Q&A with SHEILA WELLS, CIC, CISR

Meet Sheila Wells, winner of the 2021 Young Agent Award and market manager for Williams Insurance Agency in Rehoboth Beach, DE.

What sparked your interest in insurance?

I consider myself very fortunate to have fallen into insurance. After deciding to make a career change, I accepted what was supposed to be a temporary position with an independent insurance agency. From day one, I saw the vast number of opportunities for growth and development within the insurance industry. In six short years I worked my way up from an unlicensed processor in our personal lines department to a member of our management team. I love learning new things and being challenged, and every day in insurance brings something new. If you’re bored in insurance, you’re doing it wrong.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of my job is that I get to be a part of so many different aspects of the independent insurance agency industry. I work closely with our carriers on underwriting new and renewal business, proposing coverage and appetite expansion, piloting new platforms and products, negotiating agency contracts and production goals, coordinating training and educational opportunities, and developing our overall relationship with our entire team. I also spend a lot of time consulting with our sales team on prospecting, coverage and contract reviews, new business proposals, and renewal retention. In addition, I collaborate with our service team and the other members of our management team to continue to improve our processes, procedures, and structures to ensure efficiency and cohesiveness across our agency.

How do you network?

Everyone networks a little differently. For me, I tend to feel most comfortable when those I’m networking with share a common interest. I’m an insurance nerd and often find myself networking with others in the insurance industry. This is extremely important in my opinion, as this industry is full of incredibly talented individuals with a lot of experiences and ideas.

While it’s easy to stick to what’s comfortable, it’s also important to expand your network by trying something new. A few years ago, I joined a bocce league. I knew no one and barely knew how to play bocce, but by the end of the season I had not only picked up a new hobby but also made some great connections.

What’s the best professional advice you ever received?

The best professional advice I have received is to look at every challenge or hardship as an opportunity in disguise. Challenges and hardships force us to re-evaluate, push us outside our comfort zones, and typically leave us with difficult decisions to make. However, through all of this, we learn and grow, and ultimately become better and stronger than before. I believe the last year and a half is proof of this. Our industry, like so many others, has faced a lot of challenges and hardships since March 2020, but it’s forced us to take a hard look at what we do and how we can do it better.

How do you strike a work-life balance?

I’m able to strike a work-life balance by having relationships, responsibilities, goals, and interests unrelated to work. The more you have going on outside of work, the more you are forced to prioritize, plan, and stick to a set schedule. I try very hard to not bring work home with me and use my commute home to decompress so that once I am home, I can focus on the people and things that are important to me outside of work.

Collectively, how do you see your generation of insurance professionals benefiting the independent agency system?

I see my generation of insurance professionals benefiting the independent agency system by challenging the philosophy that all we do is sell and service insurance. My generation is working hard to ensure our clients see us as trusted risk management consultants with multiple products and services to offer. Essentially, independent agencies will become a one stop shop for all matters related to managing risk.

What was your biggest professional challenge during the pandemic, and how did you respond?

My biggest professional challenge during the pandemic was trying to maintain a work-life balance. When there was no physical separation between my work and my home, I really struggled with knowing when and how to turn work off. Eventually I found sticking to the schedule I had before the pandemic helped me get back to a more positive work-life balance.

If you’re not working, what are we most likely to find you doing?

When I’m not working, you’ll find me enjoying the many benefits of living near the coast with my family and friends. Whether we’re clamming, crabbing, fishing, swimming, tubing, hanging out on a sandbar, or boating to a restaurant, being on the water is one of my favorite things to do. When I’m not on the water, you’ll find me exploring breweries with my favorite guy, exercising my green thumb, and spoiling my fur babies.