Shared Experiences

Woven throughout this issue is the thread of “shared experience” and its effect both personally and professionally on those of us in and around the insurance industry. It’s most obviously evident in our ground-level perspective of Moore, Okla., where commentary and photos from Enservio’s Jay Straughan combine to show us the striking power of devastation and the scene that awaits those of us in this line of work.

But shared experiences and the notion of empathy don’t just revolve around emotions of despair and situations of tragedy. More often, shared experiences can spark creativity and possibility beyond the ability of one person, as hinted at in part by Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company’s SVP of Claims Joseph W. McCrea response in "Between the Lines," where he articulates what he expects to take away from next month’s opening of CLM’s Claims College.

That idea of shared experience is central to the Claims College. It’s a coming together of like minds to address the industry’s big problems—as evidenced by the more than 50 chief claims officers gathering together for a historic summit on campus—while at the same time harnessing industry intellect to deliver practical knowledge on a granular level in the classroom.

Is it ambitious? Sure. Will it succeed? Absolutely. Because through shared experiences, we become empowered by the knowledge of others and transformed by the commonality of purpose.