I’ve been asked to write down some of the greatest life and business lessons I have learned with the hopes of passing them along to the next generation. You would think that it would not be that hard, I certainly have been at this for a long time and should have some valuable pearls of wisdom. It does seem that I don’t have any real original ideas, but Dad used to say all the best ideas are borrowed, so why re-invent the wheel?
I think we all go through life and work with a set of values and rules that we have for ourselves. We probably don’t have them written down and it might be hard to put pen to paper, but we are better off when we identify them. I would love it if those that I work with would give their feedback on what they think my guiding principles are. The Tuscanos were a family that watched NCIS together (a lot). The main character was Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who was famous for quoting his rules to his team. While I will never be accused of that, I hope my team sees these ideals and can say that I am consistent:
- Work hard and play hard
- Get things in the right order
- The farm is too valuable to bet the whole thing at once
- You get out of relationships what you put into them
- Treat others the way you want to be treated
- It’s your responsibility to communicate and make sure other people understand you
- Surround yourself with better people than you, success is more likely when you have a great team
- Practice grace and forgiveness
- It doesn’t cost anything to say you are sorry
- Don’t make excuses
These are the principles that have helped guide me through stormy patches. With that, let me tell you that as we’re coming down to the last quarter of 2021, we are putting a big push on for Personal Umbrellas. It has always been a core product for the Personal Lines team here at Tuscano. We have a number of different markets, each catering to a different clientele. It is not unusual that an “everyday” kind of person decides they will sleep better because they have a personal umbrella, or a celebrity that has a ton of exposure and needs a carrier that understands their needs.
We also have a market for the higher risk accounts which might have a youthful driver with some blemishes on their record. Our Personal Lines team is here to help. The Tuscano agency also has expertise in helping you place your customer’s Professional Liability and Environmental coverage needs. If you trust us to place your contractors and truckers, I would ask that you give us the same opportunity with these classes. We have great markets and underwriters that care. Certainly, we know with these classes that not all carriers are the same and it takes an underwriter that will take their time and explain coverages and marry your customers' exposures with the right company.