I am empowered by Philam Life with the many opportunities to share my talent.

I was hired in 1997 (at 27 years old) as an Insurance Administration Manager with a rank of senior manager, the same rank that I hold today. I was much younger than all my staff then and so I had to muster all my leadership skills to bring the team to greater heights. My boss then, Mr. Teves (the one who hired me), gave us enough latitude to think and decide matters ourselves. We were empowered. So by the time we had our Business Team (BT) in year 2000, of which I was its first Team Leader, I thought I had all the necessary experience to propel it to success. Records will show that the team I lead, the Northeast Luzon Business Team, is one, if not the most successful of the teams. We have garnered practically all awards that the BT had to offer.

I have always been self-motivated. I have been taking LOMA exams since 1997 to improve my craft and be better-equipped and empowered not only for our clients but also in life. LOMA exams are for free – all you have to do is pass them. As a boss, I took the lead on all of these. I would encourage all my staff to take LOMA exams, and if possible, get high scores too. Most of them are now title holders for FLMI, ACS and PCS. When I saw that my team was doing quite well, I went back to school and pursued law. I passed the 2008 bar exams.

I was also empowered by the many opportunities given to me to share my talent. Among them: trainings, team leadership/membership, employee engagement activities and proper recognition/rewards.

The numerous leadership, visioning, coaching, team-building, HR and soft-skills trainings that I attended have been very useful as well in my personal life, especially to my family. This June, all of my three kids will be in high school (4th, 3rd & 1st years) at the Philippine Science High School. I would like to think that I would not have had the opportunity to really guide them were it not for Philam Life. My job in Philam Life also gave me the opportunity not to miss any of the special occasions of my children, both in and out of school.

I can say that Philam Life truly empowers its employees in many ways: 1) providing them opportunities to share and defend their ideas; 2) making sure that the employees are trained with their soft-skills; 3) creating an engaging workplace; 4) enriching one’s knowledge on insurance through exams like LOMA, and many more. However, I do believe that a highly-trained employee does not necessary mean an empowered one. Empowerment is something personal. An empowered employee is an engaged employee. I am empowered because I am engaged.

Jun Narag