How Do Your Core Values Stack Up? 

By Carley McRee

Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company’s mission is “To be the life insurance company of choice for our Farm Bureau family. Our focus is to provide competitive products and superior customer service to our Farm Bureau policyholders and agents, while observing the highest ethical standards.” With our mission and our long-held values in mind, a group of leaders at SFBLIC, with outside consultants’ help, spent over two years strategizing and developing six Core Values that Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company would officially adopt and implement in 2020. A two-year project led to the implementation and communication of these values that began in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Core Values of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company are Commitment to Service, Respect for People, Integrity, Accountability for Results, Commitment to Teamwork, and Courage to Act.

Commitment to Service – We recognize that service is our business and we approach every opportunity to serve as though our success depends on it. We use our hands and our heads to safeguard the people we insure.

Respect For People – We value each individual’s unique talents, backgrounds, and experiences, which is critical to our continued success. We seek the appropriate fit based on each individual’s competence and experience. We demonstrate appreciation for others and understand everyone is important.

Integrity – We uphold the highest ethical standards in a manner that promotes honesty and fairness in all of our actions. We deliver on our promises and commit to doing the right thing every time.

Accountability for Results – We get the job done. We accept responsibility for all business and personal actions. We take ownership of our work and promptly correct mistakes to the greatest extent possible.

Commitment to Teamwork -We understand, appreciate, and respect the roles of each individual. We do what it takes to come together as one for the success of the Company.

Courage to Act -We boldly act in the best interest of the Company. We have the confidence to act in accordance with our Core Values.  

As employees heard these six Core Values, questions arose “Have we not always had these values?”

The answer was a resounding yes. These values have always been at the heart of what we do and the culture we are so proud of at SFBLIC. In 2020, we officially put these in place so that everything that we do at SFBLIC would be centered on these six Core Values. A team from Human Resources, Corporate Communication, and Corporate Training Departments held weekly “roadshows” virtually to introduce these Core Values companywide. Without the buy-in from our employees and management, these values would never stick. These roadshows explained the Core Values and gave examples of how we see these being acted out daily at SFBLIC.

Upon conclusion of the roadshows, the Communication Team developed a Values-Driven Culture campaign to spotlight employees who were living out our Core Values. Our management staff submitted stories, and then these were featured in a six-week video campaign companywide. The adoption of these values by our employees was of utmost importance as this campaign was intended to show employees how they could live these values day in and day out. This campaign helped employees see real examples of coworkers and fellow employees acting out these values. 

Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2021, chartering in 1946, and remaining strong, sound, and secure for 75 years. Putting these core values in place is a piece of the foundation as we work to preserve our strong culture and move towards the next milestone of our Company. We will keep these values top of mind when recruiting, training, developing, and engaging our workforce. It will be paramount to the successful implementation and adoption of these values over the next several years. Our communication will be centered on openly expressing these values and directly tying our employee and management evaluations to the Company’s Core Values and competency models.

As we look to the future and our next 75 years of protecting what matters most, these values will remain at the heart of what we do. Our commitment to our communities, policyholders, field force, and employees is the same; we want to be the life insurance company of choice, continue offering superior customer service, and remain your friend for life. For more information about Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company’s Core Values and 75th Anniversary, visit www.sfbli.com.