Jeannie Meighan is Model Office Manager at QBE's Operational Excellence team. Part of QBE since 2015, Jeannie initially worked as a Six Sigma specialist before taking on the task of building up a new team to implement the latest technology across the business. Here, she explains the challenges associated with moving into a new role and what she's learned through her career.
I've worked in the insurance sector my entire career, but I've taken on quite a few roles over that time. I started out straight from school in customer service. I then moved on to a whole range of other things, including various back-office roles, team leader, marketing and project management.
Eventually, I ended up in a more technical role, working as a lean process engineer. I built up skills in Six Sigma and spent about ten years in that role with another insurer, travelling up and down the country, and improving customer processes, before the opportunity came to move to QBE. While it was a bit of a sideways move, doing essentially the same thing, I jumped at the chance for a number of reasons, and it was a perfect fit for me personally as well.
A desire for the next challenge
I was in that role for around two to three years at QBE, and it was while I was there that we first began introducing automation to the Claims teams. It was obvious this was something that was going to be a big thing going forward, so I started to learn more about it and realised it was quite exciting.
While it was an extension of what I was doing, it allowed me to gain more technical skills and that's what led me to take the lead on setting up QBE's internal capabilities. We had to build this up from scratch, initially setting up with four people in the automation team, and then merging with the rulebook team to create Model Office. This brought two teams together to provide standardisation in processes while enabling me personally to expand my knowledge of additional software and gain experience in leading a larger team.
I've always enjoyed taking on new challenges. Throughout my career, I've constantly worked across different departments and increased my knowledge and contacts. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) was a great opportunity. When I started doing lean process engineering and Six Sigma, that was all the buzzword at the time. Now, automation and RPA are the enablers of improved customer experience across the operational world.
It was a chance to bring something new to QBE and make a difference to the wider business, by removing repetitive tasks to create capacity for value-added activities for the customer.
Learning a new skillset
Some of the skills I already had were transferable to the new role. Things like project management and stakeholder management, for instance. But there were also some much more technical skills I had to pick up.
Although I don't do the actual development, I have to understand how the software works, so I had to learn all about the configuration and deployment as well as the IT infrastructure, and I also had to build a much wider stakeholder base. A lot of it was learning on the job, from the senior people we brought in and from our IT colleagues as well, rather than through any formal training.
It's not just the technical side. Another area I had to continue to develop and adapt was my change management skills. When new technologies like RPA come along, it's important to communicate clearly with people about what it'll mean for them and why we're doing it. You do get a bit of resistance from some people who might be unfamiliar with the technology or worry that it will replace their jobs. Understanding people's fears and helping them realise that this is going to be good for them, the customer and QBE is important.
Taking opportunities
QBE has always been really supportive of Operational Excellence and Automation, and the culture here really encourages people to explore other things and take on new challenges. For instance, in the early days of automation, we'd get people to just come and sit with us for an hour to see what we do, so we could explain it to them because they were interested.
I don't think there's any harm in anybody doing that across any role, just going and spending the day with someone in a different function to see what it's like. Walk around your business area, check out the intranet to see what opportunities there are in different parts of the business, and reach out to contacts and see. There are always opportunities within QBE. Initially speak to your team leader to understand what's available, but also try and join some of the different forums we have in the business.
Also, if you are looking for a new challenge or direction in your career, don't be frightened to step outside your comfort zone. It may seem scary or something that you've never done before, but it's worth a try because if you don't, you'll never know.