Setting expectations and making decisions are core to being a solid leader. A leader who sets high expectations for themselves and their team must work efficiently. Team collaboration, input, and alignment are essential to making well-informed decisions as well as setting expectations.
Developing your Leadership Style
How you feel you lead is just as important as how you come across as a leader. Leadership can take many forms and look different from person to person or company to company. One common thread among successful leaders is that they consistently evaluate, develop, and adapt their leadership as industries evolve and change.
As you take on more responsibility, you may recognize that thought-partnership and collaboration are even more important as you began to manage areas outside of your area of expertise. Having an adaptive and collaborative leadership style can be an effective skill set to evolve.
To test your ability to grow as a leader, ask yourself the following questions.
Has your leadership style changed over time?
If so, how?
Was this change gradual or rapid?
How and when did you notice the change taking place?
Has the change been effective by your standards?
Inviting and Incorporating Feedback
Being approachable and having a positive reputation often indicate that you welcome open communication with your team, which in turn positively impacts workflow and focus.
By seeking input often and having candid discussions, we build a team that is quite cohesive and highly involved not only in setting strategic priorities but also in the decisions it takes to achieve those goals.
Instead of setting boundaries, it is much more powerful to have good operating routines. Trust your leaders to make good decisions and to communicate those to the team as needed. Fewer boundaries allow you to focus on being more innovative and profitably growing your business.
As we work on specific projects, our goal is always to pick the best resources to join the project team and provide them with a goal or end vision. The team coordinates the work into areas of expertise within the team and comes back with well though-out components. The end result when put together is normally a well-prepared project game plan to accomplish a goal.
Establishing Expectations
One of the most important steps a leader can take, whether they are starting their career or are thirty years into it, is to establish themselves as someone who can set expectations, hold people accountable and make well-informed decisions with confidence.
One key component for setting annual goals was to develop goals and set expectations within key areas early in the 4th quarter; well ahead of the new year. During the year we expect to continue to set new expectations to set as well. These expectations and goals are then discussed with other leaders to gain their input and support. It is normal for expectations to change as forces outside of your control emerge or negative trends affect strategy results.
It is important to remember that some results are met when goals are achieved. At other times, it’s important to look at positive progress and trends to validate that goals are having the desired impact.
Leading through the pandemic was an awesome test for all of our leaders and teammates in understanding the ability to make and adapt goals. We found that to be adaptive and change orientated it was important to be highly communicative and to manage the pandemic in a positive way.
Greater Leadership Series
At Continental Western Group, we’re committed to helping businesses throughout the Midwest thrive. We understand the importance of growing and developing leadership skills in every organization.
In the CWG Greater Leadership Series, CWG leaders will share personal stories and insights that have helped them along the path to leadership success.
With CWG, not only can you get coverage tailored to your needs, but you will also receive support from an expert risk management team and dedicated claims professionals to guide you through the claim process in the event of a loss.
Setting Expectations and Making Decisions was last modified: February 22nd, 2023 by CWG
TERMS OF SERVICE AGREEMENT
Welcome to the Continental Western Group® E-Pay Express online bill payment services website, which provides bill payment options and services (such website, options, and services are individually and collectively referred to herein as the “E-Pay Express Services”) available to customers of the Continental Western Group®, an operating unit of Berkley Insurance Company, and affiliated companies (referred to herein as “OU acronym, i.e. “CWG”). CWG® is willing to provide the E-Pay Express Services to you, a customer of CWG, only upon your agreement that your access to and use of the E-Pay Express Services will be subject to the following E-Pay Express Terms of Service Agreement (the “Agreement”). This Agreement describes the terms and conditions under which CWG will make E-Pay Express Services available to CWG’s customers (“you”). The Agreement may be revised without notice and will become effective upon posting on this site and your use of the E-Pay Express Services.I. DEFINITIONSThe following defined terms are used in this Agreement: E-Pay Express is a service you can use to view and pay your CWG bill online securely. CWG has licensed the right to use E-Pay Express from an unaffiliated third party, Fifth Third Bank. and/or its affiliates (“Fifth Third”). Account means the Account with CWG to which you authorize a bill payment to be directed. Payment Instruction means your instruction and authorization to E-Pay Express to make a bill payment to your Account. Payment Account means the bank account that you authorize E-Pay Express to debit when you make your bill payment using account information from your personal or business checking or savings account. Payment Card means the credit or debit card that you instruct E-Pay Express to charge to pay your bill payment. Business Day means Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Reserve holidays. Scheduled Payment Date means the Business Day of your choice upon which E-Pay Express will attempt to complete your bill payment and initiate the appropriate debit to your Payment Account or Payment Card. CWG includes the following affiliated companies of Berkley Insurance Company: Acadia Insurance Company, Continental Western Insurance Company, Firemen’s Insurance Company of Washington, D.C., Tri-State Insurance Company of Minnesota, Union Insurance Company (collectively referred to herein as “Insurers”). All payments processed through E-Pay Express Services are paid to CWG on behalf of itself or one of the Insurers listed above; however, each of the Insurers has sole financial responsibility for its own products and services, including the E-Pay Express Services provided in connection with those products and services. You should refer to your insurance policy for the applicable Insurer.II. DESCRIPTION OF E-PAY EXPRESS SERVICES A. The E-Pay Express Services provide you with access to various online resources, including applications that allow you to view your CWG bill. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any new features that augment or enhance the current E-Pay Express Services, including the release of new services, shall be subject to this Agreement. Upon your acceptance of this Agreement, CWG grants you a personal, nonexclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the E-Pay Express Services, subject to this Agreement, solely for the purpose of viewing and paying your Account electronically. The foregoing license includes the specific rights to use the available applications and functionalities of the E-Pay Express Services and to print information from the E-Pay Express Services. CWG and Fifth Third do, however, reserve the right to, without notice: (a) modify, suspend or terminate operation of or access to the E-Pay Express Services at any time for any reason; (b) modify or change the E-Pay Express Services or its applicable operating policies at any time; and (c) interrupt the E-Pay Express Services as necessary to perform routine and non-routine maintenance, error corrections, or other changes. CWG also reserves the right to modify this Agreement at any time, in which case you will be provided notice that the Agreement has been changed. Your continued use of the E-Pay Express Services after said notice of the changed Agreement constitutes your agreement with and acceptance of the changed Agreement.
BILL PAYMENT SERVICE
(a) When you initiate a Payment Instruction, you authorize E-Pay Express to charge your Payment Card or debit your Payment Account and remit funds to CWG on your behalf so that the funds arrive to pay your bill as close to the Business Day designated by you as is reasonably possible. While it is anticipated that most transactions will be processed on the day you choose, it is understood that due to circumstances beyond the control of CWG and Fifth Third, some transactions may take a day or so longer to be credited to your Account.(b) If E-Pay Express is unable to obtain funds for a bill payment for any reason associated with your Payment Card or Payment Account (for example, there is not a sufficient balance available on your Payment Card or in your Payment Account to cover the transaction), then we will not be able to complete your bill payment transaction. If there is a problem in processing your Payment Instruction, CWG or Fifth Third may attempt to contact you, using the telephone number you have provided(c) If E-Pay Express makes a bill payment to your Account, but is unable to obtain funds for that payment from your Payment Card or Payment Account, you agree that your bill payment will be reversed.III. LIABILITY FOR FAILURE TO COMPLETE TRANSACTIONSA. E-Pay Express will use commercially reasonable efforts to process your bill payments in accordance with your Payment Instructions. However, CWG and Fifth Third shall incur no liability if a bill payment is not made in a timely manner or if any payments initiated by you through the E-Pay Express Services cannot be completed because of any one or more of the following circumstances:
Sufficient funds are not available through your Payment Account or your Payment Card;
Any failure on the part of CWG or Fifth Third to account correctly for or credit the payment in a timely manner, or any other mishandling of your payment by CWG or Fifth Third;
The E-Pay Express Services are not working properly and you know or have been advised by CWG or Fifth Third about the malfunction before you execute the transaction;
You do not provide CWG or Fifth Third with all required information to complete the bill payment, such as your correct name, telephone number, or your complete and correct Payment Card or Payment Account information; or
Circumstances over which CWG or Fifth Third have no control include, but are not limited to, large-scale technical malfunctions, including, but not limited to, loss of access to the Internet or loss of access to the Federal Reserve System, prolonged outages of telephone lines, electricity or similar infrastructure, acts of God, war, riot, civil disobedience or similar events of insurrection, governmental or court orders, regulatory or legislative changes by any local, state or federal governmental agency, strikes, work stoppages or other similar occurrences or circumstances.
IV. USER NAMES AND PASSWORDSA. During the registration process for the E-Pay Express Services, a User Name, and Password (collectively, “Authentication Materials”) will be established for your use in accessing the E-Pay Express Services. The Authentication Materials are intended for your use only. You agree: (a) not to disclose such Authentication Materials to any third party, (b) to take reasonable care to protect such Authentication Materials from inadvertent disclosure to third parties, and (c) to immediately notify CWG of any loss or unauthorized use of such Authentication Materials. You agree that you will be responsible for all actions taken using your Authentication Materials.V. YOUR REPRESENTATIONS.A. You hereby represent to CWG and agree that:
any and all information that you provide to CWG or Fifth Third to use the E-Pay Express Services will be accurate and complete;
you will not use the E-Pay Express Services to access information about any account unless you have authority to do so by the person or company whose account you are accessing;
you will not provide any information to CWG or Fifth Third or in your use of the E-Pay Express Services, including account information unless you have the authority to communicate such information;
you will not use the E-Pay Express Services for any illegal or improper purposes;
you will not use: (i) any robot, spider, other automatic device to monitor or copy portions of the E-Pay Express home page or the E-Pay Express Services or the content contained therein, or (ii) any device, software, or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Payer Express home page or the E-Pay Express Services;
you will not download, reproduce, duplicate, copy or otherwise extract any portion of the E-Pay Express home page or the E-Pay Express Services for the purpose of sale or resale, or make other commercial use thereof, and
CWG or Fifth Third may send you electronic correspondence describing changes to the E-Pay Express Services and this Agreement.
Please Note: Colorado Form WC 50 requires the name of your Insurer to be included on the Form prior to posting at your location(s). You can locate the name of your Insurer here on your policy.
Agency of Oversite: Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Workers’ Compensation Division
Posting Notice: Certificate of Good Standing Required
Addional Posting Information: Any business conducting work in the State of Wyoming or hiring a Wyoming resident as an employee must register with the Division of Workers’ Compensation and Unemployment Insurance.
Agency of Oversite: Missouri Division of Workers Compensation 2
Posting Notice: Workplace Poster Required
Addional Posting Information: The forms are mandatory in both English and Spanish. The forms must be posted proximately to each other. The forms are also available in two sizes—poster and letter size.
Agency of Oversite: Michigan Workers Compensation Agency
Posting Notice: No Poster Required
Addional Posting Information: There is currently no requirement for the posting of a workers compensation insurance notice by the state of Michigan. But there are two posters that an employer may voluntarily post in the workplace.
Agency of Oversite: Iowa Division of Workers Compensation
Posting Notice: No Poster Required
Addional Posting Information: There is no posting notice requirement for employers that have secured workers compensation coverage or qualified as a selfinsurer. Only employers who have failed to secure coverage for the liabilities assumed under the Act must post a notice of the failure to insure.
