The average length of tenure at a single position was 4.1 years in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, making Genus Dalton of Travelers Insurance Companies, Inc. something of an outlier as she has been with the company for more than 30 years.
Currently serving as the business insurance field vice president for the company’s mountain west region, Dalton has held leadership roles such as a managing director, regional vice president for middle market and head of the Denver Business Center.
Although Dalton’s track record at Travelers is impressive, she hasn’t been going through it alone. Her twin sister Venus Lusk has been with the company for 36 years. In fact, both started their insurance careers in the Cleveland area after graduating from the nearby University of Akron.
She says Travelers’ company culture, which is collaborative and rewards hard work, is one of the attributes that have led to such long tenures.
“It (the company’s culture) lends itself to having people succeed,” Dalton explains. “We’ve found that as the company continued to grow and evolve, we could develop alongside it. We’ve changed positions and we’ve changed geographies, but we didn’t have to change companies.”
Away from the industry, she stays busy keeping up with her two sons, who “are involved in every sport you can imagine, but primarily baseball,” Dalton explains.
She is also an avid reader, who enjoys an eclectic mix ranging from fiction to historical biographies. Most recently she has been delving into the history of previous presidents, gleaning business insights from past U.S. leaders.
PropertyCasualty360.com recently spoke with Dalton to get her take on the next generation of insurance professionals. What follows is an excerpt from that conversation.
PC360: What skill sets should the next generation of insurance professionals be developing?
Dalton: Curiosity is key. Having the desire to learn, an interest in solving problems and a willingness to adapt in the face of change is also important. No matter your role, it’s vital that you continue to sharpen your communication skills, including being an active listener and demonstrating empathy.
PC360: With more employees working remotely or in a hybrid model, how can companies still promote a feeling of camaraderie or being part of a team?
Dalton: Whatever someone’s individual work arrangement is, it’s important that we find opportunities to engage with each other. For instance, while we were working remotely, we found ways to re-create the spontaneous encounters that were commonplace when we were all in the office together. One of the things I did was to schedule informal chats with each member of my team. It was as if I were stopping by their desk, only we were using video technology to enable that crucial face-to-face interaction. There was no agenda for those discussions. Instead, those discussions were a chance for us to connect as people and have organic conversations.
PC360: Who have some of your mentors been throughout your career?
Dalton: I’ve been unbelievably fortunate that most of my leaders throughout my career have also served as my mentors, and they have taught me many important lessons along the way. One quality I’ve always respected — and something that they all had in common — was their ability to surround themselves with the best people. I follow their lead when building my own teams, bringing together individuals who offer different experiences, perspectives and approaches, which has led to great successes.
PC360: How would you describe the insurance industry to someone considering it for a career?
Dalton: A career in insurance is incredibly rewarding, no matter which path you take. The complex nature of the industry provides a tremendous variety of opportunities that offer something for everyone, from underwriting, claims, and data and analytics to operations, communications and innovation. Within these broader areas, you can also specialize in a particular industry segment or line of insurance based on your interests and skill sets.
There are also many opportunities available in the industry beyond working for an insurance carrier. For instance, as an independent agent, you could become a key partner to insurance companies and serve as a trusted adviser to local small businesses, identifying potential hazards they face and finding solutions to better protect against them. Or, as a risk manager within a large organization, you could specialize in identifying and assessing risks that can affect that business.
PC360: What was the most valuable piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
Dalton: Don’t be afraid of change. Our career paths are not set in stone, nor are they necessarily straight lines. There are multiple professional tracks we can take, and it can be valuable and rewarding to explore different opportunities that allow you to build a diverse skill set.
This is sound advice that I have both taken and given. Following this guidance has brought me to my current role, and the journey has been incredibly fulfilling. When the opportunities present themselves, I’ve encouraged many of my mentees to consider pursuing lateral moves within the organization as a way to discover and hone new skills while sharpening the ones they already possess.
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Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.