Within minutes of meeting Marilyn Arnold, I knew I met someone special. Marilyn Arnold is from Omaha, Nebraska and is the only female Managing Partner in the Northeast for New York Life. Her philosophy on life, work, family and giving back is impressive and impelling.

Marilyn began her career in the insurance industry 23 years ago in the Midwest. After hitting a “glass ceiling” with her previous employer, Marilyn joined the New York Life Insurance Company team eight years ago. She was promoted to Managing Partner and moved to New Jersey two years ago. As Marilyn stated, “I came to New York Life because I wanted to be a Managing Partner. At New York Life, whatever career path you choose, it is all spelled out. A career at New York Life is not about whom you know, it’s about what you want to accomplish. New York Life promotes entirely from within, which is an added bonus especially for women.”

Woman Friendly Environment

I asked Marilyn to further explain how and why New York Life is a strong “woman” friendly company. “Women are very loyal and changing careers or a job is very difficult for us. New York Life promotes entirely from within, is extremely supportive of their hires, and make opportunities available for women. You are literally running your own business, so you have the flexibility many women need. Plus, New York Life provides the systems to support your professional and personal goals, giving you the tools necessary to succeed. For example, New York Life provides personal coaching and a strong mentorship program for all new hires because we want our people to succeed.” Most working women agree: A strong, supportive, management system is vital to balance the demands between a successful career and a successful family.

Marilyn continues, “Coupling a strong support system with excellent management support and guidance, creates a positive work environment where women thrive. I am a perfect example. I am here because I communicated my goal of becoming a Managing Partner, then I followed the direction provided by New York Life to accomplish my goal. For these reasons, we have the best retention percentage of women among insurance companies.”

I was curious about the “glass ceiling” Marilyn mentioned earlier, so I asked her to expand a little more. “This is a hard business. You know, what isn’t? It’s no more difficult than any other profession. You have to be comfortable with your employer and you have to be given the tools to succeed. I felt like my career had stalled, however, I knew I had not. There is so much opportunity for everyone. If women are looking for an opportunity, they can find it here.”

What exactly is a typical career path at New York Life? Marilyn responded, “A typical career path at New York Life is: A new hire comes in as an agent. Everything is spelled out for you and you learn the New York Life system."

"Agents are required to come to the office at least once a week for training. Part of the orientation is a marketing plan specifically designed to match the agent’s interest in: small business or family. After two years, the agent’s career path is re-evaluated based upon the agent’s goals, interests and the opportunities within New York Life. A career path is generated at that point, with a system in place to help the agent attain his or her goals.”

I decided to switch gears, from the career information on Marilyn to a more personal note. I wanted to know what message she has for women. She broke her answer down into three components: Personal, Inspirational and Leadership Qualities.

Personal

“Don’t Ever Quit! Educate yourself, meet people and talk to people. Learn as much as you can. My personal role model is Mary Kay Ash. She was one of the greatest female entrepreneurs. Learning about Mary Kay Ash, helped me see that a woman can have it all. It takes a little planning and a lot of work. But success can happen.”

Although her personal conveyance was inspirational in nature, her inspiration comes from helping others succeed.

Inspirational

Marilyn conveys her inspiration by: “Watching other people be successful, and knowing I played a part. I have received so much assistance, and many opportunities and blessings from others. To pass along to others, what my family and I have been given truly inspires me. I would not have had the success and the life without this industry and New York Life.” And the qualities of a leader are?

Leadership

According to Marilyn, the qualities of a leader are: "A person who is coachable and possesses a tremendous amount of drive. She has to have a strong vision of where she wants to go. She has to want to be a part of what is making things happen. If a woman is looking for being a part of the fastest growing insurance and financial institution in the country, she needs to be with New York Life." To be inspired by giving back and never quitting are true leadership qualities I encountered when I met Marilyn Arnold.

This story has been reprinted from Garden State Woman Magazine — 2007 Financial Resource Guide

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