M3YOU: Forging a New Path for Talent Development
M3 is meeting hiring challenges through an innovative program for young employees.
Ten thousand. That’s the average number of Baby Boomers retiring per day, amounting to the largest retirement wave in our country’s history. That means businesses and organizations across the country face a looming labor shortage and a hiring market that’s been characterized as a “war for talent.”
But this situation isn’t news to you—or to M3 Insurance. We’re continually looking for effective ways to meet our hiring challenges. In fact, it’s exactly why we created M3YOU (Your Opportunity Uncovered), an innovative talent development program that’s redefining how we prepare young employees for a career in business insurance.
It’s All About Commitment
M3 believes we can’t be committed to the insurance industry and to long-term, successful client partnerships without maintaining an exceptional staff. That seems straightforward enough in theory, but we wanted to take a more proactive role not just in recruiting talented people but developing that talent.
M3YOU is a two-year program designed to accelerate development and propel the young talent we hire into roles that historically aren’t entry-level positions.
Finding this type of accelerated training program was hands down the best career decision I could have made.
— Kelsey Lorenz
M3You Participant, Business Insurance Associate | M3 Insurance
The M3YOU Advantage: Winners All Around
Participants Gain Outstanding Career Preparation
Surveys show millennials are attracted to challenging programs that also provide a solid support structure. They want environments where they’ll not only receive valuable training but also individualized attention for their career development.
M3YOU provides participants intense classroom instruction that’s complemented with real-world exposure—in other words, they learn by doing. A day in the life of an M3YOU participant can involve…
- Shadowing at client meetings, which includes engaging in lots of valuable “windshield time” discussions before and after those meetings.
- Working on meaningful projects, giving them the challenge and satisfaction of taking on real responsibilities.
- Learning from the best by participating on teams that include the most accomplished and knowledgeable insurance professionals we have.
Additionally, the experiential learning component that’s so important to the M3YOU program ties participants to staff members who mentor them, share valuable knowledge, and coach them through specific tasks and assignments.
M3YOU is our investment in the future of talent at our business and the future of successful relationships with our clients and partners. This unique program is one of many ways that M3 continues to solidify that commitment for the future.
— Mike Moore
Executive Vice President – Insurance Operations | M3 Insurance
Clients Benefit from a Deep M3 Talent Bench
M3 is paving a new way within our industry to prepare young professionals to be outstanding contributors to the world of business insurance. That’s exciting, of course, but it’s really secondary to the primary goal of M3YOU: We want to establish practices that perpetuate exceptional service to our clients. M3YOU helps create a deep bench of knowledgeable advisors.
Being an effective consultant really means being a genuine expert, and that requires years and years of experience. M3YOU enables our master staff to have a structured, company-supported program in which they can pass on the valuable insight they’ve worked so hard to gain. It’s the kind of knowledge that can be crucial in helping clients make smart decisions. M3YOU is one way to prevent that knowledge from disappearing when an individual retires.
Staff Feels Good Passing on Wisdom
The response to M3YOU from current employees has been overwhelmingly positive, with veteran staff members feeling both honored and energized to serve as valued coaches and mentors. They’re embracing the opportunity to share what they’ve learned over their decades in the insurance industry.
M3 Insurance Grows Stronger Talent Force to Meet the Future
The early returns on the M3YOU program are promising. Our first round of participants are all on track for official promotion to roles they’ve personally chosen based on their M3YOU experience. These roles also happen to be where M3 has the greatest need as we strategize for our own growth—and the future needs of our clients.
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Source: This information was a featured article on the Channel 3000 website in September, 2017.
