Fun – Don McLardy’s simple answer to success in the insurance industry
With the insurance industry facing a well-documented talent shortage, many firms are searching for new ways to attract and retain staff. For Don McLardy, CEO and co-founder of McLardy McShane, the answer may be surprisingly simple: make work more enjoyable.
In an interview with Insurance Business, McLardy emphasised how much fun he’s had – and is still having – in his career as an insurance broker. He said that sheer enjoyment has kept him engaged with this career over decades, and also helped differentiate his firm from the competition.
McLardy’s approach to running a brokerage suggests that if more firms focused on providing fun in a supportive workplace, their talent crunch and staff retention issues could be significantly reduced.
As a young man and to this day, McLardy suggested that he is driven by a personal ethic based on a feeling of responsibility towards the people he works with but also a sense of the importance of fun as a key to business success. He said he’s focused on cultivating that at his brokerage.
“I've driven the business that way and we’ve focused on it,” said McLardy.
McLardy traces his philosophy back to the 1980s, when he was with OAMPS Insurance Brokers, run by industry leaders Peter Claringbold and Terry Lane.
“I loved everything about it and it was very exciting almost from day one because I really liked the work environment they created,” said McLardy.
He described it as like being on a rocket ship. “We had a lot of fun at work and a great camaraderie within the team,” said McLardy. He said work connected closely with his social life.
McLardy has tried to adopt and extend this fun culture at McLardy McShane, the firm he started with Mike McShane in 2007.
“I think one of the other keys is that Mike McShane, my business partner, he's exactly the same as I am – we look to have fun together,” he said.