In this episode of Brick by Brick, Jason speaks with Katherine Minami, VP of Operations and Innovation at NFP. Together, they delve into the process of innovation and why she loves to build, dissect, and rebuild things. She also shares how much technology has changed the insurance industry, why you sometimes need to know when to hit the pause button, and why ‘change’ can be quite a scary word to some people!

Breaking, Dissecting, and Rebuilding a Problem with Katherine Minami, VP of Operations and Innovation at NFP

Before becoming the VP of Operations and Innovation at NFP, Katherine was an Account Executive at Alliant Insurance Services and an Account Executive at Crystal & Company. Tune in for this episode to hear what she has to say!

The Beauty of Rebuilding in Risk Management

“I like to see how things are built,” says Katherine right at the beginning of the show. “By seeing how things are built, you end up breaking a few things, so I joined this crew where I was allowed to break things, dissect it, rebuild, and review it!” This process is the very foundation of not just risk management, but also for anything else you want to learn in life. Afterall, how are you going to learn something if you don’t jump in with all your momentum?

When we were in school, in order to learn about the body, or even just about biology in general, we would dissect a frog or a chicken and we would learn about what each body part does. Katherine’s process is very similar to that! It’s only after we’ve dissected and examined something thoroughly can we begin to reconstruct and review it. You need to understand a problem from the inside-out and mitigate any potential risks that might come into play.

How To Be Successful in Risk Management: Knowing When to Press Pause

But even after we’ve gone through and removed all the foreseeable risks, how do we make sure our team remains focused?

Well, the answer is simple: make sure they don’t burn out! “It’s about hitting pause and taking a breather,” says Katherine. “Looking at what is the macro - what is the goal here? How can I achieve that unless I’m constantly listening to the colleagues around me?” If we’re not listening to everyone around us at work, being open to advice, and slowing down, then how can we ever expect to improve? Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t pressure yourself to do so much.

Only once we’ve taken a step back from something can we return to it with a clear head, free from the cobwebs that smothered our minds. Afterwards, it’ll be so much easier to break, dissect, and rebuild a problem!

For more brilliant insight on the world of risk management, listen to this week’s episode of Brick by Brick!