As I discussed in August’s column, our Leadership Development Board (LDB) members have made recruitment and promotion a major focus in their Branches, and their commitment is absolutely extraordinary!

Ron Seroka, Manager of Branch 90, is one of our most active and committed LDB members. Thanks to Ron’s outstanding efforts, Jason Gsoell, Sheri Sisler, and Rob Purtell have recently been given the opportunity to grow their own Branches and promote the UA opportunity to others, as Ron has given more recently to Melissa Lathrop and Shaun Guske in one week alone.

How does Ron prepare his Unit Managers for promotion? According to Ron, “Even after all these Branch Manager promotions, I now have nine Unit Managers. I want to see them reach the top 20 as a Unit Manager or be going in that direction within a reasonable amount of time. I look for leadership potential. Top producing Agents don’t necessarily become top Branch Managers UNLESS that Agent demonstrates an excellent ability to lead others to the same level of production or higher after he or she becomes a Unit Manager. Can I teach the Unit Manager, and does he or she transfer knowledge effectively to others? I find the more Unit Managers value the relationship they have with Agents, the more successful they become. How a person respects authority is a great indicator of success. People must be able to respect authority whether they agree with it or not, and they must be able to use their own authority responsibly. It’s paramount they see and communicate future opportunity to others and help others believe in it as much as they do. I also look for Unit Managers who know how to recruit and implement an effective training program. If they don’t know how, then we teach them, because being able to ‘replace’ yourself is very important. I plan on doing 50 promotions over the next 10 years. I’m already ten percent there in under two years. I ask God every day to bless me and give me the power of influence. He delivers what I ask for and gives that same blessing to the people I am associated with.”

Jason Gsoell, F8 Branch Manager, appreciates Ron’s approach. “In order to be promoted, an individual must replace himself or herself with two or three people. When an Agent is promoted to Unit Manager, two Agents remain with the original Unit Manager and the promoted Agent takes one Agent to be the foundation for the new unit. A similar process applies to Branch Manager promotion, so ultimately everyone wins! The more people see promotion, the more eager they are for their shot.” Jason has already promoted James Handy to Branch Manager, has one promotion planned for this Fall and two for next Spring.

Sheri Sisler, G8 Branch Manager since January, has that same “pass it forward” attitude. “If you help people get what they want from their careers, it will benefit you as well. When you promote someone, others see the possibilities and begin working toward that as well. When you help someone get what they want, it benefits you not only financially, but makes you feel great knowing you have helped move forward with the opportunity you were given. My goal is to see two of my Unit Managers have their own Branch by next year.”

H4 Branch Manager Rob Purtell says, “Promoting is a daily thing. I talk to everyone who comes in about promotion. You take care of people, give them a vision, promote that vision, and they’ll take care of you. I plan to promote three people by spring of 2006. I have been blessed to work with Ron Seroka, but I also want to say a special ‘thank you’ to Autry Freeman. He has also been a real mentor and set the tone and the standard for what a Branch Manager should be.”

James Handy, H3 Branch Manager, adds, “As a manager, I know that recruiting is directly related to my ability to sell the limitless opportunities with United American. It is Job #1. By creating promotional opportunities, it brings out the very best in people. Agents see others get promoted to Unit Manager and subsequently to Branch Manager, and they get excited. They want to be part of that. It is my goal for those in my Branch to have the same opportunity I have, and I will do everything I can to help them get there. So far, I’ve promoted three Agents to Unit Managers and have three others in training. I hope to promote at least two of these to Branch Managers in the next year.”

Melissa Lathrop, new J7 Branch Manager, says, “I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity Ron has given me...the training and the encouragement. I tell people I interview, I want to return the favor. I’m very excited about my future and the future of those I work with.”

New Branch J8 Manager, Shaun Guske, agrees. “ This Company breeds entrepreneurs. Ron and UA have my deepest gratitude. From top management down the line, UA keeps its word and follows through, enabling you to fulfill your goals.”

These promotees are seeds for future promotions, and this “pass it forward” philosophy has exciting implications for UA Branches for decades to come. Sharing the opportunity is what UA is all about!