Mr Gabriel Brakha Of VITALSURANCE: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
You can create realistic expectations while weighing the best-case scenarios against the worst-case scenarios.
As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Gabriel Brakha.
Gabriel Brakha is a multilingual, results-driven, and accomplished senior-level executive with over 20 years of experience in international marketing and business development in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. As the Owner of VITALSURANCE, a global health and life insurance agency based in South Florida, Gabriel possesses expertise in negotiations of key accounts, strong competitive analysis, cross-cultural communication, and exceptional teamwork skills. He has been recognized for establishing multi-channel distribution networks that have resulted in significant revenue growth. He’s also fluent in English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, and conversational Portuguese.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I consider myself an international citizen because I lived in eight countries worldwide and was always interested in other cultures. I also traveled for business to many countries in LATAM and eventually found myself working in insurance and helping agents and clients. Now I’m based in South Florida but spend each day offering services to clients globally.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
When I started offering FLORIDA BLUE or BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD insurance plans, I started explaining the history of FLORIDA BLUE to each client, which was a mistake because it’s a well-known brand. The clients requesting these plans simply asked to register based on its positive reputation, without needing a history lesson or background story of the business. The lesson is that it is not required to over-explain certain details about a company or product with massive brand recognition.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
There were several managers from previous jobs that believed in me, especially because of my ethical practices. My knowledge of other cultures also helped me acquire more clients.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
The vision of our agency was to acquire 25 insurance consultants. Currently we have 50 insurance consultants, and each one contributes an invaluable element to our business.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
We care about our team and constantly set up conference calls and Zoom meetings. I personally try to call each agent and speak to them for 20 minutes or more about business and other topics, as well. We want our team to feel comfortable engaging with us, and it’s important for me to let our agents know that we care about their well-being.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
As a human being, you are tempted to give up on certain people on the team, but it’s important to react in a mature way and examine all possibilities from a business perspective. Overall, understanding the differences in people sustains my drive and keeps me motivated.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
The most important role is to calm down and make the team feel more relaxed to reduce stress.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
Believe it or not, jokes are always welcome during conference calls while sharing interesting news about the business.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
Always relay a bit of good news before delivering challenging news.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
You can create realistic expectations while weighing the best-case scenarios against the worst-case scenarios.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
Stay calm, focus, and understand that making a mistake is not the end of the world.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
The most common mistake is not returning phone calls to clients. We return all phone calls the same day they’re received. Other professionals fail to explain how products work in detail. The third mistake is not listening to the specific needs of the client, or selling a good product that doesn’t necessarily align with the needs of the employer or individual.
Generating new business, increasing your profits, or at least maintaining your financial stability can be challenging during good times, even more so during turbulent times. Can you share some of the strategies you use to keep forging ahead and not lose growth traction during a difficult economy?
This is a trial-and-error process. For instance, our firm may invest in non-effective marketing efforts and therefore need to adjust our approach, or change our strategy to obtain successful results.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.
The leader must communicate with the clients and agents within the company. It is important to share information several times in order to make sure the information is being received clearly and effectively. During turbulent times, like the beginning of COVID-19, our insurance carriers did the utmost to help clients with hardship cases. We made sure the members and agents knew about our procedures during this time. The second thing is to work with alternative products to maximize client satisfaction during these times. The third thing is to encourage the agents to join conference calls and participate in new trainings to be able to deliver great messages to their clients. The fourth thing is to thank your clients for staying loyal during these turbulent times and express your appreciation for their business. The fifth thing is to email important tips periodically addressing the insurance policies to ensure an open line of communication.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson is to always tell the truth about your services and products; honesty and integrity will take you a long way. One of our agents that departed amicably contacted us a few months later to partner with her clinic she represents. She always appreciated the fair ethical treatment she received while working with us as an agent.
How can our readers further follow your work?
Our agency is constantly updating information on our website and social media accounts, such as Facebook, Linkedin and YouTube. All of the links can be found on our website: www.Vitalsurance.com
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Thank you for the opportunity!
