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Articles by Dustin
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Leadership Isn't a Destination, It's an Ongoing Journey
Leadership Isn't a Destination, It's an Ongoing Journey
I am sitting with my family at dinner one night, and we are sharing about our day, when my soon-to-be-thirteen-year-old…
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Beyond Benefits - 3 Tips to Improve Employee Satisfaction
Beyond Benefits - 3 Tips to Improve Employee Satisfaction
3 min read | 06/19/2019 Written by Dustin McClone, President & CEO Competition for employees is fierce in today’s…
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3 Major Business Challenges and How to Address Them
3 Major Business Challenges and How to Address Them
Businesses today are facing a myriad of challenges, from labor shortages and escalating costs to data security and…
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Dustin McClone shared thisYour culture should repel some people. That may sound harsh, but if everyone feels like your culture is a perfect fit, it is probably not specific enough. Culture is not a list of values on the wall. It becomes what we allow, what we reinforce, and ultimately what we are willing to tolerate. That is also what makes it difficult. As a leader, you cannot be everywhere all the time. You will not hear every conversation, see every decision, or know how every person is showing up on a given day. And culture is never standing still. People have good days and bad days. Teams change. The market changes. People move through different seasons of life, and all of that affects how they show up inside the organization. That is why defining the culture once is not enough. The reinforcement has to be constant. Once you decide what kind of organization you want to build, the real leadership challenge is figuring out how you hold that culture sacred when it would be easier to look the other way, make an exception, or tolerate behavior that does not align. Because every time you allow something that contradicts the culture, you are helping redefine it. A strong culture will not be for everyone, and that is okay. What matters is that the people who choose to be part of it know what is expected, believe in what the organization is trying to build, and understand that protecting the culture is part of their responsibility too. Culture only stays strong when more than the leader is willing to protect it.
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Dustin McClone shared thisNothing says “insurance professional” quite like throwing axes in a suit. Which, unfortunately for me, is exactly how I showed up. But this ended up being a really fun night with a great group of our team. One of the things that becomes harder as an organization grows is keeping culture connected. You add offices. You add divisions. You add hybrid schedules. You add people who may work together often, but do not always get the chance to really know each other. And if you are not intentional, culture can start to fragment pretty quickly. That is why I appreciated this night so much. It gave people from different parts of the organization a chance to spend time together, laugh a little, compete a little, and build relationships outside the normal rhythm of work. Those moments matter more than I think we sometimes realize. In a hybrid world, leaders have to be more intentional about creating the “water cooler” moments that used to happen more naturally. The quick conversations. The random collisions. The chance to get to know someone beyond the meeting agenda or email thread. This night brought together a cross section of our team from around the state, and I’m grateful people made the time. What we do every day matters. But so does making space to enjoy the people we get to do it with.
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Dustin McClone shared thisYou cannot scale a company on individual heroics. What worked when the business was smaller, smart people moving fast, solving problems, and handling everything themselves, eventually becomes a constraint. When a company is small, doing it yourself often feels more efficient. You know the work, you know the client, and you can usually move faster without bringing several other people into the room. But as the business grows, leaders have to teach people how to collaborate, not simply tell them to collaborate. That was a shift we had to make as we scaled. We had a lot of capable people who were used to doing it all themselves, and now we were asking them to bring other people into the conversation. That can feel slower at first, but the value goes well beyond the immediate task. You are more likely to get a better outcome because the decision is informed by more than one perspective. That includes meetings. There are people in every company who say they hate meetings. Saying you hate meetings is a little like a basketball player saying they hate plays. Sometimes you need to run the floor, but oftentimes you need to bring the right people together, set up a designed play, and figure out how you are going to win. The answer is not always to make meetings shorter or eliminate them altogether. The answer is to make them effective. A good meeting has a clear purpose, the right people in the room, a decision that needs to be made, or an outcome that needs to move forward. The deeper point for leaders is that collaboration serves more than the immediate outcome. It spreads knowledge, develops people, connects teams, and keeps expertise from living with only one person. As a company grows, “I can do it faster myself” may still be true in the moment. But over time, it becomes a bottleneck.
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Dustin McClone shared thisToday, you will have a choice. You can put your head down, keep moving, and keep operating from what you already believe. Or you can look for an opportunity to refine it. I was in Madison with a group of executives, sharing our journey around culture by design and building an organization that can support high growth. I went in to share what we have learned. But the most valuable part of the conversation was how much I was challenged in return. Other leaders asked questions, shared what they were seeing, and pushed on some of the ideas I brought into the room. And that is the reminder. As leaders, we all develop a thesis around how to build a business, lead people, make decisions, and create growth. But that thesis should not sit on a shelf. It should be tested. It should be challenged. It should be refined by conversations, experiences, and people who see the world differently than we do. That does not mean changing your mind every time someone disagrees with you. It means being confident enough in what you believe to put it out into the world, and humble enough to make it better. Refinement can come from anywhere. The question is whether we are paying attention when it shows up.
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Dustin McClone shared thisNothing brings a team together quite like having two people who do not know how to wash cars wash your car. As part of a sales contest, the winners earned a car wash from me and our EVP of Sales, Bill Julius. Thankfully, we fed them too. Bill and I grabbed the buckets, pulled out the hose, and did our best to make good on the promise. The detailing may have been questionable, but the point was really to celebrate the team, have some fun, and follow through on what we said we would do. I think moments like this matter. Leaders cannot ask people to bring energy, compete, participate, and have fun while standing on the sidelines themselves. Culture is built when people are willing to be part of it. Recognition does not always need to be expensive or elaborate. Sometimes the most memorable moments are the simple ones that feel personal and give everyone something to laugh about. The cars were cleaner than when we started. Probably. The team had fun, everyone was fed, and Bill and I kept our end of the deal.
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Dustin McClone shared thisOne of the hardest leadership conversations starts with three words: “That’s not us.” The problem is that most teams do not have enough clarity to explain exactly what “us” means. A lot of companies have values like integrity, excellence, hustle, and accountability. Those words matter. But ask ten people what “excellence” should look like on a Tuesday afternoon, and you may get ten different answers. That is the problem with core values alone. People generally know when something feels right or wrong, but they may not know what specific behavior needs to change, how to hold themselves accountable, or how to address it with someone else. That is where culture conversations can become personal. One person thinks they are showing excellence. Another thinks they are creating chaos. One person thinks they are being direct. Another thinks they are being disrespectful. Without defined behaviors, everyone is interpreting the value through their own lens. That is why you have to identify the specific behaviors underneath your values. Define them. Train them. Coach them. Build them into the everyday language of the organization. Then, when the team faces a tough decision or has to choose between comfort and culture, people have something concrete to point to. It lowers the temperature. It makes the conversation less about someone’s character and more about the behavior in front of you. Core values tell people who you want to be. Defined behaviors give them a way to live it.
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Dustin McClone shared thisIn the days since the tornado, we have seen the power of community everywhere we look. First responders, utility crews, local organizations, businesses, volunteers, and neighbors have all stepped forward to help people begin rebuilding. We have also seen that same spirit from partners who may not call the Fox Cities home, but did not hesitate to help when they learned what our community was facing. Together, McClone Insurance, SECURA Insurance, The West Bend Insurance Company Charitable Fund, UnitedHealthcare, Amwins, and Prairie States Enterprises, Inc. have collectively committed more than $200,000 to local tornado recovery efforts. The funds will support the Community Response Fund, a partnership between United Way Fox Cities, the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, and the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation. Through trusted local organizations, the fund will help address immediate needs and support the long-term recovery ahead. This is the power of community. It is not about any one person, company, or contribution. It is about people bringing whatever resources they have and putting them to work for their neighbors. There is still a long road ahead, but our community will continue to show up for one another. To learn more, volunteer, or make a donation, visit: https://lnkd.in/gPVwdnXA
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Dustin McClone shared thisFor those impacted by the tornado today, if you need special assistance and unsure where to turn, utilize 211 run by our local United Way. It can be an incredible resource to direct for a wide variety of needs, including any disaster resources and support. It is hard to put into words what it feels like to drive through your hometown and see so much devastation. My heart goes out to everyone in Menasha and the surrounding communities who were impacted by today’s tornado. So many families, businesses, and neighborhoods are facing difficult days ahead. An incredible thank you to our first responders, utility crews, public works teams, and the countless volunteers who immediately stepped up to help. As heartbreaking as the damage is, what stands out is the response from this community. Neighbors checking on neighbors. People clearing fallen trees from streets and driveways. Volunteers directing traffic. Complete strangers offering a helping hand without being asked. That spirit is what makes Menasha, and this community as a whole, so special. The road to recovery won’t be easy, but if there’s one thing I know about this community, it’s that we take care of each other. We will rebuild together, support one another, and come back stronger. Please continue to check on those around you, support local businesses as they’re able to reopen, and keep everyone impacted in your thoughts over the coming weeks. United Way Fox Cities
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Dustin McClone shared thisOne of the things I’ve noticed about our best prospects is that they are usually not just looking for someone to solve the problem they bring to us. Of course, that problem matters. If they are frustrated with service, we need to understand that. If costs are increasing, we need to understand that. If something feels broken in the relationship, we need to understand that. But a lot of times, the issue they bring forward is not actually the root problem. It is the thing they can see. And I think that matters for business leaders because we are solving visible problems all day long. A cost issue. A people issue. A communication issue. A vendor issue. A process issue. But if you only solve what is visible, you may never fix what is underneath it. That is where I think advisory work has to be different. Our job is not to ignore the problem in front of us. Our job is to care enough about that problem to go deeper. To ask better questions. To understand what changed in the business. To figure out why the issue is showing up in the first place. And the reason I say our best prospects is because they are open to that conversation. They truly want to get better. They are willing to look past the symptom and talk about what is actually driving it. That does not mean they always know the answer. But they are willing to engage in the work of finding it. And that is usually where the most value is created. Not by simply solving the problem someone thought they had. But by helping get to the root of what actually needs to be solved.
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Dustin McClone liked thisDustin McClone liked thisFeeling very grateful after Friday’s Rockstar Employee Packer Game! 🏈 I was chosen to attend this year alongside an awesome group of McClone teammates. It was such a fun way to celebrate the work we’ve put in throughout the year, and spend some time together outside of the office. Thank you, McClone Insurance, for the recognition and incredible experience! 💙
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Dustin McClone liked thisDustin McClone liked thisMeta House's success has always been deeply personal to me, far beyond anything professional. Today, we celebrated the grand opening of our new campus, a transformative milestone in our mission to provide hope, healing, and opportunity to women and families. I was fortunate to share this moment with my loved ones and to unveil a room named in loving memory of my beautiful mom, Karen Vidal, who continues to inspire me every day. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve this extraordinary organization and help guide this next chapter of growth and impact. My heart is full. 💙
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Dustin McClone liked thisDustin McClone liked thisA little career update that has actually been in the works for a few months now. 😊 After 2.5 years as a Medicare & Individual Health Account Manager at McClone Insurance, I’m excited to share that I’m transitioning into a new role as their Marketing Communications Coordinator! I officially accepted the position back in May, and since then, I’ve been slowly “getting my toes wet” in the marketing world. Although, if I’m being accurate, I think I skipped the toe-dipping part and went straight into the deep end. 😂 Over the past few months, I’ve already had the opportunity to work on content and campaign execution, marketing projects, sales enablement, process improvements, and plenty of things that have pushed me to learn as I go. My full transition will happen by February 2027, but this season in between the two roles has already taught me so much. I’m incredibly grateful for the last 2.5 years, the people who have taught and supported me along the way, and everything I’ve learned working directly with our clients. Here's to new challenges, new opportunities, and a new outlook on my professional career! 🎉
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Scott Smith
Scott Smith
CEO, board member, and advisor with 30+ years of experience building and scaling high-growth companies across B2B enterprise software, media, and healthcare. I’ve led businesses from early scale through rapid expansion, M&A, and institutional fundraising—consistently delivering strong operating performance and shareholder returns.<br><br>My strength is commercialization. I build repeatable go-to-market engines, scale enterprise sales and partnerships, and align product, marketing, and operations to drive durable revenue growth. I’ve overseen large, distributed teams and thrive in complex environments where execution, discipline, and speed matter.<br><br>I’m a hands-on operator with a strategic lens—known for translating vision into action, exceeding growth targets, and building high-performance leadership teams. I take a data-driven approach to identifying market inflection points and increasingly leverage AI and advanced analytics to create competitive advantage.<br><br>Currently focused on: building and scaling LogroNetwork, a national high-performance healthcare network designed to deliver materially better outcomes and lower total cost of care for self-insured employers—while partnering with investors, boards, and leadership teams where experience, pattern recognition, and execution matter most.
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Leeway
Health Insurance Brokers: States Leaning Into ICHRA, Are Opening Opportunities to Soar in 2026! With ICHRA adoption accelerating nationally, certain states are becoming high-value markets for brokers who want to expand their consultative impact and win small–midsize groups. 📍 Key States Showing Strong ICHRA Momentum Ohio • Georgia • Texas • Florida • Mississippi • New Hampshire • Minnesota • Montana These states are standing out due to: Emerging tax-credit proposals (Ohio, Georgia, Texas) Strong individual market competition that makes ICHRA more affordable than group coverage (FL, MS, NH, MN, MT) Growing employer demand for predictable benefits costs and simpler plan management 🔑 What This Means for our Broker Partners - Go for the Gold! Renewal strategy advantage: ICHRA is a credible alternative as group premiums continue to rise. Incentive-driven openings: Legislative momentum in OH, GA, TX gives brokers a new story for small groups struggling with affordability. Market differentiation: In competitive individual-market states, brokers can immediately present ICHRA as a strategic cost-control tool. New revenue opportunities: More employers evaluating defined contribution models = more room for consultative selling. 📈 Bottom Line These states offer brokers a prime opportunity to lead conversations around cost containment, plan flexibility, and long-term benefits strategy. As ICHRA momentum builds, brokers who lean in now will be the ones winning in 2026 renewals. ICHRA opens an SEP - so you're not too late to make a difference for 2026 season Leeway makes ICHRA easy, and broker focused. #ICHRA #goforthegold #healthinsurance #employeebenefits
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NGL Insurance Company
With the approval of our Board of Directors, policyholders and the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, NGL has converted to a mutual holding company, effective January 1. “For more than 100 years, NGL has been built on strength, stability and a deep commitment to serving our policyholders. Converting to a mutual holding company allows us to preserve those values while giving NGL flexibility to invest in our future, enhance our already strong financial position and continue delivering long-term security for the customers who rely on us,” said Joe Celentano, President & CEO of NGL. Along with the conversion to a mutual holding company, Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance also approved the organization’s name change to NGL Insurance Company (NGL). Read more: https://lnkd.in/g2t9CRHE
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