FAIA's Board of Directors is made up of volunteer leaders who give generously of their time and expertise to serve the association and our industry. This year, we're sitting down with our board members to help agents get to know them better. Next up is Director Mary Katharine Lawler, who first started working at her family’s insurance agency at age 12. She shared some highlights from her decades long career and insights she's learned along the way.
What led you to decide to pursue a career in insurance?
I grew up in the industry and have been working in it since I was a child. Even in elementary school, I remember coming to the office and sitting with the receptionist, who would babysit me while everybody was working. I would pretend to answer phones with her, and I loved it. When I was 12, I officially began working at the family agency (I’ve got the W-2 pay stubs to prove it), answering phones and filing paperwork, and worked there throughout my life. But, when I went to college, I decided I didn't want to do insurance because I had been working in it my whole life at that point. So, I planned to be a real estate major and go to law school. I have no idea why, but I really wanted to be a real estate lawyer at the time.
When I attended Florida State University, the head of the department for Real Estate, Business Law, and Risk Management and Insurance at the time, Dr. Pat Maroney, kept asking me, “Why aren’t you doing insurance?” I told him I didn’t want to, and he encouraged me to stop putting off the basic insurance course I needed to graduate and told me to go ahead and take it. So, I did and enjoyed it. I decided to drop the real estate major and just focus on risk management and insurance. Later in life, married with two kids and working full-time as a sales producer, I ended up getting my master's degree and was an adjunct professor for FSU’s RMI program. Coming from someone who was trying to desperately avoid the insurance world at the start of my college career to becoming a self-proclaimed insurance nerd who’s got two degrees in risk management, I’ve clearly gone all in, and it’s been a great career.
Who has made the biggest impact on your career and what was the most impactful lesson you learned from them?
That’s hard to answer. The first person who made an impact on my career was clearly my father. He was the first person to expose me to insurance. When Hurricane Kate hit Tallahassee back in the 1980s, I remember going with him to lock up the insurance office before it hit and I still remember him talking about the claims and what they had to go through after. Then Dr. Pat Maroney was the one who encouraged me to get both my bachelor’s and master's degrees in risk management and insurance. After college, my boss at Arthur Gallagher, Lowell Fuller, and the branch manager at the time, John Liston, gave me a tremendous amount of support. I owe a lot to them. There have been so many people throughout my career who have supported me—co-workers and clients. There have also been people who made it difficult for me, and I am thankful for them, too. They made me tough. In a career spanning multiple decades, I don't think it’s possible to pick one person because there's just so many people that I could list.
Do you have any advice for young agents that you wish you had received at the very beginning of your career?
Take time to get your designations while you’re in school and right out of school. You have more time than you realize. Do this before you are married with kids. My sports analogy is (and my team hears me say it all the time) if you're only practicing with your team and not practicing by yourself at home, you're not going to get better. Especially for the young people starting their career, showing up for work and trying to learn on the job is like only practicing with the team. If you want to get better and control where you go, then you must put in the self-study and individual growth during non-business hours. It’s not optional.
Why did you choose to commit your time to serving the association as a Board member?
Full disclosure: When FAIA first called on me to get involved in a leadership position, I told them that it wasn’t a good time. It wasn't that I was opposed to helping FAIA, but I am somebody who wants to give 110 percent if I sign up for something. At the time, I was still building my book of business, I had two small children, and I was getting my master's degree. So, I was still in a stage where I had to focus on myself.
But, when the opportunity came again for me to step into a situation that FAIA thought I was uniquely qualified for, the timing was great. I felt like, at that point, I was finally in a good position to step up and give back. Major kudos to Kyle and his leadership team for giving me grace when I needed it the first time and giving me a second chance when the time was better. I was raised to give back when you are able. FAIA has given me so much. It is an honor to give back.
Can you give us one word that best describes how you work?
The word that pops in my head is grind. I think the insurance industry overall, especially right now with a hard market, tends to be a grind. People may think that's a negative word, but for me it isn’t. To me, it’s another sports analogy; the people who are the most successful will often tell you that they embrace the grind and that’s what I do.
What would your colleagues be surprised to know about you?
I’m actually an introvert. I love to have a good book and be left alone. I have to recharge and have my alone time. I am an extrovert in the sense I made myself an extrovert and I can turn it on when I go out, but I have to have my quiet time.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
I’m really proud of getting my master's degree while working full time with two small children and doing adjunct teaching at FSU. It was a full plate, but I did it and I’m really glad that my kids saw me do it, too. I want them to know they can do whatever they put their minds to.
What’s a product or service that has been a game changer for you? Either at your agency or personally.
My cell phone and laptop are probably the biggest game changers in terms of freedom. The ability to take your work remotely thanks to the Internet was a huge game changer for our business. As much as that technology is wonderful, disconnecting from it can be a bit of a challenge. Technology is a tool, not a replacement for human connection.
What’s the biggest professional obstacle you’ve overcome?
I think the biggest obstacle is always time. I don’t think it’ll ever stop being a challenge to do a great job for your clients and your team in the limited amount of time you have. I think everyone experiences that challenge.
The person we interviewed before you was Jason Cloar, and he had this question for you: "I am certain you have quite a bit on your plate, but you seem to have it under control, and all figured out. What is your secret to success?"
It’s very kind of him to say! I appreciate that I appear to have it under control. I think it just comes down to you wanting to do it and making it happen. The older you become and the more experience you have, the better you get at juggling the balls and prioritizing. It takes sacrifice, and sometimes I don’t sleep or exercise as much as I should, but having my husband and all his support, my family support, and the support of a great group of friends, is critical to my success.