BIP Fall 2024

In the moments following the announcement of Pat Griffey as this year’s Harold R. Gordon Memorial Award recipient, the NABIP past president embraced family, friends and colleagues who had gathered in Chicago this summer to honor her at the NABIP Annual Convention. But true to her character, Griffey soon shifted the focus away from herself, dedicating much of her acceptance speech to recognizing new members and first-time attendees. “Stand up if you're new this year, if this is your first time here,” Griffey said. “Whether you're new or you've been around for a while, let me just tell you, this organization will build your career in a way that you absolutely cannot imagine. To do that, you have to engage. You have to engage with the community, you have to engage with other leaders, you have to engage with your association and be involved. That's all I ever did. And for this, I'm grateful.”

1 You can do more than you think. Griffey entered the insurance field part-time at a small property & casualty agency near her Indiana home. Once the kids were in high school, she went full time, working as a prospecting secretary for a State Farm agent, setting up appointments for him to sell life insurance. “My life insurance agent found out what I was doing. He said, 'You know, you could do that for yourself,'” Griffey recalls. Soon, she became a debit collection agent at Western & Southern Life Insurance Company, and within 18 months, she’d opened her first agency and was licensed in both life and P&C. After a few lateral moves, Griffey got “the largest leg up” in her career when, in 1986, she joined a general agent, Hal Goodwin, at The Goodwin Company. "I worked very closely with our brokers and learned the health insurance field. The interesting part about insurance products in general is that true insurance has a lot of commonality," says Griffey. "It makes it easy to move from life insurance to property and casualty, then from property and casualty to health insurance. It's easy to feel like it's a whole new world you don't know anything about. But once you're there, you see contract language and realize, gee, this isn't that much different." that she's always championing for somebody else, and that selflessness is what made her one of the best presidents I've seen,” says Annette Bechtold, leadership consultant and executive coach at Forte Consulting Atlanta. In the spirit of Griffey’s generosity, here are five invaluable insights from the seasoned NABIP member, leader, advocate and mentor. As a young mother seeking work while her children were in school,

Those who know Griffey well describe her as someone who consistently puts others first — a role model who uses her words and actions to uplift others. “Anybody who knows her knows

KEY POINTS

▶ This year’s Harold R. Gordon Memorial Award recipient Pat Griffey is celebrated for her selfless leadership and dedication to uplifting others within NABIP. ▶ Griffey's career in insurance evolved through her willingness to carve her own path, take on leadership roles and learn from mentors. She emphasizes the importance of not settling for predefined structures and the value of professional relationships. ▶ Griffey has been a proactive mentor and leader, particularly in setting up structures that ensure organizational continuity and progress. She remains committed to helping others succeed.

24 bip magazine Fall 2024