There are moments when an industry must decide whether it wants to be recognized as a true profession or remain a loosely regulated trade. The public adjusting community is standing squarely in that moment.
For the past several months, I have been deeply reflecting on the work of Professor Barbara Kellerman and her insights into what it takes for leadership in any field and for leadership to be recognized as a profession. Her framework is not theoretical. It is practical and demanding. She provides a useful lens for where public adjusting must go if it expects to survive and thrive in the face of increasing legislative, regulatory, and contractual pressures. In my opinion, as stated in a recent post, A Wake-Up Call to the Public Adjusting Profession, those pressures are not going away.
At the same time, it is important to recognize a parallel truth. The insurance industry, particularly through its own and independent adjusters, is not moving uniformly toward becoming a clearly defined, self-regulating profession either. While there are notable exceptions, AMICA, PURE, Chubb, Fireman’s Fund, and Lexington Preferred consistently come to mind for their commitment to product quality and claims service, the broader system remains uneven and underperforming. Training, consistency, and accountability vary widely by insurance companies, and policyholders often experience that inconsistency firsthand from those who promise much more at the point of sale.
When that happens, policyholders look for help. That is why public adjusters exist. And that is why they will continue to be needed. But need alone does not justify a profession. Standards do.
If public adjusting is to be recognized and protected as a profession, it must embrace the very elements Kellerman identifies in one of her most recent works, Professionalizing Leadership. First, there must be a defined body of knowledge. Not a patchwork of individual experience or self-taught practices, but a recognized and rigorous foundation that every public adjuster is expected to master. Policy interpretation, damage assessment, valuation, and negotiation are not casual skills. They require depth, consistency, and discipline.
Second, formal education and development must follow. Entry into the field should not be easy or incidental. It should involve structured learning, followed by practical, supervised training, and continued education that improves competence rather than simply satisfies a requirement.
Third, there must be clear and enforceable standards of conduct. Ethics cannot remain aspirational. They must be specific enough to guide behavior and strong enough to discipline those who violate them. The public must know what to expect and what will not be tolerated.
Fourth, accountability systems are essential. Real professions discipline their own. They do not look the other way when incompetence or misconduct occurs. They address it directly, fairly, and consistently.
Fifth, and perhaps most overlooked by leaders and organizations, is what Kellerman calls followership. A profession is not sustained by leaders alone. It requires members who are willing to support what is right, challenge what is wrong, and refuse to tolerate poor practices. Silence in the face of declining standards is not neutrality. Instead, it is mere participation.
Finally, there must be a shared identity and purpose. Public adjusters must see themselves not merely as independent operators, but as members of a profession with a collective responsibility to uphold its integrity. This is not just about earning a fee. It is about serving policyholders at some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
All these elements work together. Remove one, and the structure weakens. Ignore several, and the profession itself becomes vulnerable. That vulnerability is no longer hypothetical. It is showing up in legislation like Kentucky’s HB 568, in anti-public adjuster endorsements, and in a growing narrative that questions whether public adjusters are a benefit to the claims process or a problem to be controlled.
The answer to that question will not be decided by critics. It will be decided by what public adjusters choose to become. There is an opportunity here for public adjusters to step forward and set a higher standard while parts of the insurance industry struggle with consistency and trust. They can become the disciplined, accountable, and trusted professionals that policyholders are already searching for.
But that will not happen by accident. It will require commitment. It will require leadership. And it will require a willingness on the part of both leaders and followers to demand more of themselves and each other. If that happens, public adjusting will not only survive these challenges but also emerge stronger and more respected.
If it does not, others will continue to define its limits through regulation or insurance contract exclusion.
Thought For The Day
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”
— John Stuart Mill