With the ongoing shift in the business spurred by health reform, change itself is not enough to survive, said the head of a networking organization for independent benefit brokerages and consulting firms Wednesday in New Orleans.
The industry has never felt more threatened — but this fast pace of change is nothing compared to what will happen later, said Kevin Trokey, CEO of Q4intellegence ( formerly Benefits Growth Network) at the company’s meeting. “It’s slower than it ever will be again.”
He recalled an example of a typewriter company that intended to change by becoming the best at building typewriters. Even with that effort, lack of demand still made it a fraction of its former self. “Not all change is created equal,” Trokey said. “We have to make sure we are focused on the right change. The natural instinct when change happens is to work more.”
But, Trokey said, quoting Albert Einstein, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when creating them.”
Instead, to become successful, put yourself in the shoes and seats of clients. A broker’s success is built on the wants and needs of a client’s success, Trokey said. “Change requires a plan, and a plan requires the right strategy,” he added. “Countless strategies can work; hope is not one of them.”
