We’re looking back on a career filled with heart, humor and quiet acts of kindness
Throughout his four-plus-decade career, Jeff Stein has occupied many roles. He has been the founding member of his own firm. He has been the past president of the Florida Land Title Association (FLTA). And he has played a defining role in leading Alliant National’s underwriting operations for the past 15 years, helping us become a respected member of the industry and a truly great place to work. Now, as he prepares for the final chapter of his career, it’s clear that Jeff should be known as one thing above all: A diligent professional who not only cared deeply for those he worked with, but provided them with the guidance and help they needed to succeed. Here, we celebrate the career impact of this very special legal and title insurance professional.
A common beginning for an uncommonly helpful career
Like many in the title industry, the seeds of Jeff’s eventual career were planted long ago. “I had enjoyed real property in law school,” he reflected, before continuing, “My first job after graduating, but before passing the bar, was with a small law firm. One of my initial tasks there was to examine abstracts to determine insurability. When I got out of law school in 1980, and when I left that firm, there were few jobs. I started practicing on my own and soon ended up working as a title attorney with another lawyer who mentored me.”
An unconventional professional
Jeff fully made the leap into the title industry when one of the insurers he worked with advertised for an in-house underwriter and claims attorney. “I was hired and have been in the industry ever since.” He quickly excelled, showing himself to be far from a traditional title professional, thanks to his unique ability to solve tough challenges.
“I can think of one anecdote that was particularly fun,” he said when asked about how he dealt with challenges throughout his career. “We had a situation where we needed a deed from a grocer’s union. I could find no way to communicate with them other than to join the union. As a result, I got a call from their general counsel wondering why a real estate attorney wanted to join the union. I explained my motivation, and he secured the deed we needed while applauding my creativity. I suspect he continues to tell that story — as do I.”
Becoming the industry’s Yoda
While solving tough challenges through unconventional means, Jeff also found ample opportunities to begin practicing the care that today has become his trademark. “One employee of an agent of ours nicknamed me Yoda,” he remarked with wry humor when asked to share a story he is proud of from his tenure. “While it is certainly an honor to be compared to the great Jedi Master, it is more humbling that she credits me with having mentored her and helped her become a knowledgeable leader at her title agency.”
The woman Jeff mentored is now running her agency’s branch operations, and her story is just one of the many instances where Jeff has made a hugely positive impact on both individual professionals and the industry. This is the natural result when you organize your career around core principles like curiosity and service.
“Be curious,” Stein noted regarding what advice he’d give to new industry professionals. “Take the time to get to know the folks you are working with, whether they are agents or co-workers. Use that curiosity to listen and work to help them with what they actually need, not what we assume they need. Have fun and enjoy those around you. Be mindful of the impact you can and do have on others. It is a big deal.”
Gaining ample and impactful insights
Given how central curiosity has been to his underwriting career, Jeff has naturally gleaned many insights about how the profession has changed over time. “We began as stewards of the public records. Our mission was to keep the titles as ‘correct’ as possible,” he said. “We were less concerned over assessing risk and more concerned with making things perfect. That has changed since I started 45 years ago. While we are still mindful of the record, the shift is more to assessing risk, deciding what we can accept to move the transactions forward both to mutually beneficial success.”
But that isn’t the only takeaway from his time in title and underwriting. Having managed teams throughout his career, Jeff is also well-versed in what success looks like for leaders within the industry. “First, make sure to provide everyone with a great environment to work in. What is great differs for everyone, but as a leader in a company, that is a core responsibility,” he noted. “Second, hire folks that are smarter than you and allow them to excel even if that means they move past you. The real success of a mentor or teacher is having the student surpass the teacher. Third, be helpful to those you work with. In other words, truly be a servant leader. Remember that the success of those that report to you is truly your success. Fourth, enjoy what you do, enjoy the humanity of those around you. The relationships are what makes leadership fun.”
Final thoughts from an enviable career
Those final notes are what Jeff sees as the perfect summation of his career. As with many other dedicated title professionals, for Jeff, the work has always been about people. People are what guided him in the early stages of his career. People are at the heart of his proudest moments. And people are what drove his underwriting and leadership philosophies throughout the decades. Lastly, it is people who will remain with him as he prepares to embark upon a new chapter. “Through it all, I have had a lot of fun, and in the end, I’ll value the friendships and connections I made the most.”
