How Strength in Opposing Forces Forges Company Culture

Dunedin, FL, March 05, 2022 --(PR.com)-- CCMS & Associates, the distinctive independent adjusting firm based in Dunedin, Florida; founders Cassandra and Hernando have a significant business history starting at a small home office, a coffee pot, and an idea that there is a better way to make our business different. Both born as the second child, and both growing up in hardworking matriarch lead families are no strangers to the struggle and successes that perseverance breeds. Past experiences lead to future wisdom and wisdom is earned by those seeking to advance their depth of experience and ultimately, help the team see beyond what they know now.

Can you match up the analytical thinking lifelong insurance claims guru and a technical and logistic minded highbrow and observe shared behaviors, ethics, and attitudes? How do you take the differences of the individuals and make a whole out of it? Yin and Yang may answer the questions on how you synchronize and utilize strengths of one and the other. Obviously opposite forces are complementary, if able to recognize the strengths of their differences. If you have had the opportunity to work in a diverse group: a group diverse in experience, education, or mindset... you have had the advantage of seeing that each member can bring fresh ideas and perspectives from their past lives to the forefront. This is where culture of a company begins.

Its widely known that similar experiences grow relations that last lifetimes, especially if overcoming adverse conditions together. Adversity reveals character and peering into someone’s soul; being allowed to peer, creates deep rooted relations. A soldiers bootcamp brethren, a student’s first year away at school classmates, or perhaps parents working through child rearing. We grow to understand each other’s communications, wants, and needs. At least we hope we do. Bringing together a blended family and being the “step-parent” is not for the faint of heart. Neither is growing a business, but sometimes wonder which one would be the more difficult. This is how CCMS & Associates is viewed by the principals. It is the 7th child of the blended family and needs just as much love, nurturing, and intellectual development as the one that came before them. Is there a game plan when we have kids? The answer is no. There is no manual but, lots of advice on Google or YouTube. Is that always the best way to finds answers, maybe, but Google doesn’t know that the third child beats to his own drum or that one of the youngest has the maturity of one of the eldest, or that the mutual language in the house is music. Co-parenting and owning a business can be viewed as very much the same thing when you break it down. You care about how they are doing and want to help along the way. Expose them to great knowledge, and surround them with quality people, and you can almost see the development of the culture surrounding CCMS & Associates. Maybe the game plan is the development of culture for the business, or is it development of the business that organically grows its culture? Either way, you cannot have a business without a positive culture to support it.

The job you take on is experience for the future. “It’s not always about money but more about the growth,” stated our CEO Cassandra Hand Gallegos. Over 30 years of steady progression in the claims handling vertical began by climbing from reception to adjuster, to supervisor, to Manager and into the C Suites taking notes the entire time. There was a point where the decision to go independent from corporate was viable and the leap was made. “Go big or go home” is her motto. A deep breath, a buy in from friends and investors, and CCMS & Associates was born. Seven years later, 25+ employees, and access to over a thousand Insurance Adjusters nationwide, the brash CEO states, “We’re not as big as some of the so-called competition, but we’re different, smart, and our quality is superior.” She further states, “Measuring and improvements are the essence on thoughtful care of our clients.” This comes from knowledge, experience, and wisdom. All these come from making mistakes and learning from them. All this comes from a singular thought that things are not black and white, nor right nor wrong, and that is a better mouse trap for our industry.

As a younger version of yourself, when you entered the corporate world, or started your own business, or worked out for a position on the team, you had to be strong, smart, and prove yourself early and continually to be at your peak. These are the hard skills we need to perform our functions. How do we develop culture from self-advancement and a tinge of selfishness? It starts with the individuals’ values, character, and beliefs, along with effective listening skills. These are all intangible soft skills, and just as important if not more than the prior. Trusting your team and sharing your talents to learn from one another is sharing your life-long experiences. This builds strong relations and forms positive habits within the team.

Sharing your experiences and encouraging growth sounds like coaching. Do you bring that love of coaching into the office? If it deals with change management and comprehension, all your chips should be in. Corporate life shows you that “Big ships turn slow,” and that market share is a direct correlation of communication and transparency. Any business coach will pound into their understudy’s head that for people to give you an opportunity, you must show comprehension, or expertise in the subject matter, and be trustworthy. Where does luck play into this equation? It is easily put best that luck is simply being prepared and given an opportunity. Where does communication come into the picture? How often have you called a big box store or a major cellular provider and need to speak with a live person? We can all think back and understand the frustration of simply wanting to speak to a human to get the answers you need. “Comprehension and communication are paramount to lasting relationships and that is one way we are stronger than the largest firms, we are a smaller ship and move quickly,” stated the COO Hernando Gallegos.

There is beauty in the struggle of being better and every inch CCMS & Associates moves in the right direction, will only strengthen the culture of contribution, teamwork, and promotion of talented persons from within. Cassandra Hand Gallegos, CEO of the Dunedin FL based firm stated, “We have a great mix of gender and experience levels which helps us with cross pollination of knowledge through diversity.”

CCMS & Associates is a specialized Claim Adjusting Service implementing technology solutions with a human touch. Our multiline claim handling programs include predictive analytics to control emerging claim exposures. Our Residential and Commercial Property Field Adjusting Teams and Third-Party Claim Administrators are dedicated to solving challenges and issues in the Property & Casualty claims service sector. We align with our carrier partners creating claim handling solutions to enhance their response to the policyholder needs.

Our innovative solutions and strategic claim handling makes a positive impact on claim exposure.

Strategic Process. Measured Results.