Share article
The straight-talk summary
The Goose Effect is real—put the right agency leaders in the right room, and turning points happen. At Q4Live, curiosity sparked ideas, challenges fueled courage, and collaboration built momentum. This is how agencies grow.
After spending time with our clients at Q4Live for a couple of days of exploration and collaboration, I’m reflecting on what makes the #GooseCommunity work so well for our employee benefits agencies.
We held our conference in Chicago at the coolest meeting facility, Catalyst Ranch. It was fun, funky, and inspired ideas and collaboration. As one attendee said
We will look back on this week as a major turning point. 😊
This is what happens at our conferences. People make profound decisions to change their businesses and lives.
As we kicked off the conference, we talked about our Q4i values and shared them with everyone on cards so they could review and take notes on how they saw those values reflected back in our conversations and activities. My reflections are below, built around our four values.
Be intentional.
Clear the noise, and work with purpose.
We’re intentional about the people we work with. We say two key things all the time:
- We only work with people we like.
- We’re tough love, and we expect you to do the work.
As an agency leader, you know when it’s time to make a change. You may not know exactly which changes to make, and that’s okay! You don’t have to come to us with the answers—that’s what the training, collaboration, and community are for.
Get in the group, learn from others, and the changes you need to make begin to present themselves. As you make those changes and see results, you get excited for the next one. Realizing you can control outcomes—and aren’t stuck in a stagnant system—is addictive. We watch agencies change the way they market, sell, service, operate, and lead. It’s exciting to watch!
You can’t expect change to just show up and knock at your doorstep. It takes effort. Change is something you create.
As you spend time around our motivated agencies in the Goose community, you will find yourselves moving from running an accidental business to an intentional one.
Stay curious.
Ask. Listen. Adjust. Repeat.
When we get everyone in one room, the energy is palpable. People feed off one another, listen intently, follow up with questions, share what’s working, and own what didn’t.
We build in long breaks for a lot of discussion time. We hold small group workshops so people can dig into their work, ask for help, and collaborate to solve the problems and challenges they’re facing.
We ask people to share their hang-ups—those things holding them back from being at their best.
The way people come together and step in to help one another is so inspiring!
The ah-ha moments, sparks of inspiration, and visible gears turning are the norm.
When we see this, we know we’ve brought the right people together.
We don’t enjoy working with people who aren’t interested in learning. That’s a real downer and we lose interest quickly. If you’re willing to put in the effort, we’re all in with you. But if you’re not, you’ll find plenty of excuses not to do the work.
People only change when they want to. We want to see agencies grow into beacons of inspiration, as both employers and as advisors.
Always challenge.
Real change takes courage.
Our ideal Goose clients share a few characteristics that make them mesh so well as a group:
- They know they need to make changes.
- They’re willing to make the tough calls.
- They’ll lead and do the hard work to make those changes happen.
In short, they’re good students. They do the work, and they see the results. That’s what fires us up!
We love working with people ready to be challenged and open to a new perspective.
I love this quote from Chicago Bulls coach Doug Collins, 1986–1989, referencing Michael Jordan:
“The greatest respect you can give a great player is to coach him, and coach him hard.”
We coach hard, and we expect our agencies to do the same for themselves and their teams. That’s where winners are built.
You get to define what winning means to you. We’ll help you get there.
Collaborate boldly.
Be part of something bigger.
When we put people on stage, it’s because they’re doing work others need to hear about. No bullshit bravado. Just real progress and results.
It doesn’t mean they’re the “best” or that everyone should follow their exact path. It means they’ve done something meaningful, learned from it, and are willing to share.
We wrapped up the conference with a conversation titled “Help Us (Q4i) Help You (Agencies).” Many of the ideas were about deeper collaboration. Why reinvent the wheel when the whole community can contribute and everyone can benefit?
One of our top takeaways: we’re adding a new section in our resource library for sharing solution worksheets (a key part of our MORE Sales System). Starting with someone else’s ben admin worksheet may not be perfect for you, but it’s a head start and a spark for your own ideas and probably has you half-way there before you even begin.
That’s the kind of help, support and collaboration we love to see! Lift one another up and get there faster. Put the competition and ego aside and ask for and accept the help. We’re all better off for it.
What’s your community?
We all need one. The right community makes us smarter, better equipped, and less lonely. You choose where to invest your time. Pick the place that challenges you, supports you, and celebrates your wins. And then double down on your commitment to the community. It will pay dividends.
And if you’re looking for that place—come join Goose. You’ll find people who are ready to show up for you, push you, and grow alongside you. It’s a game-changer.