#IASA2017: Embracing peripeteias
Day two of IASA 2017 did not disappoint. I was able to attend the second keynote presentation with Mike Rowe, host and narrator of the Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs. If you haven’t seen the show over the past nine years, during each episode, Rowe visits difficult, messy and sometimes downright horrifyingly dirty occupations. He learns the tricks of those trades first-hand from the industries by fully immersing himself in those careers.
During his presentation to the more than 2,000 insurance industry professionals in the audience, Rowe recounted his journey within his career and how he started the show Dirty Jobs. Rowe spared no details when discussing his first day filming the show, which took place in San Francisco’s sewer system.
I can honestly say, I’ve never laughed so hard, while at the same time being totally horrified and disgusted. But the passion he delivered to the audience was definitely picked up and appreciated by all.
Reversals of fortune can be good things
Something that really stood out to me, other than the very detailed way he described his experience within California’s sewer systems, was when he talked about his ‘personal peripeteia.’ A peripeteia is a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances, or as Rowe described it – when you realize everything you thought you knew turns out to be wrong.
Rowe experienced a peripeteia after working within the broadcast journalism field, thinking he wanted to be the person that presented stories to others. On that fateful day in the sewer, he experienced a series of unfortunate events while filming. It was after reviewing the footage that Rowe realized he wanted to take a different approach to telling stories, letting the experts control the narrative.
Rowe encouraged the IASA audience to look at their careers and see if there are any peripeteas they can use to make changes and challenge the status quo.
Embrace change to succeed
That’s when I realized the entire industry is at a fork in the road, facing one of the most disruptive times in history. Everything insurers once thought was best practice is changing, and those who aren’t willing to embrace change are not going to succeed. There is so much innovation coming from the industry right now that in order to keep customer experience top of mind, and continue to meet their expectations, insurers need to think differently and embrace new tactics and technologies.
Its apparent from the sessions, vendor connect tours and topics featured at IASA that there is no shortage of new solutions for the industry. After the conversations we’ve had with insurers, media and analysts, it’s clear that insurance professionals are ready to embrace change.
Although it’s sad to see the conference end, if you’re an insurer looking to modernize your technology solutions, reach out via email to discuss your plans, questions or concerns. I look forward to hearing from you.
