The Charge
Amid the euphoria of another record-breaking year for JN Life, as they celebrated inside the Valencia at the Spanish Court Hotel on March 1, motivational speaker and JN scholarship beneficiary, now Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Dr Kasan Troupe, urged JN Life team members to further raise the bar by making “excellence their hallmark.”
In a brief but resounding charge, Dr Troupe urged the teams, comprised mainly of women, to nurture their team spirit and their relationships with the wider communities from which their clients come, to further improve on their successes and strengthen their impact.
“It is said the grass is green on the other side. That’s a lie. The grass is greener where you water it,” she told the JN Life teams, urging them to cultivate excellence through habitual repetition.
The message was well-received by the company’s employees, leadership and guests, as JN Life recognised its continued rise in the market in the event dubbed the ‘Golden Triumph Awards’. The company’s share of the individual life market grew more than threefold in 2023 over its 2021 share, and more than doubled its 2022 stake. It also increased its share of the group life insurance market, surpassing its target by 1.4 percentage points, while its pension business- the JN Individual Retirement Scheme- also achieved a staggering 261 per cent of its annual pension contributions target.
“You’ve overcome some targets. You’ve exceeded expectations. Today, we are celebrating that,” Dr Troupe declared.
However, she urged the company to always stay a step ahead of the field.
“When others are sitting, you must be standing, and when others are standing you must stand out!” she charged. “That’s what excellence is all about.”
The educator and transformational school leader emphasised that hard work is necessary to achieve excellence, which means also overcoming adversities. Referencing the song ‘Book of Rules’ by The Heptones, which was sung during the ceremony by Everton Pessoa, Dr Troupe encouraged the JN Life teams not to be disheartened by challenges in life, noting that all challenges are learning opportunities. “You win and you learn,” she quipped.
Kinesha Hamilton’s Story
It was clear this philosophy was already embraced by at least one JN Life team member Kinesha Hamilton, who was named ‘Agent of the Year’ as she persevered, despite a difficult year punctuated with personal challenges. Chief among them was caring for her ailing sister, who transitioned after an arduous fight with cancer.
“It was a tipping point in my life,” she told her colleagues as she accepted her award. “I could have gone left or right. I could have continued to wallow in my misery. But I used my challenges to propel me to greatness, and now I can smile in my golden triumph,” she affirmed to thunderous applause and screams of joy from her colleagues.
Ms Hamilton demolished her targets in 2023 exceeding total premiums by 160 per cent and products sold by 156 per cent. She also qualified for the Million Dollar Roundtable- the premier association of insurance & financial advisors representing the top 10 per cent of insurance sales agents in the world. She exceeded her target by 148 per cent to qualify for the prestigious award.
As she accepted her award, she acknowledged her team and named others who were significant to her triumph.
Channeling the ONE JN Spirit
And channelling the ONE JN spirit, the value of teamwork, was also among the nuggets Dr Troupe emphasised as necessary to maintaining excellence. Admitting that teamwork is not always easy to achieve, she underscored that it must be honed to achieve results.
“There are going to be conflicts, but you can’t lose the value of teamwork,” she stressed. “You’re 52-strong, but you cannot be the number one life insurance company by yourself. You need each other, you need to support each other, you need to forgive each other and honour each other. You need to enable each other.”
The educational coach and administrator closed by reminding JN Life team members of its own JN philosophy, which is to enrich lives and build communities, underlining that true excellence transcends teams, companies and clients, and permeates entire nations.
“What is your ‘People First’ [philosophy]? What is your cause?” she questioned rhetorically. “Think beyond the excellence at work and expand excellence to your community. What is the JN Life community that you are serving?… That is important for the development of the country.”
