As we approach the holiday season and the close of another year, I’ve been reflecting deeply on the concept of organizational culture—what it means, how it shapes our businesses, and how we can all work to improve it. Culture is more than just a buzzword; it’s the lifeblood of an organization, influencing our interactions, decisions, and outcomes. I’d like to share some insights we’ve gained at Alliant National and offer practical thoughts. I hope you find them useful as you think about your culture-building efforts.
Understanding Cultural Paradigms
Organizational culture can be viewed through various lenses. Some companies focus on performance, where results and individual achievement drive culture. Others adopt a purpose-driven culture, aligning actions with a higher mission or set of values. At Alliant National, we’ve found our greatest strength in fostering a culture of trust. But it’s important to note that no single cultural paradigm is inherently better than any other. The key is to identify which approach aligns most closely with your organization’s values and mission.
In the title insurance industry, relationships are at the heart of everything we do, and that’s why we ultimately decided to build our culture on the foundation of trust. Behind every transaction is a person or family entrusting us with their dreams and future. Trust is the cornerstone of these relationships, enabling us to be part of critical moments in people’s lives. Without trust, we’re merely facilitating transactions; with it, we’re partnering in something much more significant—helping people pursue the American Dream of economic prosperity.
The 3Cs: Our Foundation for Trust
To cultivate this trust, we’ve centered our culture around three key principles we call the 3Cs:
Care for Others: Genuine care involves truly listening and understanding the needs of those we serve—our agents, partners, and colleagues. It’s about making meaningful connections and offering assistance that can have a positive impact on someone’s life.
Competency in Our Work: We believe in continuous improvement. By staying informed, honing our skills, and striving for excellence, we ensure that we’re equipped to meet the needs of our clients and each other effectively.
Commitment: This is about reliability and follow-through. Doing what we say we will do, meeting our obligations, and being dependable in every situation reinforces the trust others place in us.
These principles aren’t just corporate ideals. We try to live them as daily practices that guide us through our interactions with our agents and fellow team members.
Intentional Culture Building
Good culture doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention, reflection, and a willingness to change. A few years ago, we took an important step by developing a booklet describing our company culture. It’s essentially a collective expression of what makes Alliant National special on our best days. It includes our Purpose, Mission, Vision, Core Value, and Guiding Principles. Simply stated, the “Alliant National Way” is: caring about people by providing uncommonly valuable help that delivers a positive impact. This articulation of our shared beliefs has provided a compass for our actions.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to define what’s most important about your culture, we’ve found that the exercise can be incredibly valuable. For us, it wasn’t about creating something new, but rather about uncovering and articulating what was already true about our organization. We found that the project gave us a rare opportunity to talk to our team, reflect on shared experiences, and capture our unique narrative.
Beyond defining culture, it’s important to take steps to live it more deeply and consistently. To support this, we established an Employee Engagement Team to ensure that culture remains an ongoing focus. This group serves as a conduit for feedback and ideas, helping culture rise from every level of the organization.
Other important initiatives included creating a set of Management Rules of the Road, which outlines what employees can expect from their managers. Additionally, our culture has been strengthened through regular Outward Mindset seminars from the Arbinger Institute. The goal of these sessions is to help team members understand that other people’s needs matter just as much as their own. They encourage collaboration, break down silos, and remind us to work together.
Steps to Building a Great Culture
Every company, regardless of size or industry, stands to benefit from a strong, intentional culture. Based on our experience, here are a few steps that we hope may be helpful in your own cultural journey:
Define Your Core Values: What principles are non-negotiable for your organization? Whether it’s trust, innovation, customer focus, or something else entirely, clarity here sets the foundation. A key aspect in defining your values is also in prioritizing them. It’s easy to say loyalty, honesty, and integrity are the values of the company. What happens when these values are in conflict?
Engage Your Team: Culture is a collective endeavor. Regularly involve team members at all levels in discussions about values and practices. Their insights can be surprising and powerful.
Be Intentional: Develop initiatives, programs, and traditions that reinforce your values. Solicit feedback from employees to ensure alignment and celebrate your cultural successes regularly. Values are most reflected in an organization based on who gets promoted or rewarded.
Measure and Reflect: Utilize tools like surveys, focus groups, or external certifications to assess your cultural health. Benchmarks provide valuable insights into where you’re succeeding and where there’s room to grow. For example, at Alliant National, we’ve participated in the Great Place to Work certification process for over eight years, and in 2024, we were recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the Best Small Workplaces and one of the Best Places to Work in Real Estate.
Embrace Continuous Improvement: Culture isn’t static. Be open to change and ready to adapt as your organization grows and the environment evolves.
Recognition and Celebration
One great way to promote culture is to share stories of success. At Alliant National, we’ve found tremendous value in communicating and celebrating our cultural achievements during Alliant National Live!, our bi-monthly all-hands call. My favorite part of the call is a feature we recently added — the Winner’s Circle. It’s an opportunity for employees to nominate colleagues who exemplify what it means to work the “Alliant National Way.” Most importantly, this peer-nominated recognition is to identify someone who demonstrates one of more of the 3Cs. A nomination takes time and effort, so these nominations reflect the genuine appreciation and respect colleagues have for one another’s contributions. These stories and celebrations help our team feel more connected and aligned with the company’s values.
Looking Ahead and Staying Committed
As we approach 2025 and our 20th anniversary, I couldn’t be more excited about the future of Alliant National. Our imminent partnership with Dream Finders Homes marks an exciting new chapter, creating new opportunities to grow and better serve our agents. Additionally, we are eager to continue innovating with tools like our anti-fraud solution, SecureMyTransaction, which reinforces trust and security in real estate transactions.
As I look ahead, I’m reminded that our success is built on our cultural foundations that enable us to provide value to our agents. While there’s much to be proud of, no culture is ever “finished.” It requires continuous care and attention to ensure alignment with our mission and goals.
Whatever cultural foundation you choose—whether trust, purpose, performance, or a blend—it’s important to invest in it intentionally. At Alliant National, we’ve found that fostering a culture of trust has brought great benefits to our team, agents, and partners.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. Here’s wishing you a happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year!
As Thanksgiving approaches, I am reminded of the important people and partnerships that have made this year successful. While we strive to express our gratitude every day, this season gives us an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the progress we have made together.
I am so thankful for each of our independent agents. Many of you have endured significant challenges, from difficult markets to severe weather. Your dedication to your clients, teams, and communities is truly inspiring. I am deeply grateful for your commitment and the trust you have placed in us. Your resilience drives us to keep innovating and finding new ways to support you.
We are thrilled with our imminent partnership with Dream Finders Homes. This alliance will create new opportunities for us to grow and strengthen our ability to serve you. I am eager for our team to show you how this new relationship will help drive your success in the New Year.
We know that challenges like fraud also continue to pose real risks to our industry, and I am especially thankful for your insights and feedback, which have been instrumental in the continued development of SecureMyTransaction. This solution helps protect your clients and safeguard your business from fraud. Your collaboration is making SMT truly practical and effective. Together, we are tackling these threats head-on, and I am confident that we will keep making a meaningful impact.
Next year, Alliant National will celebrate its 20th anniversary—a milestone made possible by you. For two decades, we have worked to build a business centered on trust, always placing you at the heart of what we do. Your success is our success. As we celebrate, we look forward to honoring your partnership and dedication.
This Thanksgiving, please know how deeply appreciative I am for your belief in Alliant National and friendship with our team. Together, we are building something truly remarkable.
Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Alliant National is joining forces with Dream Finders Homes, one of the fastest-growing homebuilders in the country. This is an exciting announcement, and it was only possible because of the support of our agents. I’d like to take this moment to share what this means for our agents, and why we can all look forward to this new chapter together.
First and foremost, let me assure you that our mission remains the same: we are committed to independent title agents and the model that makes Alliant National special. Dream Finders recognizes the value in our independent approach, and our success because of it. They love what we do, and they want to help us do more of it.
Our partnership with Dream Finders is all about growth and new opportunities to better serve our agents. Through this collaboration, our team will gain access to additional resources and capabilities that will allow us to expand our reach and elevate the support we provide. Dream Finders shares our vision of building something enduring and impactful. 2025 marks Alliant National’s 20th year of operations, and in that time, our team has worked to place our relationship with you at the heart of everything we do. Our partnership with Dream Finders will help us strengthen those relationships. We are excited to supercharge our capabilities while staying true to our core mission and values.
In this time of transition, I would also like to acknowledge Presidio Investors, which acquired Alliant National in 2018. Their support facilitated our evolution and expansion over the last several years, and we are deeply grateful for everything we have accomplished together. I know change can sometimes feel unsettling, but I’m confident that joining Dream Finders will allow Alliant National to become an even stronger partner for you in the years to come.
Thank you for your continued trust and friendship. This is just the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for Alliant National, and I am honored to be on this journey with you.
Best, David and the whole team at Alliant National
It’s hard to believe that it has already been one year since Alliant National and our technology partners launched SecureMyTransaction in response to the urgent need for robust, scalable fraud prevention and identity verification tools. Over the last year, many of you have provided feedback on our service, and I am humbled by the stories I’ve heard about how SecureMyTransaction has helped defend against fraud. Seller impersonation, vacant property fraud, wire fraud, and deed and document forgeries are deeply damaging to our industry and the consumers we serve, and I sincerely thank you for your valuable input.
Thanks in large part to your help and support, I am proud to share two significant updates regarding SecureMyTransaction.
First, the American Land Title Association (ALTA) has announced today that SecureMyTransaction has achieved ALTA Elite Provider status. As part of that process, SMT was rigorously vetted as a provider and received recommendations from ALTA members. This designation is an important milestone and affirms SMT’s effectiveness in helping agents respond to increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes.
Second, we’re excited to announce that this week, SMT is being updated to include new features allowing you to customize the user experience with your branding, the branding of your real estate partners, and even lenders. This includes incorporating your logos, contact information, and messaging for a seamless, integrated ID verification experience that reflects your unique business style. With this added ability to customize the platform, SMT not only offers protection but also supports brand visibility and business growth.
We remain committed to growing and enhancing SecureMyTransaction, and your feedback will guide our efforts. You can also follow updates at SecureMyTransaction.com.
If you have thoughts or questions about SecureMyTransaction, please reach out to me or any member of our team.
As we begin a New Year, it’s a natural time for reflection and planning. However, in an industry where change is constant, charting a path forward is not always easy. At the outset, we recognize some familiar challenges: the economy, fraud, political polarization, climate change, and disruption from new technologies like AI. At Alliant National, we’re approaching 2024 rooted in our enduring commitment to care and service for our agents, innovating from this foundation to enhance our responsiveness and support in an evolving industry.
Your growth and success are central to our mission. That’s why our prime focus this year extends to enhancing many of the resources and tools at your disposal. We’re committed to evolving and improving our underwriting practices, providing the responsive support you need to confidently navigate the market’s complexities. Our educational programs are poised for expansion. Moreover, we are engaging in several key initiatives to expand our services, including:
SecureMyTransaction: To help our agents combat the growing challenge of real estate fraud, we introduced our robust identity verification system – SecureMyTransaction – last year. In response to your valuable input, we’ve upgraded the system with advanced features like 3D image verification and expanded global reach, now validating ID instruments from 200 countries. To learn more, check out the SecureMyTransaction website.
Expanding Title Searches: We’re now offering quicker, more efficient title search services. Integrated with leading platforms such as Qualia and RamQuest, our aim is to streamline your processes, reduce risks, and ultimately, enhance your profitability.
Embracing AI and Innovation: We’re not just keeping up with technology; we’re leading the charge. From implementing artificial intelligence in operations to partnering with the University of Colorado on groundbreaking projects, we’re committed to bringing the future of real estate services to you.
This year, we recognize the uncertainties but also see the immense possibilities. It’s a time to invest and innovate where it makes sense, while continuing to provide the excellent service you’ve come to expect from the Alliant National team.
As we move forward into the year, your thoughts and feedback are invaluable to us. If there’s anything we can do to help make 2024 more successful for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, your agency manager, or any member of our team. We are all here to support you. Together, we’ll make this year one of growth, success and positive change.
David Sinclair, President & CEO for Alliant National
This blog contains general information only, not intended to be relied upon as, nor a substitute for, specific professional advice. We accept no responsibility for loss occasioned to any purpose acting on or refraining from action as a result of any material on this blog.
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