What Makes Us Special

by Angus MacCaull

People say there’s something special about AA Munro. I hear it all the time—from insurance company reps, from clients, from community members. Part of it has to do with our products. Where else in the Maritimes can you get such great speciality markets or motorcycle insurance?

Another big part of what makes us special has to do with our values. As I travel around Nova Scotia for this blog, I see our values clearly on display. I see them in our behaviour, and I also see them in our statement of Core Values, which hangs on the wall in each office. I even keep a copy of our Core Values in a folder that travels with me.

But sometimes, even with all these reminders, I don’t fully appreciate how special our company is. Our values can at times become like water to a fish, and I don’t quite notice that they’re there.

Debbie Isenor and Barb Fitzgerald joined the Enfield office this year. They both have a wealth of experience in the industry as brokers. And they are good friends who have been working together as a team for over a decade. We sat down to chat about our Core Values, and they gave me a fresh perspective on what it’s like to be part of AA Munro.

Debbie talked about how coming to AA Munro really was a life changer. “You leave at the end of the workday feeling that you helped people and that you were appreciated for helping,” she said. “I love helping people and you just feel that you can here.”

Barb pointed out that all of our Core Values go hand in hand. “The Core Values all make perfect sense for what we do,” she said. “For people in our community, these are the things they look for in a business relationship.”

Perhaps the Core Value that came up most while we talked was Interrelationships. Debbie and Barb shared about how they feel more balance at AA Munro between their personal lives and their professional lives. And at work, they feel they’re working with people rather than for a company. They also feel that they are able to serve their clients better, because our focus is on clients as members of the community rather than as sales targets. They like that.

Debbie told a story about Barb, who once had an elderly client come in to deal with his auto insurance. After nearly five decades of marriage, the man had to take his wife off of the policy—because they had divorced.

The man was obviously going through a rough time. After she organized his insurance, Barb accompanied him to the parking lot. She gave him a respectful hug and told him that things were going to be okay.

Several months later, he returned to the office with flowers and a gift certificate for Barb. “You saved my life that day,” he said.

As individuals, we each embody our values and make a difference in people’s lives in our own unique ways. We have a company where we’re allowed to care. What it really comes down to is that what makes AA Munro special, is simply each of us.