Voice of Experience: Connie Maccarone, Senior Vice President of Insurance Operations, Western & Southern Financial Group
The opportunity to learn and grow through different positions is what Connie Maccarone liked best about Western & Southern Financial Group. The company, as she recalls, “offered career opportunities, industry-recognized training and long-term growth for me that other jobs did not.”
She started in an entry-level programming position, dedicated 29 years to Information Technology, and was promoted to senior vice president of Insurance Operations more than ten years ago.
Experience in Western & Southern
Maccarone understands how important it is to learn from others and accept advice. “I, like many women, needed to seek more constructive feedback. I developed technical and management skills more quickly when I welcomed constructive criticism,” she says.
She proudly recalls the successful projects and service provided to Western & Southern’s distribution channels, producers and clients, which would not have been possible without the help of “people with outstanding capabilities and dedication.” She is happy to have had the chance to learn from them.
One of the company’s many goals is to help families see how important life insurance and retirement planning are, especially for the middle class, “since many of those families would not be in a position to sustain their life style without the benefits realized from the proper amount of life insurance, savings and retirement planning,” she says.
Western & Southern has acquired other insurance companies, and is currently “working on strategic back-office and IT initiatives to unify and modernize functional processing across the various companies. This will provide more scalable processing and better enable additional mergers and acquisitions,” she adds.
Women in Insurance
“I recommend that women stop focusing on the fact that they are women.” Maccarone believes that the best companies don’t take gender into consideration. They “care about developing people who will help the company and its associates succeed.” She recalls, “many of my best coaches and mentors were men who cared about people. By seizing assignments, training, education and the work ethic that make the company successful, you will be successful.”
A hunger for knowledge in the field you choose and passion for the tasks you accomplish are two requirements for being successful. She suggests that women “understand and truly love the position [they] have at each step in their career,” and advises them against “losing sight of how it fits into the company’s success. Nail the job you have and help others see how their efforts fit into the whole picture.”
“Don’t settle when hiring, promoting, performance counseling, making tough decisions or in what you deliver. When hiring or promoting, surround yourself with people capable beyond their current assignment. They will look good and so will you,” Maccarone says.
Where someone might only see a task, others can find an opportunity to learn and progress in their career. “Take on the projects and assignments that others may not see as opportunities if they are in the best interest of the company. Then do what it takes to deliver great results. Think beyond your assignment [or] position, analyze broader results and make suggestions to improve performance, processes and results for the whole team and beyond,” she says.
She also advises women to have an outstanding work ethic, because “you make yourself promotable. You do not just get promoted by someone else. Become someone that your management wants to “clone”.”
Motivation is key. “Wherever you work, you must think of that company like it is your company,” she says.
Maccarone adds that “women, and men, cannot be effective at work if they are worried about child care.” For this reason, she recommends “making sure that you provide for the best child care possible, [and] sacrifice in other areas if necessary. Weigh your options, the impact on the present career, and then be comfortable with the tough choices you make that support your family.”
She says that “women must recognize when they need help. Good judgment is tightly coupled with success and leadership. It is important to come with options when requesting guidance or more resources. When facing life’s toughest times, take time to clear your head, organize the decision factors and be alert to the signs and guidance all around you.”
In Her Free Time
Maccarone enjoys traveling, spending time with her extended family and participating in an organization that helps families coping with cancer. “My greatest source of pride is that I was able to balance a successful career, with much help from a dedicated husband, and raise two wonderful, caring and successful daughters.”
By Irene Solaz
