Author: jhyman@jeffhyman.net

In the United States, Aflac has earned the distinction of being the number one provider of voluntary insurance at the worksite.

As a current policyholder and also a former officer at Aflac, I am often asked about Aflac Japan and the huge success that it has been. As I am discussing Aflac Japan with people, many times, those who are asking don’t realize the success of Aflac U.S. and its contribution to Aflac Incorporated. As I was listening to the investor call this morning, I decided to write about it to help others better understand Aflac U.S. and some of the numbers that drive the success.

Over the last 11 years, covering from 2006 -2016, Aflac U.S. assets have grown from $10,249 billion to $19,453 billion.

In that same time period, Aflac U.S. revenues have increased from $4,027 billion to $6,167 billion in 2016.

Aflac U.S. pretax profits have grown from $585 million in 2006 to $1,208 billion as of December 31, 2016.

There are many factors that drive the success, for example, lower claims cost, controlling operational expense, or investment income, but the one that I look at closely is, “the average number of weekly producers, i.e., agents & brokers.”

In 2016, the “average weekly producer equivalents were 9,061,” while the average weekly producer production was $163,501, according to Aflac U.S. investor documents. While the average weekly producer number has decreased each year since 2012, the average production number has increased the last seven years.

Aflac U.S. continues to make adjustments as needed to prepare themselves for the future and the forever changing voluntary worksite market. It will be interesting to watch from the sidelines and watch their success in 2017 and beyond.

With the Presidental election over, and all the conversation about the various styles of leaders who were running to be president, I thought now would be a good time to talk about leadership and the different types of leaders.

I have been blessed to have been employed at some world-class organizations throughout my career. I was at General Electric when Jack Welch was the incredible leader. I was at Aflac under the leadership of Dan Amos and who continues to serve as CEO, and I was at Willis North America, led by Dominic Casserly, who guided Willis through some challenging and changing times. Three very successful leaders who performed at a very high level and shared many of the leadership skills and attributes that are needed to be an effective leader.

Earlier this week, I came across an article that I had saved from 2005, “Seven Transformations of Leadership.” The authors, David Rooke and William Torbert, discussed the different types of leaders.

Most developmental psychologists agree that what differentiates leaders is not so much their philosophy of leadership, their personality, or their style of management. Rather, it’s their internal “action logic”—how they interpret their surroundings and react when their power or safety is challenged. Relatively few leaders, however, try to understand their own action logic, and fewer still have explored the possibility of changing it.

They should because David Rooke and William Torbert found that leaders who do undertake a voyage of personal understanding and development can transform not only their own capabilities but also those of their companies. In their close collaboration with psychologist Susanne Cook-Greuter—and their 25 years of extensive survey-based consulting at companies such as Deutsche Bank, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Hewlett-Packard, NSA, Trillium Asset Management, Aviva, and Volvo—they’ve worked with thousands of executives as they’ve tried to develop their leadership skills. The good news is that leaders who make an effort to understand their own action logic can improve their ability to lead. But to do that, it’s important first to understand what kind of leader you already are.

What type of leader are you?

1)      Opportunist – Wins any way possible. Self-oriented; manipulative;

2)      Diplomat – Avoids conflict. Wants to belong; obeys group norms;   doesn’t rock the boat

3)      Expert – Rules by logic and expertise. Uses hard data to gain consensus and buy-in.

4)      Achiever – Meets strategic goals. Promotes teamwork;juggles managerial duties and responds to market demands to achieve goals.

5)      Individualist – Operates in unconventional ways. Ignores rules he/she regards as irrelevant.

6)      Strategist – Generates organizational and personal change. Highly collaborative; weaves visions with pragmatic, timely initiatives; challenges existing assumptions.

7)      Alchemist – Generates social transformations. Reinvents organizations in historically significant ways.

Regardless of what type of leader you work for or what style of leader you are, you must have “ Core Values” that includes Integrity, Vision, Ethics and Trust.

Remember, each, and every time you are in front of your employees or independent sales force, you are Selling the Vision and Values, of your company, and you are seeking buy-in from those who are in your audience.

Finish strong the last four days of January and I wish all of you a great first quarter and a record breaking 2017!