Experienced insurance advisors are often jaded. They have faced good times and bad. They have endured bad deals. And they have been bitten by empty promises.
Naturally, even the most successful individuals have a strong streak of skepticism. They might be slow to trust, and they are even slower to believe someone when they say that they can deliver them new business opportunities. Granted, this hesitancy is well-founded given the volume of marketing gurus all claiming to have the secret key to massive success if only you sign up for their 6-week online course.
At the same time, however, your skepticism could mean missing out on a real opportunity. Sometimes, you need to drink the Kool Aid to take a full swing at what could be a big chance to grow, but how do you know when to be hesitant and when to commit, especially if the advice feels unintuitive at first?
In our work, we have seen time and time again that the top advisors have coaches — business, sales, leadership, and so on. Yet, we see many advisors resistant to the very idea of seeking advice from an expert.
If we look at sports, we see this dynamic playout time and time again. The best coaches in the world typically demand total trust from their athletes. The coach sees the bigger picture — accounting for strategic factors and blind spots that athletes themselves might miss. John Wooden, the renowned coach who won UCLA 10 championships in 12 years is well-known for started each practice year with a lesson on tying shoelaces.
Wooden believed that improving how his athletes tied their laces would reduce injury and improve performance, and he did it every year. Even in the 60s and 70s, his college athletes were experienced basketball players with clear athletic gifts, towering over Wooden like Kareem Abdul Jabbar (one of Wooden's athlete's as well) towered over Bruce Lee in Game of Death.
John Pojeta 
