apocalyptic predictions such as “A Business Without Millennials is a Business Without a Future.” The comment sections for postings from the authors of the book Insuring Tomorrow, which we will be reviewing in this article, further illuminates the divide of opinions on this subject, while also shedding a great deal of hope as many from generations past are adapting to the current market as well as many from the up-and-coming work force are eager to learn from those who have experience in the fields they want to enter.

Business leaders that are trying to stay engaged in the business game are always racking their brains. Business leaders who understand the importance of winning the talent wars are racking their brains on a whole different level as it relates to how to best understand, engage and develop the new candidates of the current workforce. While no one has the secret sauce that unravels all of the recipe intricacies of modern generations, there are many fine efforts being made to create clear and practical mediums for bridging the connection gap between leaders and millennials. Insuring Tommorrow: Engaging Millennials in the Insurance Industry is one such tool that has been put forth by the dynamic duo of Tony Canas and Carly Burnham. Before the reader shuts themselves off to another word they should understand that while this book is aimed at the insurance industry, of which the authors are practitioners and therefore most familiar, there are many applications that are relevant to any profession including parenting, instructing or just plain socializing with Generation Y.

For those in a position of leadership, interacting with millennials is not a question of IF but of HOW. To coincide with the publication that we are reviewing we will utilize the definition of millennials as those born between the years of 1977-1995. Millennials are in the workforce and by many counts they are, “Already the largest generation in the workforce, and the proportion that they may up will only keep growing…by 2020, they will be 50%; and by 2025, 75% of all employees in the workforce will be Millennials (p.9).” While generational influx in talent and workforce exodus due to retirement is no new conundrum, the transition from baby boomers to millennials appears to be a stark one given the quantities of the populations involved. It doesn’t take a deep scientific study into an organization to see plainly that the talent pools in many companies are growing older while engagement, development and retention of younger candidates is an ongoing challenge. To quote the headline referenced in the opening paragraph, “A business without millennials is a business without a future.”

Insuring Tomorrow is well written with a blend of personal experience, professional examples and industry relevant research to support the author’s claims. The book serves first as an outline to engaging millennials, a practical manual for specific social experiments and finally as a reference for questions that may arise as a person in a position of leadership works to develop both their professional as well as their soft skills with generational employees. A key understanding from the book is to recognize that millennials are not just a different generation but in many respect they are a different culture with unique methods of communication. An example of this from the book (p.28) draws from cultural distinctives such as removing your shoes before entering the home of a family from another culture where this would be a normative value, if those engaging with Generation Y can view millennials as a unique culture they may be able to begin to bridge the communication divide. There is a great story (p.85) about an interview that could have been a missed opportunity but because the interviewer took a few extra minutes to understand the individual they were meeting with both parties benefited from the addition of new talent to the organization. Leaders are encouraged to remember that not all millennials have received good mentorship, by giving them the benefit of the doubt with regards to lack of experience and taking the time to be clear, organizations may find the diamonds in the rough that they might otherwise glance over.

Tony and Carly have some practical tips for the first day and orientation throughout their book in addition to reversing several myths about millennials including this one regarding criticism, “They’re [millennials] absolutely comfortable with getting constructive feedback, but worry much more if they get no feedback, which is what is truly demotivating for a Millennial (p 58).” Millennials, as well as those generations around them, prefer constant feedback that will help them understand and progress in their career development rather than static (annual) reviews which do not illuminate the road map to success. The authors highlight another point of confusion, responding to the criticism that many millennials appear to be traveling through organizations with greater frequency than generations past. As many as 82% of millennials view themselves as loyal even though only 1% of HR professionals would agree, yet the authors argue this is a difference in how loyalty is measured. In the second chapter of Insuring Tomorrow, they note, “Millennials have a different definition of loyalty than previous generations did. For Millennials, loyalty means, ‘I worked very hard while I was there (p. 27).” Definitions such as these may be harder to comprehend across generational lines, but leaders and employees alike may be surprised to discover that they value many of the same core principles but there is a disconnect in the manner through which they describe or express those values.

Some of the highlights of the book include insights on What Millennials Look for at Work (Chapter 3), Give Constant and Honest Feedback(Chapter 7), Assume Good Intentions and Lack of Experience (Chapter 12) and Recruiting Millennials (Chapter 22). There are several practical examples including some side-by-side evaluations of the on-boarding processes (first day experience as well as orientation) for various organizations with commentary on how to improve this critical phase. Key take-aways from Insuring Tomorrow that this author will work to implement include: 1) creating flexibility at work, as this is valued by 96% of employees according to Bentley University and if structured correctly could increase productivity as well as engagement; 2) being clearer with expectations early on, “During orientation, be explicit in your expectations. Don’t assume they know anything! The biggest mistake you can make is failing to explain what you expect them to do and what goals you are going to hold them accountable for (p.101,102).”; 3) continuing to be committed to personal as well as employee development, leaders lead by example and should create opportunities for those coming behind them to excel, quoting from the Insurance Journal, “Millennials believe that training is the best way employers can demonstrate an investment in them (p.136).” Perhaps one of the simplest and most practical tips comes from Chapter 9, which is titled Ask for Their Opinions. Leaders like to have their opinions heard, and not surprisingly so do millennials employees, “When they arrive in the corporate world, they’re sorely disappointed to find that no one asks for their opinions. The simple act of being asked makes Millennials feel listened to and make it easier to become engaged in the company. It’s a free way of increasing commitment and employee happiness (p.72).”

Whether those in leadership positions currently understand or enjoy working with the nuances of the coming generations, there are lessons to be learned and benefits to be reaped from expanding abilities of working with the largest sector in the current workforce. One could think of it this way - if the bulk of leaders and organizations are struggling (if not resisting) to work with millennials, those who adapt their systems earlier in the game will be ahead of the pack that will eventually be forced to do so. Tony Canas and Carly Burnham act as millennial interpreters with a specificity in their book, Insuring Tomorrow, aimed at the insurance industry. Tony and Carly both work in this field and have practical insights from their research combined with their passion and experiences that will be of great use to those in positions of leadership who are working within the insurance umbrella. Even though this book is geared towards the insurance industry, there are plenty of practical insights and examples that will be of great benefit to leaders in any industry. Insuring Tomorrow is a minimal investment of money (it’s only $19.99) and a quick read for any leader looking to grow in the area of engaging millennials regardless of the industry (227 pages). In addition to the book, the activity of the authors on social media combined with the resources available through their website Insnerds.com will be of value to leaders and millennials workers alike. 

Are you a non-Millennial who has used some variation of the phrase, "Quality over quantity"? Are you a non-Millennial who has lamented about the good ol' days when employees were loyal? If you are in a position of leadership and you believe that quality is more valuable than quantity (or at least have said so publicly) and you struggle to find a connection with the new generations of workers arising in the marketplace, maybe we can help with some perspective.

In an article published with YFS Magazine earlier this year, How Leaders Manage High Employee Turnover, we elaborated on some of these thought streams held by individuals who are in positions of leadership. Those in leadership who are frustrated with team development issues may find that if they engage their teams as they may find the answers are closer than they thought. As noted in the publication, how odd it is that those in leadership often seek the limited perspectives from those in their own peer group which results in only further widening the disconnect with younger generations rather than expanding their input base to include those who may assist with perspective expansion that coudl lead to real changes.

Often the frustration between employer and employee centers around some aspect of loyalty, for example, “Employees just aren’t loyal like they used to be.” What is often missed is that organizations are not as loyal as they used to be either. The marketplace has changed which means companies and compensation packages have changed, therefore employment agreements have changed. Younger generations have seen what loyalty does to a long-term employee, i.e. their parents generation, who has been unceremoniously dumped by the company they gave life and limb to (sometimes literally) before their lucrative retirement package comes due. If you are a tenured employee who has risen in the ranks of an organization, you of all people should be able to identify with the lack of trust engendered by corporations where no one is safe.

Millennials do not interpret these conditions as a mechanism for fear of investing themselves in an organization but they are savvy to market realities and will not be asked to produce a formal level of loyalty that doesn’t exist from the other end of the contract. We live in the era of “at will employment” which Millennials are in agreement with, it seems that organizations are the ones struggling with this fact.
In their practical guide to “engaging Millennials in the insurance industry”, Tony Canas and Carly Burnham share insights that are applicable to all organizations through their recent publication titled Insuring Tomorrow. Addressing the topic of loyalty, the authors highlight a key perspective, “Millennials have a different definition of loyalty than previous generations did. For Boomers loyalty means, ‘I came, I stayed for 30 years, and I got my gold watch.’ For Millennials, loyalty means, “I worked very hard while I was there (p.27).” If we filter this statement back through our opening question about quality versus quantity, which generation applies that standard more accurately to their working definition of loyalty?

If we can gain the perspective that for a Millennial worker, and for the current work environment, trust has a different meaning then we will understand that:

1. There is no traditional form of loyalty – nearly every company has employees sign an at-will-employment agreement. Corporations found means to dissolve their commitments to many of their most tenured and dedicated (“lifetime”) employees and have created hiring documents that insulate them from legal responsibility to their new hires. If you are a manager who lives or dies on the hill of loyalty, you fail to realize that there is no hill, it eroded a long time ago. If you struggle with employees coming and going and blame the current generation for loyalty issues, you need to understand that Millennials are realists and have caught onto a game that you are lagging dangerously behind in.
2. Quality over quantity applies to all parities – in the current marketplace it is more difficult to recruit, develop and maintain good talent than it is to find clients. Most organizations that we talk with are not struggling to find work but rather to find quality workers who can help them meet the demand. If and organization believes that the customer comes first then they have to realize their greatest assets are those on the front lines who regularly interact and service those customers. The funny thing is, as outlined above by Insuring Tomorrow, Millennials apply quality over quantity to their working definition of loyalty more accurately than the generations of workers who have come before them, “I worked hard while I was there.”

The next time you are tempted to score a Millennial lowly for their loyalty to the organization, ask first, is our team loyal to them (by a measure of quality over quantity) and secondly, is this individual giving their best effort while they are working with our team (also by a measure of quality over quantity). Tony and Carly offer further insights into engaging Millennials, “You need to understand that they’re comparable to a different culture, and as such, they communicate differently.” Those in a position of leadership understand that all individuals are unique, what works for engagement with one team member will not have the same results with the next one. The Millennial generation has some cultural distinctives, such as the aforementioned definition of loyalty, that create unique challenges in dealing with a group of employees. This is why managers are paid the moderately higher bucks – to learn to inspire, challenge and lead a team to achieve its vision by engaging their team members. Loyalty isn’t dead, it’s just been redefined. The changes in the work environment have been created as much by organizations as it has by the upcoming generations of workers, all parties need to work together to create success for their teams. The Millennial definition of loyalty will benefit all parties if applied from top to bottom and bottom to top as a qualifier.