Leadership is often seen as the natural NEXT STEP for top performers. You’re great at underwriting, broking, or managing clients so, why not lead a team? But here’s the catch: being a great individual contributor does not AUTOMATICALLY translate to being a great leader, and many insurance professionals only realize that after they’ve been promoted.

The truth is, leadership is an entirely different job with an entirely DIFFERENT SKILL SET. In this article, we’ll explore the four often overlooked roles that define successful leaders: Recruiting, Training, Motivating, and Empowering.

If you are already a leader, we’ve got something for you as well. We are breaking down what managers can look for when promoting potential leaders to ensure success for the leader, their team, and the company.

 

The Misconceptions Around Leadership

Leadership is often portrayed as the pinnacle of success. Promotions into management are treated as a REWARD for excellent performance, but that assumption is where problems begin. Just because someone is exceptional at analyzing risk or closing major client accounts doesn’t mean they’ll thrive in leadership (and that’s ok! To learn more about success in an Individual Contributor career path, read our article).

Too often, insurance professionals step into leadership roles only to realize: They miss doing the technical work they love, they feel overwhelmed managing people, and they lack the soft skills needed to build and guide a team.

Leadership isn’t about knowing everything, it’s about building a team that does.

 

The Four Core Skills of Great Leadership

RECRUITING: Building Your Dream Team

Recruiting as a leader isn’t just about filling seats but identifying the right personalities, skill sets, and culture fits that will ELEVATE the entire team. Your success as a leader is often a reflection of your team’s capabilities. When you bring in the right people, you’re not just solving short-term gaps, you’re shaping your department’s long-term success.

Think of a hockey coach. They don’t need to be the best skater or the strongest shooter. But they do need to know who brings the grit, who can support the playmaker, and who’ll rally the team when it’s down. A leader’s job is to scout and select talent with intention, not to try and be the whole team themselves.

 

TRAINING: Coaching with Purpose

Training doesn’t mean dumping information on someone’s desk and saying, “Good luck.” It’s about STRUCTURED DEVELOPMENT, clear expectations, and ongoing feedback. With a busy schedule, training often gets sidelined. Without it, even the best hires can flounder. Strong leaders understand that investing time upfront saves exponential time and headaches later.

Imagine handing a pilot the keys to a plane with just the manual and saying, “Figure it out.” Sounds absurd, right? That’s how new hires or promoted team members feel without training. Leaders who coach rather than lecture create confident, capable, and successful teams.

 

MOTIVATING: Keeping the Fire Lit

Motivation isn’t a one-size-fits-all sticker chart. It’s about understanding and tapping into what makes EACH TEAM MEMBER TICK. Keeping morale high and turnover low requires leaders to recognize wins, support growth, and create purpose beyond just winning RFPs and hitting targets.

Think of a manager who notices when someone thrives on recognition vs. one who values autonomy. The motivated leader TAILORS their approach and does things like offering public praise, stretch assignments, or mentorship opportunities depending on the individual’s motivation style. It’s like tending to a garden: some plants need sun, others need shade, but they all need care.

 

EMPOWERING: Trusting Without Micromanaging

Empowering means giving your team room to think, problem-solve, and make decisions without hovering or needing to control every outcome. Empowered employees take OWNERSHIP of their work. They feel trusted, confident, and respected which directly impacts performance and innovation.

Picture a captain of a ship. They set the direction but trust the crew to manage the sails, navigate storms, and keep things running. Leaders who micromanage create bottlenecks and those who empower build legacy.

 

Advice for Leaders Making Promotions

Promoting someone into leadership is a high-stakes decision and not one to be taken lightly. If you get it right, you develop a future executive. However, if you get it wrong you risk burning out a top performer and potentially demoralizing a whole team.

When we are meeting with candidates there are a few traits we often see in successful leaders that you can use to spot leadership potential:

  • Emotional intelligence over technical expertise

  • Proactive communication and a willingness to listen

  • Mentorship behaviour – do they naturally coach others without being asked?

  • Desire to lead vs. pressure to advance

Once you’ve identified a high-potential candidate the best thing you can do is INVEST in them:

  • Assign stretch projects that test people skills, not just technical ones.

  • Offer shadowing opportunities with current leaders.

  • Provide access to leadership training and mentorship.

It’s important to continually remember that promotions are not an end point; they are the start of development.

 

Looking for a Path to Leadership?

Let’s Talk

If you’re considering a leadership role connect with a Sauce Recruiter to talk about your career goals.  We are experts in career development within the Insurance industry and we can help you navigate the next step, wherever it leads.

The Bottom Line:

Leadership in Insurance isn’t about being the best at your job, it’s about being the best at HELPING OTHERS SUCCEED at theirs.