On today’s episode of Framework, Jamie talks with David Levenson, President and CEO of LL Global, one of the world’s largest trade associations supporting life insurance and the financial services industry.
David grew up in a family of seven with a single-parent income. While far from wealthy, David’s household was loving and his parents always stressed that treating others with respect, maintaining a strong work ethic, and academic excellence trumped material possessions every time.
Early in his career, David experimented with different positions before an insurance titan asked David to start a mutual fund business from within. He succeeded and eventually found himself working for the company in Japan and getting a crash course in international growth along the way. Today, David works with insurance colleagues to bring necessary and meaningful change to the industry.
David talks with Jamie about his work inspiring advisors, why taking care of employees is a requirement for success, and the key to making an impact in any career.
“The satisfaction that your employees have in the organization is almost more important than the satisfaction your customers have. Because you probably can’t get to the customers with satisfaction until you get your employees first.” ~ David Levenson
Main Takeaways
- When it comes to international expansion, you can’t manage a business without knowing what your customers want. Copying a marketing model that works in the United States and micromanaging from abroad without having a real perspective on your international customer never works.
- Advisors need to start having hard conversations with their clients, especially as COVID still lingers and many people remain uninsured. As a leader, it’s essential that you inspire your advisors to have those conversations.
- Being actionable with your research is incredibly important. Knowing the statistics is one thing, translating that data into realistic next steps is entirely different.
- It’s almost impossible to accomplish a goal or create meaningful change when you’re one of 10 organizations working separately. Communities need to combine their efforts to achieve something meaningful and long-lasting.
Links and Important Mentions
- David on LinkedIn
- LIMRA, LOMA & LL Global
- MetLife
- Framework: Writing, Retirement Planning and Innovating with Wade Pfau
- Aetna
- McKinsey & Company
- Wellington Management
- Edward Jones
- Security Retirement Institute
- NAFA
- Finseca
- NAILBA
- MDRT
- ACLI
- Life Happens
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