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Having previously worked in the hospitality and entertainment industry, Shannon Wiseman’s path into insurance wasn’t a straight line. After taking time away from the workforce to have children, Shannon joined Honan in 2021, learning the insurance industry from the ground up and leaning on her transferrable skills from previous roles to progress into her current role as Client Manager and Team Lead – Strata. We recently sat down with Shannon to learn more about her career journey to date, how she has overcome challenging career obstacles and who in her life has influenced her career.
I wanted to be a flight attendant or pilot so I could travel the world!
My path to Insurance certainly wasn’t a straight line. After starting my career in sales with one of the world’s largest hotel companies, I transitioned to the entertainment industry, working for Hoyts Cinemas. While there I developed my skillset and progressed from a Relationship Executive to Regional Sales Manager.
I then took some time off to have children, and I transitioned back into the workforce into the Insurance Industry. My progression at Honan has almost been a carbon copy of my progression at Hoyts – learning the industry from the ground up and leaning on my transferrable skills – people and relationship management, leadership, organisational skills, and my attention to detail to progress to a Client Manager and Team Lead Role.
One of the biggest challenges was returning to the workforce after taking time off to have children. I had left my previous employer, and not having something to return to was mentally challenging. I overcame it with baby steps, I started 3 days a week learning the basics of insurance until I had the knowledge and confidence to take on more.
I am someone who likes to challenge myself and get outside my comfort zone, so I have taken several big risks in my life! One of those risks was moving from New Zealand to Australia the week I turned 18, with no friends or support network to greet me on the other side. Luckily, during the process I discovered a hidden talent of mine, making friends and building a network and community, (most of whom I found at the dog park or pub!)
The purpose of my Team Leader role is being able to provide the direction and process, as well as remove any obstacles for the team. Success looks like a team that has the resources, knowledge, and confidence to do their jobs efficiently and effectively to deliver results for our clients and the business.
Success as a Client Manager looks like happy clients who have consistently positive experiences with us, whether that is managing the placement of their policies, responding to questions and queries, the management of claims, or the relationship with our responsive team. Successful client management to me is removing the guesswork and stress related to insurance, so that our clients can focus on growing their businesses.
The people. Our team look out for one another, we work together, and bounce energy and ideas off each other. When we recently hit a peak period for renewals in my area of the business, many Honan staff from multiple different business units put their hands up to offer their assistance. This was a beautiful reflection of the Honan “Win Together” value.
The successful launch of our new Landlord’s Insurance product! We are always looking for ways to offer our clients more….watch this space!
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit” - Will Durant
It is so true that in many facets of life and in work, it is about creating processes and habits that align with our objectives. If we repeatedly meet and exceed expectations, we have created more than a habit, we have created a culture of excellence.
I am perpetually optimistic, probably annoyingly so. BUT that means when things go wrong, as they sometimes do, I don’t spend energy or time wallowing. Instead, I put a plan together to tackle the challenge and move forward. This has allowed me to stay positive, keep the team uplifted and on track, and find a solution efficiently.
Someone who has had a great influence on my career is my partner, Nick. Not only is he a great sounding board and cheerleader to my success, but without his support I would not be able to juggle the work/life commitments of having two young children and a career.
