3E Partners is named after the three Es that represent the company’s goals: engagement, education and enrollment. President Josh Terrell has homed in on engagement since starting the insurance brokerage three years ago.

3E Partners specializes in voluntary and supplemental benefits, which range from coverage for disability and postpartum recovery to pets and identity theft protection. But Terrell and his team seek to carve another niche for the brokerage as “an engagement agency.”

He and his team see an opportunity to “reinvigorate” the benefits process by building lasting relationships with clients and tailoring benefits to their specific needs.

“For the people that spend one time per year on [benefits] or that want to use it frequently, they want to have peace of mind. They want to make sure they understand it, but most are selecting the same benefits year over year,” Terrell said.

Engagement is not only key in Terrell’s client relationships but also in his connections with members of his team. He prioritizes weekly one-on-one coaching to learn more about the employees at 3E Partners and support their career development.

Terrell experienced firsthand the benefits of coaching in college when he, a Chicago native and basketball fan, “got roped into wrestling” at the University of Dubuque. 

“That changed the trajectory of my life. My thought process, my career — everything,” Terrell said. “I got connected in the community there with a lot of coaches and friends, so that was really monumental for me in establishing who I am.”

Terrell leans into mentorship as a result of the coaching he received both athletically and professionally. His success in wrestling led to some of his first professional mentoring and networking opportunities and in his first role at Aflac, leaders picked up on his leadership potential.

In addition to 3E Partners, Terrell serves as president of the nonprofit Black Excellence and he and his wife, Tina, own child care center Kidz Corner together.

We recently caught up with Terrell.

This Q&A has been edited and condensed for clarity

What are some of the voluntary and supplemental benefits that are gaining interest right now?

Two particularly — disability-related benefits and life insurance. I think the pandemic has shown us, particularly with the contraction of COVID, that when something happens, people are out of work, a lot of times that’s without dollars, but even more importantly, people can’t go a full cycle without having a paycheck. Having income replacement is absolutely important. It’s become top of mind because they see it in the organizations or have seen it. Life insurance, obviously, there’s been some unfortunate passings from COVID, but then even if you’ve weathered through COVID and maybe had a hospitalization or some complications, that could give way to a knockout for life insurance that you would traditionally want on your own, so having access through a group or voluntary plan, with no or significantly reduced underwriting, has been absolutely appealing.

In a concentrated insurance market like Des Moines, how has 3E Partners found its niche?

I got a chance to do a lot of listening when I was with Aflac in that space. In short, the voluntary and supplemental benefits, while they’re growing significantly, are often in people’s mind a secondary benefit or goes in a different bucket, an afterthought. Unfortunately, the statistics show over 50% of people could not cover an out-of-pocket expense of $1,000, so being able to have the support and education around the benefits and a holistic benefits package is important. Gone are the days where it’s just my health, dental and vision, and life where deductibles are increasing, where premiums are increasing. Having a supplement to go along with that or a lifestyle benefit just gives us peace of mind.

How did coaching you received in college affect the professional side of your life?

I look at my coaching experience in terms of being coached and it was a holistic, well-rounded approach, so wrestling was a piece of that. Wrestling was the vehicle, but it was about life. It was about doing the right thing, it was about family and community, it was about life after wrestling. I get a chance every day to take those principles and apply those in the workplace where the vehicle is the career that we’re in, but I get an opportunity to really go deep with people and help impact their lives from the inside out.

How can people leaders be intentional about coaching and developing employees?

Anytime you look at the most important priority on any given day, or let’s say you have multiple priorities on driving the organization, they almost always have to do with people, right? If that’s true, you show me your calendar and I’ll show you where you’re headed, and if that’s not reflected, then you pretty much have an idea what’s going on. I think to do so is, in a reflective moment, to really ask that question down to the core of what’s important in our organization and eventually you’ll get to a who. Then you’ll get down to the one thing: What’s next? What can I do on a consistent basis to drive this measurement?

Why does a business benefit from its leaders knowing their employees well?

I’ll start off by saying I believe work-life balance isn’t a true thing. Work-life balance is a lie, and I say that boldly, because I believe it’s truly work-life integration. Now, that’s not an excuse or license for working 65, 70, 80 hours a week or anything like that because too much is too much. But if you look at someone’s life and consider it as a pie, everything that you do has a slice of that. If we home in too much on any given one, we lose. The very act of balancing is just mythical because we’ll go through seasons, ebbs and flows. You figure out how that all integrates, and as employers, it’s incumbent upon us to just understand where people are in their lives, but then how to challenge the potential that they have by being empathetic. If I’m not focused on them, and I’m focused on just our bottom line, then I’ll miss all the right drivers, all the right indicators, and then the end is near. We want people to know they can be where your feet are, be present. So I like to ask a lot of those questions like, “Tell me something I can’t find about you on paper,” because you really find out who that person is and what that coaching relationship is going to look like, and it’s not just this work facade. We want the whole person so that it works in a synergistic way.

How do you approach work-life integration in your personal life?

Two things my wife and I live by. No. 1, how you do anything is how you do everything. If you’re giving your best, that’s just who you are. If you’re punctual that’s just who you are. If you have disciplined habits, that’s who you are. Those are going to be transferred across everywhere. Then No. 2, being where your feet are. We try our hardest to practice being where our feet are because we have so many obligations that pull us in different directions, but when it’s time to be home for dinner and on weekends with the kiddos, we dismiss our phones from the table, we engage in conversation. We really try to stay present to get the most out of the time that we are enjoying, so that gives us permission to prioritize, if you will.

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At a glance

Hometown: Chicago 

Family: Wife Tina and three children: Jenesis, Shiloh and JT Jr.  

Education: Bachelor’s degree in health, wellness and recreation, University of Dubuque; Master of Business Administration in business, University of Dubuque.

Hobbies: Playing the piano, golf and spending time with family

Contact: josh@3esuite.com