The stress response is an all-purpose Code Red that reacts in a similar way to different kinds of threats. But the stress response is no Swiss Army knife - it’s a sledge hammer. If executive apes exist, these are the ones.Įvolutionary psychologists often talk about the brain as a Swiss Army knife, with a particular gadget “designed” by evolution to solve each evolutionary problem. But a high-ranking alpha male, who can mate with any female he chooses and take out his aggression on any lower ranking male, has much lower stress. He finds that the lower the baboon’s rank in the pecking order, the more likely it is to have high levels of stress hormones and stress-related illnesses. Biologist Robert Sapolsky has studied baboon troops in Africa. And they virtually all show the opposite of the executive monkeys. In fact there are hundreds of studies on the relationship between stress, health, and power. For Rhesus monkeys are not people, and controlling electric shocks is not making business decisions. There are of course two problems with an executive monkey: the executive and the monkey. These results seemed to suggest that being responsible for making important decisions was so stressful that it posed a serious health risk. And yet, it was the “executive monkeys” with greater responsibility and control who started dropping dead from stomach ulcers. This situation sounds awful for both monkeys, but decidedly worse for the monkeys with no escape. The “executive monkeys” quickly learned to prevent the shocks by pressing the levers. Another group of “executive monkeys” had the same schedule, except that they could prevent the shocks by pressing a lever in each 20 second period. In a famous experiment, neuroscientist Joseph Brady subjected one group of monkeys to regular electric shocks every 20 seconds for six hour shifts. This type of silliness usually cites research from the 1950’s on “executive stress syndrome.” The research was not on executives, but rhesus monkeys. At least you didn’t have to fire somebody. Having to make tough decisions about the people all around you can hit very hard.” Take heart, those of you who have lost your job in these turbulent economic times. It got so bad, we are told, that he had no choice but to take a year off work to sail across the Atlantic Ocean with his family.įorbes agrees: “many CEOs have personal assistants who run their schedules for them, and they go from one meeting straight to another with barely a moment to go to the bathroom.” The indignity! And even worse than the bladder strain is having to fire people: “You may think a CEO can be detached when deciding who to lay off, but generally that couldn’t be farther from the truth. It would be a long day of telling other people what to do. A recent Wall Street Journal article described the plight of one CEO who had to drag himself out of bed each morning and muster his game face. In its first 15 months of operation it collected over $100,000, 000in premiums and handled over 4,000 claims.įagen believes that for autobody repairers who already have a relationship with an insurance broker, there are mutually beneficial opportunities to promote the brand.It’s tough to be the boss. Where Blue Zebra sees its strength is that unlike most of the major insurers who are mutli-brand with multi-distribution channels it partners with a single channel. If customers use their preferred repairer then they receive a reduction in their excess. Blue Zebra believes in choice of repairer and doesn't charge anything extra for it. On the motor insurance side of the business the company has a preferred repairer network through Hello Claims. "Very often customers have no idea what they are signing," Fagen said. Having witnessed for years the catastrophic effects of people being uninsured, Fagen and Nicholls are passionate advocates of brokers who can give proper advice about adequate coverage. Blue Zebra says it will make personal lines efficient for brokers again, and tackle the “advice deficit” in Australia. The insurtech platform uses smart technology, Big Data and product bundling in home, motor and landlord insurance. I spoke to Managing Director Colin Fagen who along with CEO Blair Nicholls teamed up to establish the underwriting agency, which is backed by Zurich. Both were previously senior execs with QBE. ‘ A different breed of insurance’, is how Aussie insurer Blue Zebra describes itself.
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