Making the Case for Diversity on the ‘Top Deck’

The insurance industry has made great strides toward increasing diversity in the past decade. Although there is still room for improvement at the top, there are more doors open to Latins, people of color and women than ever before in our history. It is time for these men and women who want to be leaders to take advantage of the opportunities.

First, I would like to comment about diversity. While discussions about diversity often focus on race, I believe the term also includes factors such as gender, age and socioeconomic status … America is a diverse nation, made up of men and women, of all colors, religions, and nationalities and from all over the world. We live and work side by side. We are Americans … and proud of it!

Do we all get along? No. There will always be conflicting agendas, based on individual beliefs. For example, you may be for abortion rights, and I may be against it. This issue does not leave much room for compromise. There are lots of similar issues. We are bound to disagree from time to time and sometimes strongly. This is a country that not only tolerates disagreement, but welcomes it.

So when the question is asked, “Can’t we all just get along?” I want to believe that it could happen, but I have doubts. Even close-knit families have their differences. However, “we can all get ahead” if we’re willing to work together. That is what we do in America. We move forward despite our differences.

Much progress
When I joined the insurance business some 35 years ago, discrimination was commonplace, companies sometimes “red lined.” This meant that neighborhoods that were predominately African American or Hispanic found it hard to get insurance. Women were not made managers. Minorities were not given an opportunity to be in professional positions. The playing field was far from level.

But this is America. We face up to our faults and change over time. Sometimes that change is painfully slow. Sometimes things change quickly. The insurance industry has changed significantly but is not yet perfect. Not everything is equal and fair, but we are getting better all the time.

When I was a youth, I ran track. I often saw races lost because the leader started to coast when he or she saw the finish line. Some scrappy kid like me would see that opening and steal the race.

I worry that the same could be true on the issue of diversity. We have made great progress. We are close to really being a completely open, equal, and fair industry. Close, but not yet to the finish line.

There is still room and a need at the top for improvement. The top deck–the board of directors and the senior leadership team–that is the level that has not changed significantly. Until it does, we must all keep running the race, full speed ahead.

I am the 2004-2005 president of the National CPCU Society. Our society was led by white male presidents for the first 50 or more years of our existence. It has only been in the past 10 years that women have become presidents of the organization. There have been two women presidents since 1997, and two more will directly follow me.

We have yet to have a person of color as our president. As I said, there is room for improvement at the top.

Take action now
I look forward to the day when all national organizations look like America, from the top to bottom.

The time for that to happen is now. There are plenty of well-qualified women and people of color who are ready and willing to move up.

For those that have been treated unfairly in the past, over time, I am sorry. I am sorry that our world is often unfair. All I can say is that opportunity is present now more than anytime in my long working lifetime. We need to honor the pioneers that stood up to the unfairness of it all, we need to honor them. The best way to do that is with our actions, not our words. It is time for women and people of color to set their sights on the very top positions in insurance. That may not have seemed possible in the past, but it is certainly possible today.

I am proud to be a CPCU. I am proud to work in the insurance industry. I am proud to be an American. I would love to see the day when diversity is not viewed as a program, but is a way of life, from top to bottom. Continue running hard, and we will get there. Believe that you can get to the top, and you can. It is just a matter of knocking on the door until it opens. In fact, try the doorknob–the door could be open right now.

Don Hurzeler, is the national president of the CPCU Society for 2004-2005, a senior vice president for Zurich in North America and the author of a new motivational book “Designated for Success.” Hurzeler can be contacted at Donald.hurzeler@zurichna.com.