Becoming A Great Risk Manager 

One of my claims managers was given the opportunity to become a risk manager. Although I hated to see her go, I was proud of her and excited for her to move up in her career. She mentioned that she wanted to be successful as a risk manager, the way I have been. That got me thinking—what advice could I give her on how to be a successful risk manager? Here’s what I came up with. 1. Treat your service providers with respect. Before becoming a risk manager, I briefly spent some time on "the other side" at an insurance brokerage working with risk management information systems (RMIS). This was in the early days of computers in insurance and risk management, and my clients were risk managers of the biggest companies in town because those were the ones that could afford RMIS. Of these clients, some were the thankful, friendly types; others were the type to yell at the broker to make themselves feel important.