011: Create Your Own Career Purpose with Sonia Habib

What are ‘silent opportunities’ and how do they present themselves to us, perhaps without us even noticing? Why might it preferable to motivate ourselves with a broader career journey in mind than specific, concrete goals? What mindset should you deploy when attempting to expand your network? In this episode, we are very pleased to be speaking with Sonia Habib, Head of Product Development at the Jensten Group. In conversation with Sandra Lewin, Sonia articulates her philosophy for career self-motivation, rooted in a commitment to broadening your industry understanding and discovering how your unique skills can facilitate personal and company success. She explains the concept of ‘silent opportunities’ that may catch us unawares until we begin to recognise the blind spots curtailing our personal development.   Quote of the Episode “Silent opportunities are silent for a reason. You have to want it. You have to want to want more. There's this facade that insurance is all about the people, and that you can only be an insurance if you're a really social person, but actually don't need to be social. Asking yourself, ‘What do you want?’ and speaking to the right people to help you, having a really good support mechanism around you, [is the real key]. I think sometimes you need that character assassination; at some point in your career, you need someone to say, ‘These are what I think your blind spots are’.” During the episode, Sonia explains what she terms ‘silent opportunities’ – moments when we may be able to further our career and/or personal development but that we either fail to recognise or decide to ignore. She argues that missing silent opportunities can often be attributed to a misguided dedication to specific material goals (such as earning X amount of money by the time one turns 30), which may lead you to deny or ignore alternative opportunities that could accelerate your industry progress in another way. Both Sonia and Sandra concur that we should always be open-minded to the multifarious opportunities that may present themselves to us, and to only make plans in the knowledge that they are very likely to shift later down the line. As such, she argues that we should curate a network of trusted people and ask them to point out your ‘blind spots’ – areas in which you may be stunting your personal development or undermining your potential career progress. Identifying how you can work on yourself is a great way to open yourself up to ‘silent opportunities’ as and when they come about. The path that is meant for you, Sonia suggests, will only pass you by if you let it.   Key Takeaways The start of Sonia’s insurance career was a time of self-discovery. She describes herself as having been a blank canvas, guided by motivation to progress within the industry, but not by specific goals. For Sonia, committing to particular plans is likely to lead to frustration and disappointment. Conversely, she suggests that you should be open to anything, particularly at the start of your career. Dedicating yourself to a journey of progress in the knowledge that your material goals are likely to shift as you meet new people and encounter new opportunities or ideas is crucial. In this way, you will open yourself up to different avenues of success whilst committing to a broader journey underpinned by motivation and self-belief. Sonia argues that being inquisitive is absolutely crucial at the start of your insurance career. There’s always more to know in our industry, and there’s an entire other language of acronyms and shorthand phrases to be learned. Frequently asking questions not only highlights your initiative to executive members of your company; it also expands your knowledge which can only ever help your career progression, given the constant state of flux in which our industry currently operates. Furthermore, Sonia is ‘a massive believer in over-communicating’. In her role as Head of Project Development, she argues that reiteration of the same message is key to prevent important messages from being lost in the flurry of information transmitted within an insurance business each day. Insurance thrives or fails on productive communication, or a lack thereof. As a profoundly people-based industry, networking is at the core of any opportunity, be it a new job or an alternative role within your company. As such, the more people you know, and the further your network branches out, the more frequently new opportunities will present themselves to you. However, Sonia notes that you should form connections with people who recognise your particular skills and experience as being assets. Not everyone who meet at networking events will necessarily be the ‘right’ contact. Additionally, ensure that when you are meeting new people, that your discussion is balanced. People want to be heard, and giving them an opportunity to speak about themselves is very important. Ultimately, new industry opportunities will emerge when you’re not in the room. To make your name be the one that crops up in board-level conversations, connect with people both within and beyond your business and actively demonstrate how you add value to it. In doing so, silent opportunities will start to come your way.   Best Moments/Key Quotes ‘Plan for the fact that your plans will not work out.’   “I think the best plan is to not have a plan. Goals are great, because they keep you motivated, and they allow that discipline to kind of be instilled in you. But I think ultimately, you meet so many people in life that you don't know you're going to meet. And they can change those goals.” “We all have a purpose, and you create your purpose; you discover your purpose. I think the infant time of my career was more about discovering who I was, and less about my career. What I discovered over the first few years of doing what I was doing was actually I was capable of more than I thought I was.”   “With insurance being such a people-based industry, networking is like the core of any kind of opportunity… if you know a lot of people, there's gonna be that ripple effect. They're going to know of someone that knows someone that can help you. So, the bigger you branch your network and base, that you're you've naturally threefold of that, because those people that you know, know a lot of people.”     Resources Work Like a Woman: A Manifesto for Change by Mary Porter   About the Guest Sonia Habib is Head of Product Development in the Jensten Group. With ten years of industry experience under her belt, she was the winner of the MGAA Rising Star 2023, the IBUK Rising Star 2021, and a shortlisted nominee for the Women in Insurance Awards 2022. Sonia’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-habib-dip-cii-5143869a/   About the Host Sandra Lewin started her career in insurance as a broker and has since taken on many different roles. Alongside being a host of this podcast "100 Women in Insurance", she also specializes in helping insurance businesses and professionals establish a social media presence, delivers change programs, and provides one-on-one coaching for women looking to take control of their careers and lives. Connect with Sandra on LinkedIn and find out more: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sandralewin