Mr. Segar Sampath , Director -Health, General Insurance Council

During my tenure at a large insurance company, the head of  a Branch and I visited a large commercial bank.  The bank was placing a considerable amount of health insurance business with that  Branch of  the insurance company.  During the conversation, I was glad to note that the Bank was   very happy with our services.  Yet, they  demurred that some minor claims relating to ATM theft, insurance for which was also placed with our Branch, were pending for quite a long time.  I was mortified that such a valuable customer as this Bank should have some  minor claims unattended.  The Branch head who was with me had no such compunctions.  He was unfazed by this fact and coolly said “ Oh, that is handled by Claims Hub, Sir.”  As if that fact absolves him of all the responsibility to solve the client’s problem.  This story tells us how completely ensconced one could be in one’s fiefdom, impervious to the demands of the organisation and its clients.

In these days of specialisation and hyper specialisation a person becomes more and more focussed on a smaller and smaller area of operation.  This is quite understandable given the requirements of complexity.  But what is not acceptable is the refusal to look beyond one’s nose.  Specialisation is no excuse to drawing oneself into a gloated shell. Specialisation is acquiring mastery in one particular field.  Fine.  But one cannot be master of one, and jack of none.  Such an attitude will cripple a person’s capability to handle higher responsibilities. As one moves up the hierarchy, the ability to understand the interplay of a multitude of forces and their implications is a vital competency.  A person should have the ability to look at the larger landscape and glean the unfolding challenges and opportunities. 

Specialisation is not to be ridiculed.  It has its uses.  But if the specialist were to be obsessed with his field,  and refuse to explore possibilities beyond his domain, that would stunt his potential.  One should be open to discussions on related fields outside one’s domain. One should consciously take efforts to learn related fields, especially finance and reinsurance. Acquiring knowledge in such related fields  provides differing perspectives on the company’s operations and makes the person  upwardly  mobile.