Management Fundamentals: Insurance Management Training for New and Growing Managers
Leadership and management skills for agents moving into supervisory roles and for managers growing their units, branches and agencies. Five courses, each defined by what you will be able to do on completion.
Opening Q1 2027
Five courses that follow the management process
Management Fundamentals takes the manager through the work in order: recruiting the right people, carefully selecting them, training them to perform, supervising their activities, and managing the business as a whole.
As Carlyle puts it: recruiting is to the manager what prospecting is to the agent.
Course 2.1
Recruiting
Finding the right people, in sufficient numbers, through a systematic and structured recruiting approach.
Course 2.2
Selection
Using selection tools, interviews and pre-contract training to ensure only the right candidates enter the career.
Course 2.3
Training
The transference of skills: preparing, explaining, demonstrating and giving feedback so that trainees can perform.
Course 2.4
Supervision
Setting targets, scheduling activity and measuring results, because what gets supervised is what gets done.
Course 2.5
Management
Planning, executing and reviewing against goals, and building the personal and business disciplines behind a successful practice.
Recruiting
Recruiting is to the manager what prospecting is to the agent. It means finding the right people, in sufficient numbers, to sustain or grow the organisation.
Course outline
- Identifying the ideal candidate.
- Examining diverse recruiting methods.
- Choosing the most effective methods.
- Developing structured recruiting approaches.
Learning objectives
On completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Create a proper recruiting talk.
- Set up proper recruiting systems.
- Utilise agents, clients and centres of influence to grow the candidate pool.
- Develop a systematic approach to recruiting.
Target audience
- Agents wanting to transition into management.
- Managers wanting to grow their units or branches.
- Managers wanting to develop second-line managers.
Selection
Selection is the filter which ensures that only the right candidates enter the fold. Many are drawn to this profession for what it offers, but few are chosen. Proper selection contributes to lower “infant mortality” in the business (Carlyle’s term for the early loss of new agents) and helps protect the quality and reputation of the career.
Course outline
- Making effective use of the selection tools available.
- Analysing the results received.
- New and more effective methods of selection.
Learning objectives
On completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Demonstrate improved interviewing skills.
- Interpret and use correctly the results of the selection tools applied.
- Utilise pre-contract training as a selection tool.
- Select and prepare candidates simultaneously.
Target audience
- Trainee managers and senior agents wanting to go into management.
- Unit, branch and agency managers.
- Anyone wanting to improve their performance and productivity.
- Anyone wanting to create a healthier branch culture.
Training
Training is the transference of skills. It is one of the most important steps in the management process, yet few have mastered it. A trainer’s performance is measured not by what the trainer has done or can do, but by what the trainees have learnt and can do. It requires special skills, attitude and aptitude.
Course outline
- Preparing for a training programme.
- Explaining properly what the session is about.
- Showing participants how to do it.
- Seeking and managing feedback effectively.
Learning objectives
On completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Carry out the steps necessary in preparing to train.
- Explain a session’s objectives, methods and content.
- Demonstrate the skill being trained.
- Give feedback using the sandwich approach.
Target audience
- All persons in management.
- All persons wanting a career in management.
- Persons wanting to develop themselves as training professionals.
- Advanced agents wanting to mentor others.
Supervision
There is a saying in the business that what gets supervised is what gets done. Most people entering the business come from professions in which they were managed: they were told when to come to work and when to go home, what to do, and how and when to do it. Moving into a business in which they are required to manage themselves is not always an easy transition, which is why this step is so important.
Course outline
- Setting realistic goals.
- Putting in place a plan to achieve them.
- Measuring performance against preset goals.
- Analysing results.
Learning objectives
On completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Set production targets.
- Create an activity schedule to achieve those targets.
- Measure results against objectives.
- Make realistic adjustments where necessary.
Target audience
- Persons entering the business, so that they gain a realistic picture.
- All agents and salespeople in the business.
- All senior agents wanting to mentor others or go into management.
- All managers in the business.
Management
The manager’s role and responsibilities in the business are manifold: anything necessary to help make the agent successful must be done. The manager must teach the agent to plan and help the agent to work that plan, must train the agent properly for the job at hand, and must supervise to ensure it is done right. The role is not restricted to business activities; it extends to all-round personal growth and development.
Course outline
- Setting realistic goals.
- Planning and executing the activities necessary to achieve those goals.
- Reviewing achievements against the goals set.
Learning objectives
On completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Distinguish between entrepreneurship and employment.
- Begin, plan and grow a business.
- Master the skill sets necessary for success.
- Apply personal and financial management.
Target audience
- All agents wanting to develop a successful business.
- Agents wanting to train and mentor others.
- Agents looking for a career in management.
Carlyle on recruiting and field leadership
Why Most Performance Problems Are Really Recruitment Problems
The One Hiring Mistake That Stalls Agency Growth
Be first to know when Management Fundamentals opens
The Academy opens in Q1 2027. Pre-registered members are notified first.