When you join Konsileo as one of our brokers, you begin your journey on a four-week induction course before you start as a fully-fledged Client Director. So what exactly is involved, why does it take a month, and what do you get done in that time? Find out with some questions answered by our Induction Lead, Allan Rhodes.
Hi Allan! What on earth happens in a Konsileo induction?
Quite a lot! I think we’re all used to just being given a handbook, a laptop, an intranet login and our first task by a manager – and not a lot else. That’s not really a great way to get started anywhere.
At Konsileo we do things differently – REALLY differently. That means there’s a lot to unpack, a lot to un-learn, and a lot to discover – about us, about yourself and about what we can do together.
So all in all, it’s probably best to think about it as less of an induction, and more as a journey in personal and professional development.
As a new broker, where do you do your induction?
Well because we’re Konsileo we definitely don’t ask you to spend a month away from home! It’s done 100% online – from wherever you want to work.
Is that not death by video conference?
Far from it. There’s a lot of information to take in, but it’s not just hours of being talked at. There’s a lot of collaboration and dialogue. You’re being talked to. You’re talking. You’re in break out groups – off doing tasks and creating presentations and bringing it back into the room to discuss.
So what happens on Day 1?
Day one is usually half an hour of sorting out tech issues and introductions – and then you spend the day with John Warburton – our CEO and co-founder.
Over the four weeks you’ll meet everyone from the central team, from the Head of HR to the Head of Insurance, the marketing team, the central support staff, operations and our tech function leads. You also get to meet many of the Client Directors already in Konsileo and you will be invited to join all of the collaborative support spaces we’ve set up for your success.
The whole idea is that you get to know us, but that we get to know you, too. We want to know what brought you here, what makes you tick, what you want to achieve, your ideas, your experience and your personality.
In the first week you’ll also learn about what makes us tick – our culture and our systems – and the teal principles by which we work and live.
What IS Teal?
Aha! Well, that’s a lot of what you learn in Week 1. Basically, a Teal organisation is one where the people are self-managing, and have peer relationships rather than a hierarchical structure. It’s also about bringing your whole self to work – because that’s when you’re at your best.
It’s a world apart from how much of the insurance industry works. Many people are used to more of an old school command and control basis and it can be hard to understand what Teal working all means on a practical day-to-day basis.
We help you reflect on how you work, how you want to work, how you want your life to look – and then teach you ways to self-organise, and give you tools, frameworks and processes to use. We don’t leave you to figure it all out by yourself.
Gosh. What happens in Week 2?
Well in Week 2 you get onto the broker platform to explore how it all works, and an introduction to our, ‘Building My Book strategy’. And then Weeks 3 and 4 are all about developing that strategy.
We help people brainstorm and plan together how they’re going to generate leads, follow them up and follow through on those cases. You come out at the end with a real, bespoke business plan, having completed your systems training, and passed your IDD assessment (Insurance Distribution Directive).
Why do you do inductions in cohorts?
Well obviously, it’s more efficient than trying to do it one-one-one, but it’s also because the relationships you form with your cohort are really important. The entire of Konsileo will be your virtual team, but your cohort will be your special, go-to, default colleagues.
We buddy people up and typically find our induction buddies carry on speaking weekly if not daily about their progress, thoughts, and plans. And of course, you’re also assigned a coach, too, someone who’s been here a bit longer and can help you develop your book and meet your goals. After that there’s practice groups, regional working hubs, and of course all the support from the central team, too.
What’s your favourite bit of an induction?
There’s a wonderful moment when it suddenly all starts to come together. It begins as this group of very different people, some loud, some quiet, from different places and different experiences – and you think these people are never going to gel! But then someone starts to share, and more people open up, and it snowballs, and it just becomes this incredible, energetic, creative and hopeful space.
People log in as strangers on Day 1, and I promise you they leave referring to each other as friends at the end. They’ll even say they’ve got to know people better here than in their 10-15 years of sitting next to the same colleague in their old job. That’s pretty special to be a part of.
Any stand-out moments?
So many. People present their fully-formed business plan at the end of the course, and I’ve seen people deliver presentations that have made me emotional, because they’ve re-found their love for the job, or worked out how to make something they’re passionate about the centre of their strategy.
What’s the feedback like?
Incredibly positive – a lot of people say it’s one of the best courses they’ve been on, and that they’ve never done anything like it. I hear the phrase ‘a breath of fresh air’ a lot – and people tell us we’ve identified what’s wrong with work places and fixed it. We gather up lots of feedback at the end and action points before the next induction!
What else do you want people to know about a Konsileo induction?
All you need to do is to come in with no expectations. It’s about a change of mind-set, a full work/life reset.
We’ve worked very hard to refine the process and make it the foundation of your Konsileo journey – so you can hit the ground not just running but BOUNCING on the first day of Week 5.
What inductees say about the Konsileo induction:
“The first few days felt really weird as I’ve been in the industry for 40 years and it’s the first time I’ve felt so empowered.” – Derek Bentley
“I was expecting the induction to be like every other induction I’ve been on… However it was the best experience I’ve ever had… it created a fantastic team environment, was extremely well organised and really opened my eyes to Konsileo.” – Suzy Johnstone-Smith
“It’s always a bit daunting when you first join a new company but the way the induction is delivered made in the journey a lot easier.” – Amanda Gray
“I’ve never been on an induction like this, it’s such a different way of doing things!” – Ajit Prajapati
“I feel like Konsileo really invested time and effort in ensuring we were set up properly to start our journey. It is a different way of working and I feel ready to go and understand the support systems available.” – Harry Crowther
“It was everything I expected and more. I made some great connections, got to know people on a deeper level than I was expecting and I thoroughly enjoyed every part of it.” – Louise Newton
“I was expecting to be bored & impatient with that long of a process, but I found I absolutely loved it.” – Catie Brooks
