Zaafirah S Robb

I think empathy is the key. You have to realize and empathize with people, and you can't just make a quick and rash decision. Everyone is going through something. If you cannot empathize with people, you should not be working with people. You never know what someone's going through, and just because something seems little to you doesn't mean it's little to them. You don't know the full circle of their trauma, or what they've been through, or what they're going through that's making that thing that seems so insignificant to you so significant to them in their life. A lot of people need to understand - you're not living their life and they're not living yours. You don't know what the precursors to that were.

I would say you always have to look at each and every person from the outside looking in, because just because they're in your insurance bubble does not mean they know the industry. Whatever industry you're in, does not mean they know it. I always tell people, I'm a consumer as well, and it's not just to sell to them, or just to fake it till you make it. No, I am a consumer. That would irritate me, or that would affect me too. I think it's just have empathy. Even if they don't need it, offer empathy, whether they tell you or not. And a smile goes a long way. You don't have to speak to everybody, but a smile goes so long. Even as I speak on the phone to clients, I smile. You don't have to hold a conversation, you don't have to get personal if you don't want to, you don't have to ask personal questions to get their personal information. But a smile can just brighten someone's day, and that could go tenfold. They could leave your office, and that one smile could just, like a domino effect in the right way, could lead to something beautiful.

I feel like with AI, the industry is changing a little bit. Within my job, within my company, we no longer have our own portfolio, but that's one thing I truly admire and I truly love - building those personal relationships. Knowing just life events of the people that I'm helping every day, or over the years. Birthdays, family gatherings, reunions, or someone's pregnant, having a baby, or even things that might not be as happy, a divorce or a death, but at least you're there to acknowledge and to offer sympathy and condolences.

Empathy is at the core of everything I do. I believe that everyone is going through something, and you have to empathize with people - you can't just make quick and rash decisions. Building genuine relationships matters deeply to me. I don't do things for the applause or accolades. It means more to me that a person is walking away better, even if it's just something little that adds something positive to their day. I prefer working behind the scenes rather than in the forefront - I'd say it's 70 percent background, 30 percent forefront. Sometimes when you're helping people, they don't want to be in the spotlight. They don't want to be known as needy or struggling. I respect that. I also believe in treating people the way I'd want to be treated as a consumer myself. What would irritate me or affect me matters when I'm serving others. And I've learned that a smile, even over the phone, can create a domino effect that leads to something beautiful.