8SEPTEMBER 2024IN MY OPINIONIN MY OPINIONIN MY OPINIONINSURANCE PROFESSIONALS ARE THE MOST DYNAMICBy Michele Adams, Vice President, Walmart Claims Services, Walmart Preston LaFranceThis is an article about making a difference, doing good work, and achieving great things. But it doesn't start that way, so bear with me.Recently, an industry acquaintance was referred to as `that claims girl,' and it instantly struck a chord with me ­ and not in a good way. It sounded condescending, misogynistic, and narrow ­ and all too familiar throughout my career; as someone who has spent decades trying not to be defined as a `claims person,' I wanted to unpack why it has always bothered me to have the insurance and claims management profession minimized in this way.Setting aside the misguided use of gender-defining terms, I realized this `claims person' label packages her and everyone like her (and me) into a small and narrow box and does not acknowledge the multi-faceted nature of this admirable career choice. I immediately think of Pixar Animation Studios' The Incredibles. Mr. Incredible, sitting in an ill-fitting cubicle at Insurecare as a miserable claims adjuster by day, with Mr. Huph, his overbearing, greedy, and uncaring boss, questioning every payment he makes.That is the image I want to dispel.While I've had a variety of leaders with an equal variety of dispositions, The Incredibles' portrayal is contrary to my actual career and industry experience. I consider myself lucky to have come up through the industry as we shifted our focus to empathy and advocacy-based claims management, became more aware of the impact of Michele Adams
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